6 Benefits of Working Near Your Home

While the Philippine megacities of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu are currently experiencing the most prosperous periods in their history in terms of economic growth, foreign and local investment, and job generation. Unfortunately, they are also facing the worst traffic problems in their entire history.

What this means for most workers is that they may experience severe difficulty advancing their careers simply because they may have to spend up to four hours a day commuting in these areas. In the Philippines, virtually all the large urban centers that are currently experiencing rapid economic growth are the very same ones where the daily commute is a living nightmare.

Job hiring in Manila has been the most severely affected by the shortfall in mass transportation solutions. Some companies are even offering apartments, dormitory space, and on-site sleeping quarters to entice applicants who might live further away from the worksite to start a career with them. Others are also resorting to allowing more of their workforce to work from home.

This all makes perfect sense. If you are offered two jobs that have similar responsibilities and compensation, in most cases it’s usually better to choose the one that’s closer to your home. In some cases, it might even be preferable to choose a job that compensates you less and has more responsibilities if it happens to be geographically near your home.

Here are just 6 reasons you might want to consider a career that lets you work near your home.

1.) Traffic is less of a problem

Generally speaking, the closer you are to work, the less of a problem traffic is. And the less time you spend in traffic, the happier you tend to be. It’s not surprising, as traffic can adversely affect your overall mood and even affect your performance at work, even if you get there on time. Researchers have even found that adding 20 minutes to a commute makes people about as unhappy as they would be with a 19% pay cut.

2.) You have more time for yourself

Considering that commuting a total of four hours a day is no longer uncommon in Metro Manila, one has to consider that the time spent in transit is often as long as half the entire workday. And this is time that is unpaid. Even cutting out just 20 to 30 minutes of commute time a day can have positive benefits. It’s more time to catch up with personal errands, more time doing things you enjoy, and more time spent with your family.

3.) More hours of sleep

This could have been rolled into the previous point, but it’s worth giving it its own place given just how valuable getting enough sleep is. The lack of sleep not only makes us feel miserable but it also harms our health and productivity as well. Generally speaking, the more sleep you get, the more productive you are, even when you’re given fewer work hours. This means that extra hour of sleep can have a multiplier effect that can be great news for your career and your relationships as well.

4.) Reduced expenses

Commuters in Metro Manila can spend anywhere from P50 if they use public transport to P500 a day if they use premium rideshare services or drive their own car. You don’t need to be an accounting major to know that this kind of money isn’t just something you pick up off the ground. You’ll even find that the reduced transportation expenses will often mean that jobs closer to home allow you to have a bigger income in real terms, even if the compensation is comparatively small compared to a job located further away.

5.) Better work-life balance

With more time to dedicate to your personal life and better productivity due to getting enough sleep, it’s no surprise people who work close to home often report being happier and having a better work-life balance. If this is important to you, using a job site with more powerful localization features like Mynimo should be on your to-do list when considering a change of careers.

6.) You can reduce your environmental impact

Walking, biking, and commuting shorter distances are all better for the environment than the typical 2-4 hour commutes by car, jeepney, or bus. If you want to reduce your impact on our planet, finding a career close to home can be the most significant thing that you do.

Conclusion

Working close to home brings several benefits that can potentially outweigh those that come with working further away. When you’re evaluating different jobs, you must take commute times into consideration. Sometimes, it’s just not worth going through a bad daily commute, no matter how much you’re being paid.