Gas prices are hitting record highs across the nation, with no signs of stopping. As fuel costs rise and salaries remain the same, should in-office employees be allowed to work remotely?
Driving the news: According to CNN, there are at least 16 states, plus Washington, D.C., where the average cost of gas is over $5 per gallon.
- In 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the average one-way commute in the United States is around 27 minutes, or nearly an hour roundtrip.
- With an average 15 gallon tank, driving a 27-minute commute to work each day could add around $50 worth of gas each week, or almost $200 a month.
What they’re saying: Some executives are leaning toward remote work in efforts to minimize gas expenses and commute times for their employees.
- Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told CBS News that he’s in favor of remote work, saying, “People who can work from home should do so, in order to reduce national gasoline consumption and reduce the impact on people who cannot work from home.”
- CareerSource CEO Julia Dattolo has had half of her staff return to working from home. Dattolo told WPTV her company already had the resources in place for remote work due to the pandemic, so it was an obvious decision to switch back.
- “I came to work and said, ‘Listen, we have the technology to work remote, let people save gas, go home, let’s start working remote again,’” Dattolo said, per WPTV.
Yes, but: Some CEOs feel differently. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, told SpaceX employees in a memo obtained by The New York Times last week that they would be expected to spend “a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week,” or be fired, the Deseret News reported.
The bottom line: While every business is different and expects various things from their employees, remote and/or hybrid work is a potential solution in combatting work commutes and high gas prices.