Are commuters sicker than other workers?

Mobile working world: makes commuting sick?

Especially now in the cold season, when the days get shorter and shorter, many commuters set off for work before sunrise and only return home after sunset. This is not pleasant. but occupational donations are really bad for your health?

Almost every second employee commutes

As can be seen from the report "Mobility in the Workplace" of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), almost half of the employees in Germany (45 percent) are commuters, which means that their jobs are in a different circle than their home. Commuting is not only a burden on the environment but, according to various studies, also leads to an increased health risk for the employees. But on the basis of the sick leave this is obviously not visible.

In Germany there are more and more commuters. According to studies, commuting not only pollutes the environment, but also poses a health risk. (Image: Ralf Gosch / fotolia.com)

Rarer and less sick

According to the current TK report "Mobility in the Workplace", commuters are less sick than those on short-term jobs, but they are more affected by mental illness.

As the health insurance company writes in a communication, it was found in the evaluation that commuters were statistically with 13.7 days lost in 2017 a total of half a day less sick leave than working people with short commute (14.2).

Of the employees who work close to home, 52.3 percent were therefore on sick leave at least once, among commuters was at 49.4 percent, just under half last year at least once.

Albrecht Wehner, who is responsible for health reports at TK, said: "We start from the so-called healthy worker effect, which means more work is more likely to be done by people with good health."

Long journeys to work get on your nerves

However, commuters, especially commuters, are more affected by mental illness.

"Because the professions, which are associated above average with commuting, are otherwise characterized by lower psychological stress, we assume that the higher mental absenteeism caused by the commuting itself," said the expert TK.

According to the TK study, 100 commuters lost 242 absentee days due to mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders etc.

For employees with a short journey, it was only 219 days. The mental absentee days are thus almost eleven percent higher for commuters than for workers with near-rush traffic. For women, the difference is even around 15 percent.

Already in the precursor study of the TK 2012 had shown that it comes more frequently to mental illnesses with commuters.

Road traffic annoys

TK's stress study in 2016 had already shown that road traffic is one of the main causes of stress among working people.

One third - both men and women - say they feel stressed out by the traffic.

"Road traffic as a stress factor has the same importance as the constant accessibility by smartphone, Facebook and Co," said Wehner.

Multiple burden for women

According to the information, the proportion of employees whose place of work is in a different district than their home is higher for men than for women.

"This is probably also due to the fact that women still take on more tasks at home and the multiple burden of household and child care does not allow long commutes" said Wehner.

"In addition, women work part-time more often, so that long journey times with shorter working hours are not worthwhile," says the expert.

The proportion of commuters varies significantly between the individual occupational fields. As expected, the highest proportion was recorded by air traffic workers such as pilots and service specialists, as well as sales staff.

Some commute 200 kilometers and more each way

Also in many IT occupations the employees take long ways. There are very few commuters in agriculture and food professions, as well as in private households such as housekeepers and cleaners.

"There are many social and service occupations in almost every location. That's why there are fewer commuters here. The more specialized the profession, the fewer job sites there are, and the longer the journey, employees often have to cover. In addition, the time required for commuting only pays off if it is financially worthwhile, "explained Wehner.

This is also reflected in the fact that the proportion of commuters is greater, the higher the level of training of the employees.

Employees without or in training are less likely to work outside their home country (38 percent commuters), and particularly long distances commute employees with a doctorate and other university degrees.

Almost every second person commutes from them. 7.5 percent of men and 5.4 percent of women fall back 200 km and more each way.

Mental stress less when commuting by public transport

The second part of the report provides a literature review of the state of research on commuting and mobile teleworking. The Institute for Occupational Health Services (IFBG) evaluated 79 studies on behalf of the TK.

The meta-study shows that the number of commuters is constantly increasing, as are the commuting distances and thus the commuting time. The studies also show that the psychological stress is greater when driving a car than when commuting by public transport.

In addition, burdens and days of absence increase with increasing distance and driving time. "The overall view also reveals the negative impact of commuting on physical and social health, especially among women," says Wehner.

Thus, stomach and digestive problems can increase and risk factors for cardiovascular disorders such as body fat percentage and BMI (body mass index) increase.

Sleep as well as social relationships and partnerships also suffer.

Counteract with a healthy diet and balancing exercise

That's why it was important to use the study to promote modern workplace health management.

"Many companies are often unaware that smart schedules, good work organization, and digitalization have a big impact on how much commuting weighs," said Wehner.

"But equally important is that we tackle the issue beyond health care. Transport policy also has a major impact on how commuting becomes a burden on employees, "said the TC expert.

And last but not least, the commuters themselves are required. Some studies show that commuters eat more fast foods, are more prone to excessive media consumption and, in particular, have increased alcohol abuse in males.

"Employees' behavior also influences how stressful commuting becomes for them and how they can take countermeasures - for example with a healthy diet, compensatory exercise or car-pooling," explained health expert Wehner. (Ad)