Driven To The Edge: A New Wave In The Workforce

They say that “the family that plays together stays together”, but now it seems like more and more members of the Long Island family are also making work a “family” affair.

According to officials more and more Long Islanders carpooled or took public transportation to work this year than ever before. And, more Long Islanders also opted to work from home as well.

The transition was noted as most prevalent and significant in Nassau County, based on statistics showing that the number of workers driving to work alone dropped by 3.5 percent and is likely a result of relatively easy access to public transportation.

The same study and report suggest that carpooling in Nassau also rose, at a reported 18 percent and the use of mass transit increased by about 2 percent.

And, even is Suffolk County, where statistics suggest that the increase in population due to new home developments was enough to outweigh the effects of increased gas prices, the county still saw some changes. In fact, officials note an increase in both carpooling and use of mass transit. But, the biggest change was seen in the number of people working from home, which rose more in Suffolk than in Nassau. And, the change was primarily realized in folks who still had young kids at home and started a home-based business.

Another contributing factor note officials was the incredible increase in traffic, leaving many too stressed to take on the commute alone five days a week. So, sharing the load seems for many a way to ease both the financial and emotional load.

Meanwhile, another study suggests that the most marked change is noticed in where workers choose to commute to. It notes that most Long Islanders commute suburb to suburb rather than suburb to city (or borough), which was the previous trend, and of those that do 80 percent drive themselves to work.

Furthermore, the national report suggests that there was also a significant increase in those that drove an hour or more to work, by about 50 percent. And, what that means for the Long Island work force is that more and more employees are already tired and frustrated by the time they get to work, regardless of if they drive, carpool, or rely on mass transit. And, that may have a negative impact on their work performance, and ultimately perhaps on business and the economy as we know it.