Nearly 85 percent of workers say their primary means of traveling to and from work is driving. It’s no surprise that incidents of road rage climbed with the length of the commute. However, 30 percent of workers with commutes of less than five minutes still say they experience road rage on occasion. The same goes for 42 percent of workers with commutes of less than 10 minutes.
Women were slightly more apt to feel road rage than men. Sixty percent of women reported road rage, compared to 57 percent of men.
“A frustrating commute can set a negative tone for the day, sometimes impacting productivity and employee or client relations,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. “One-in-five workers say they would take a job with a pay cut in exchange for a shorter distance between their home and their workplace. While a new job may be the answer for some, the key to a manageable commute is planning ahead and finding a way to relax.”
Haefner offers the following tips for a calm and enjoyable commute:
1. Lose the lead foot – Lost tempers and traffic weaving are often signs of running late. Leave a few minutes early to give yourself extra time in case you come across heavy traffic, bad weather, train crossings and other morning disasters.
2. It’s nothing personal – Remember, the other drivers aren’t out to get you. People who hit the brakes without apparent reason, drive well below the speed limit, daydream, sit still while other cars are moving, etc. are usually just bad drivers.
3. Early to bed – Yawning drivers tend to get more agitated behind the wheel. Try to work in a good night’s sleep and healthy breakfast, so you can go to work feeling refreshed and ready to take on rush hour.
4. Easy listening – Seventy-two percent of workers say they listen to music to pass the time in transit. Soothing music or books on tape can help you to relax during bumper-to-bumper delays.
5. Breathe – The next time you want to emphatically inform a fellow commuter of how he/she drives, take a few deep breaths instead. It can help you keep centered and control stress levels.
Survey Methodology The “Office Commute” survey was conducted from June 6 to June 16, 2006. Methodology used to collect survey responses totaling more than 2,200 workers for this study involved selecting a random sample of comScore Networks panel members. These Web Panel members were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/- 2.08 percentage points (19 times out of 20).
About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 900 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 150 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 250,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 18 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
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