[Closed] New Commute

**** that. Sounds like an utter nightmare.

I couldn't do it. Length of time mainly - and then there are those days when there's an accident. Yeesh

I've done the odd weeks where I have been up and down the country, 200-300 miles a day. Its very draining and if you are in one fixed place, I'd consider finding somwhere to stay atleast two nights, you will be ruined by Friday.

Miles or km? Miles, I assume?
I used to do 120 miles a day, but that was straight up & down the A1. There was the occasional issue, but normally it was fairly straight forward. I did that for 2.5 years & while it was do-able it did start to wear me out. It was also putting a shit load of miles on the car (annual mileage was 34k miles I think) and fuel costs were quite a lot, even with ~58mpg or so that I was getting.

Have you tried the commute to see how bearable it is? If it's one of those routes with constant queues & regular accidents, then I imagine it would be pretty dire.

Do you have a cast-iron guarantee that the 'occasional office visits after a few months' thing is legit?
I worked at a place in Cambridge that took on a woman who was driving from Norwich every day. Told her she would only need to do it twice a week and could work from home for the other 3 days. Then when she started was told she needed to be in the office everyday. I think she lasted a few weeks before jacking it in.
Similar with a mate who got a job that involved an awful cross-country commute on small roads. Told him it would be mainly working from home after 3 months. That never materialised and he left to get a job nearer to home after a few years.

You could perhaps contact a small independent B&B (or AirB&B) to see if they would do you a favourable deal on guaranteed Mon-Thurs for room only and then drive up on the Monday, back on the Friday. Depends on other commitments but might work short-term?

Yes miles I'm afraid. It's a work from home contract.

I started a 6 month post with a 75 mile trip each way. 3 and a half years later I finished working there - fortunately I had company cars so that side was OK and the route was generally free running motorways and dual carriageway. In that time I had one failed clutch, one rear end shunt at a roundabout and one speeding ticket (shoot me now!).

If I'd known how long I was going to be doing it I'd definitely have taken the relocation option that was offered. I didn't have family or anything to worry about but with hindsight it's a hell of a chunk out of your day just going to and from work.

I don't think I could do it - it sounds horrible.

If you were going to contemplate it, you'd need it in writing that the job plan was going to change to allow home working x % after y weeks.

I did a 120 mile round-trip commute for a year (took that long to buy a house closer, inc. the first one falling through) - I think that was about my limit, don't think I'd have managed another 20 miles each way (I was setting off at like 6:30am to avoid most of the traffic).

If it's just one day a week then it would be OK (I used to do a 230 mile round trip to an office every two weeks and it was OK, although usually a bit knackered driving back).

If you have to go in a bit more regularly to start can you at least arrange like 7am-3:30pm hours or something so you can avoid a lot of traffic?

I was quite lucky in that I think there were only a couple of incidents in the year I commuted that meant long delays and me getting in late.

I did try a B&B for a bit to but ended up switching back to driving it (I think mostly cost and the hassle of sorting evening meals), AirBnB is probably a better idea (wasn't an option when I was doing it)

I've done a mixed car/train commute before that was close to 2 hours each way (and more when the train company brought in a new timetable), good job, horrible impact on my life and free time.

Focus on it being short term and try and minimise the amount you have to do it, stay over, 4 days in 1 day (or more) from home to start if possible. If people don't think that's possible they probably need to improve their documentation or training!

Have stuff to listen to in the car and make the most of the time, pod-casts, audio books or some radio that doesn't frustrate you.

Learn to relax when driving (something I still struggle with), but it makes the journey a lot easier on you if you can look at someone and say 'what an idiot' as opposed to letting the red mist in.

Yes miles I’m afraid. It’s a work from home contract.

Careful HMRC might think otherwise - remember 'commuting' expenses are actually taxable, and at the firm I work for your role would be classed as a split-location*...

I managed for many years with 90-100 mile daily round trips, very wearing in winter - especially in poor weather and/or on the motorbike.

* Split location equates to commuting and not expensed.

I do 140 miles round trip roughly once a week and occasionally stay over. It's single-carriageway a-road for half and dial carriageway for the other half.

tbh I quite enjoy the morning drive in. But I hate the drive home with a passion, especially when I'm driving into the setting sun or through the dark and stuck behind a wagon.

Doing it more than once/ twice a week would leave me questioning my life choices.

But I loathe commuting so have thought of a hotel stay to break up the week.

Sounds like a better idea to me, possibly a self-catered apartment if there's something nearby? Any chance you could stay there Mon-Thurs and WFH on Fridays? Would make things far more pleasant

I did Peterborough to Redditch - 93 miles each way for about a year, it was a temporary contract. Ended up staying over a couple of night per week because it was just too much travelling.

Got offered the job permanently at the end of the contract, but my wife didn't fancy moving the family to Redditch.

