Work Daze

Don’t you just hate when reality gets in the way your everyday life at work?

Take gas prices. You probably haven’t noticed it, but gasoline prices have been on the rise lately. As I’m writing this, a gallon of good stuff costs over $4.00 and by the time you read this, it could easily be $6.00 or $8.00 or a $100. There’s nothing you can do to control the price, and it doesn’t matter whether you blame it on the greed of Saudi Arabia or the apparent desire of every worker in China and India to “see the USA in a Chevrolet.” [I guess we should update that old advertising chestnut. How about “see Korea in a Kia.” Or, “see Rwanda in a Honda.”] It all goes to show, I guess, that you never should have capped that oil well in your back yard.

What’s amazing about the high price of gasoline today is that it is not only influencing the way we live, it’s also affecting the way we work. According to a recent survey, “more than four out of ten professionals (44%) said higher gas prices have affected their commute, up from 34 percent in a similar survey two years ago.”

I’ve been ruminating about it, and I think the last time reality changed my work life was when the dinosaurs died off, and we no longer had to board up our cubes when it was Tyrannosaurus mating season. But paying so much at the pump has consequences, and this recent poll, conducted on behalf of Robert Half International, shows the changes workers like thee and me are now willing to consider.

Like the 46% of us who report “increasing carpooling or ridesharing.” This is a big number and a big change. If you’ve ever tried it, you know how easy it is to drown in a carpool. You’ve got to spend at least an hour a day with three or four different personalities, and you’ve got to do it early in the morning, a time when few except television weather people, feel bright and social. Or in the evening, after eight to ten to twelve hours of being bashed and battered by abusive managers, psychotic co-workers, and a temperamental copying machine that has it out for you.

Considering how awful it is to drive with people you know, one can only imagine the hell that is ridesharing. In this situation, you line up at some centrally located corner and hop in whatever car comes along. If you think Russian Roulette sounds dangerous, consider the dreadful possibilities of Toyota Roulette! What kind of crazy person is going to give a ride to a crazy person like you?

Other work style changes that are being considered due to the – quite literally – highway robbery of today’s gas prices include driving a more fuel efficient car (33%), telecommuting more frequently (33%) and looking for a job closer to home (30%.) I was disappointed to see that only 18% are thinking about biking to work. There’s nothing I enjoy more than racing down the highway behind a schmo on a Schwinn.

You won’t be surprised that 59% of respondents responded that their companies are not helping to offset the rising cost of commuting. 18% have increased the mileage reimbursement for company travel. That leaves 72% who still base their reimbursement on the cost of driving a Calistoga wagon across Oklahoma in 1834.

If prices continue to rise, I expect many companies will have to respond. Don’t be shocked if your company helps you cut down on your daily commute by allowing you to sleep in your cubical. [In the night time, I mean. No one is going to take away your fundamental right to sleep during the day.]

If you have a particularly generous management, they may even allow you to keep working 24/7, thus eliminating your commute altogether. Can’t you just see it? Representatives from HR hand out blankets and those itsy-bitsy little pillows the airlines used to offer. You might even get a pre-packaged, semi-nutritious meal – or be offered the opportunity to purchase one at your desk. [No cash! Credit cards only.]

You could then work contentedly through the night, knowing that you are saving money by not spending on overpriced gas, or any of the other luxuries no can now afford, like buying a house or having children.

Don’t like this new way of working? You have two choices: move to Saudi Arabia or buy a bike.