This week Florida State University's College of Business released research it is working on for journal publication this summer that links the heightened gas prices consumers are seeing at the pump with a drop in employee productivity.
According to this Newswise article, Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at the FSU College of Business, says a measurable drop in productivity is due to an increase in the amount of stress that is usually "left at the door" – but which is gradually creeping into work – from employees who have to weigh the money spent on commuting to work against their take-home pay:
Survey respondents said gas prices were foremost on their mind, including a disgruntled factory worker who wrote, "I spend more time at work trying to figure out what I need to give up to keep gas in my tank than thinking about how to do my job."
Hochwarter's research is based on surveys of more than 800 full-time employees this spring when gas prices hovered at about $3.50 per gallon.
Bullets of some of the more interesting findings appear in the link above, but we were particularly moved by the fact that over half of the surveyed employees have reconsidered taking vacations or other recreational activities due to hikes in gas prices. Given that workers in countries such as France and Germany already enjoy a healthy work/life balance that's been defined as 4-5 weeks more vacation per year than U.S. workers, if our workforce has to cut back even more in time off, it no doubt will have a systemic impact on not only productivity, but absenteeism and even retention.
Small business leaders: What are your workers telling you about their struggles to get to and from work? And are you working to accommodate them, such as through municipal shuttle programs or facilitating carpools? Let us know by clicking "Add your thoughts" below.
— Winning Workplaces, May 06, 2008 | Add your thoughts