That will knacker you out quickly - imagine doing that through the winter....the weather, the traffic, incidents...

A couple of days a week i could live with, but not 5 days a week.

The hotel option would work for me until i was up to speed, the WFH all the way!

Yeah get it in writing exactly how long you’ll need to do it.
Fine, they’re covering costs, but it’s still time out of your life.
Ask if they’ll let you do flexi time to avoid peak traffic.
Consider staying at a premier inn or similar once or twice a week.
Your car is an auto, with a good stereo/bluetooth setup right? Makes it a lot easier.

If you find a decent B&B you could travel up Monday and come back Tuesday. Same deal Wednesday/Thursday and see if you can negotiate WFH on Friday. I did something similar a few years ago (Northwich to Tamworth) and it worked out ok, especially as I worked late on the days I was staying over, meaning I could get an early dart on the dqys I was travelling back home. Couldn't have done it for more than a few months though.

I must be dim - how does a WFH contract involve 160 miles of commuting every day?

As I understand it, it will be in the initial phase of meeting the business and knowledge transfer. Then pure work from home with occasional visits.

I used to commute 2 hours a day each way by train to Barrow in Furness. It's soul destroying, but manageable if it's for a limited period. I did it for 4 months in the summer.

It sounds odd. They pay you mileage to commute? 1/7th of the week up and down a motorway? This on top of whatever hours you have to do once there? And this is for a job that is based at home?

It sounds odd. They pay you mileage to commute? 1/7th of the week up and down a motorway? This on top of whatever hours you have to do once there? And this is for a job that is based at home?

OK just noted response above! Get trained up real fast is all I can say.

I did a job with a 1h15 commute each way by car for about 6 months. It was mostly country roads that weren't busy and quite good, so the actual driving wasn't bad. However it became apparent that it was a route being used as a rat run by rep types in big cars to cut a corner off the motorway network, and they were all indulging their 'right' to make progress which meant driving like utter arseholes, to the point where it became dangerous. There was about one big smash a month and the police started leaving the burnt out cars on the verge as warnings. The A417 if anyone knows it.

Anyway the point I'm making is that it does rather depend on the route. If you get a nice quiet bit of road or if you can leave at decent times it needn't be too bad. But that's fairly unlikely. Which bit of M1 is it?

I must be dim – how does a WFH contract involve 160 miles of commuting every day?

You must not be reading... he's clear he will eventually be WFH but until then he needs to get training/experience and so will be in the office for a couple of months...

I don't think our H&S manager would permit that! Once a week perhaps, but not every day. We would expect you to stay in a local hotel/prem inn. I suspect our finance dept would expect that too - as mileage would be more expensive than staying!

My partner did something similar a few years back, first three months in the office then working from home.

Although that was home in Dundee and the Office being in London. Ended up finding a suitable “spare room” to rent out which is what I’d do in your scenario.

Also what Poly just said.

Would you hit the limit of the 45p a mile allowance from HMRC. It drops after a point?

Not the same but we live in Newcastle and my wife used to work in London a lot. Covered on expenses she'd go down Monday and come back Thursday. Work longer hours when away and do a short day at home on Friday.

If the company will pay travel I'd look at staying locally. You might be able to find somewhere decent and negotiate a rate. Staying away isn't ideal but is better than driving in my opinion. Id be exhausted doing that everyday. Especially in winter in the dark and bad weather.

Not quite that far but I did 60 miles each way / 120 miles round trip quite often many years ago.

It was tiring and the time taken was sooooo variable based on conditions and traffic. I got home late and ended up eating way too much fast food in the car for dinner (and eating breakfast in the car too to save time).

Plus side I did listen to lots of audiobooks and was very well informed on current affairs via R4.

Work were paying for my petrol money as it was a client site.

I would not choose to do this now. I would try to stay over in a cheap hotel for some quality of life so I could at least work later, exercise and sleep - then leave early/have days at home if poss.

They pay you mileage to commute?

No - it is a WFH contract but they are covering his fuel expenses for the period of time where he needs to attend the office whilst training.

you could do it for a few months if you had to, but any longer than that will very quickly grind you down. it also depends what section of the M1 your talking about, i did many years doing about half that round trip from Sheffield to either Leeds or Nottingham and the traffic was pretty appalling unless you left stupid early. add in to that doing it in the cold dark winter months, or the inevitable interruptions due to accidents or road works , and you you have to stick some serious extar cash on my salary to even consider it again

Leave early and comeback late to minimise time in the car and make sure you do everything at work. I had a colleague who did Gloucester to Dudley daily and another who’s husband did the reverse. My uncle used to drive Milton Keynes to North London in the 90s so it is doable. Get a car which is a comfortable cruiser. Good luck.

Edit: just googled my colleagues route, only 59 miles each way, thought it was further! And my uncle’s, geography is failing me this evening.