Is your commute killing your career chances?

Having a long commute can make even a dream job seem unbearable. But it might also make a dream job unachievable. The return to office may be causing recruiters to prioritise candidates who have a shorter commute, as one job seeker recently discovered.

Annie Angus, a writer who lives in Hertford in Hertfordshire, recently applied for a job at an energy company based in London. After impressing with her application, she was invited to a first-stage interview. Yet, after she said she lived over an hour away, the offer was rescinded.

“My commute was only one hour and 10 minutes, but I was told this was a ‘red flag’,” she told Startups. “The company wouldn’t consider hiring me unless I could somehow reduce it.”

As businesses work to boost office attendance with return to work mandates, the commute is becoming an important factor on a job seeker’s CV. But is it fair for companies to decide how far a person is willing to travel to work?

“I was told to cycle to work to qualify for the job”

Angus began applying for jobs last September. After working in a cafe since leaving university, she stumbled upon the job advert for a customer service role, and thought it would be the perfect opportunity for her first graduate job.

However, after making it through the first round with a recruiter, she was shocked to be told that the employer required all applicants to have a commute of under one hour to be eligible.

“The interviewer even told me if I cycled to the station rather than walking I could shave five minutes off my commute and would qualify to work there,” she recalls. “It wasn’t possible for me to get there in under an hour, and she eventually told me that I wouldn’t progress further.”

According to Angus, the firm does have a hybrid working pattern but new hires do not qualify for the company perk unless they are two months in. She thinks the business implemented its commute policy in response to new starters quitting due to not wanting to work in-office.

Return to office makes recruiters rethink the commute

Since COVID, the stressful commute into work is a thing of the past for many office workers. Remote staff can now choose to work from home in the case of a train strike or road closure, making proximity to the workplace less of a factor when applying to jobs.

“People have gotten so used to the comfort of their own home and enjoy that freedom before and after the working day, meaning even a 40 minute commute just doesn’t seem worth it”, says Emily Stock, talent partner at tech company, MVF Global.

However, despite most organisations previously taking a relaxed stance on flexible working, companies across the globe have been trying to shepherd team members back to the desk.

As a result, the commute is back on the menu for hiring managers. For example, last summer, remote working giant Zoom instituted a new policy requiring employees who live within 50 miles of a physical Zoom office to report to work at least two days per week.

“The commute is something we discuss with candidates in detail if their commute is long,” says Stock. “If their commute is towards the two hour mark and they haven’t regularly travelled [to work] before, then it would raise some questions.”

Worker wellbeing

Stock says asking about a candidate’s commute is not only about warming office seats. She argues that a long journey into work can be detrimental to employee wellbeing.

She once hired a worker on the basis that they were relocating to London. After they had started the job, they changed their mind and commuted from the East of England instead.

“The commute was so long that they started to stay in London hostels overnight so they could travel home the next day,” Stock tells Startups. “This all became detrimental to their mental health and in the end they had to leave the role for something closer to home.”

Hiring an employee who asks for adjustments to their work schedule from day one can be difficult for bosses. It can also impact development during the vital probation period. New starters often need help and support that can be harder to carry out over virtual meetings.

Angus says she understands employers’ frustrations, though she was equally annoyed by the energy company’s lack of transparency. Angus wasn’t told about the role’s commuter criteria in her email invitation or the job description.

“Going through the application process [was] quite mentally draining,” says Angus. “Being shut down over something that could have been said pre-interview wasted both our time.”

Communication, communication, communication

The return to office debate has thrown up difficult questions about the power that bosses have to dictate where and when an employee can work.

Frustrating though it might be for employers to receive a flexible working request mere weeks after a new hire has been made, a quick-fix solution such as putting a time limit on a candidate’s commute, is risky. It is also a surefire way to lose out on prime candidates.

Recruiters should communicate directly with a job applicant to ensure they are aware of the pros and cons of a long commute, and what level of attendance is expected from them in the role. If possible, this information should also be written into the job description.

Crucially, this will ensure that the talent is being appraised on merit, experience, and enthusiasm; rather than their willingness to ride a bicycle to work.