Remote workers in the U.S. are reclaiming 60 million hours each day previously spent commuting, according to an Oct. 18 analysis of the American Time Use Survey conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The survey measures the amount of time people spend on various activities and where these activities take place. The analysis shows how one hour of commuting time is allocated toward other activities, like exercise, leisure time and sleeping.
Younger workers were more likely to spend more time on leisure, while older workers were more inclined to handle domestic tasks like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids, according to Bloomberg's Oct. 18 analysis of the survey.
Results indicate that although individuals may have increased working in the precise time slot they used to commute, overall paid work hours fell because of substitution toward other activities throughout the day, according to the report. However, Alexia Cambon, research leader of consulting firm Gartner told Bloomberg that employees working fewer hours doesn't translate to lower productivity.
"If you spend 9-to-5, or however many hours a day you're working, on super energy-draining activities, it doesn't really matter how many hours you log - you're not going to be high-performing and you're not going to be engaged," Ms. Cambon said.