Employees get all aboard the work train

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have found that trains are increasingly being used as mobile offices, freeing up more of employeesí time and improving work-life balance.

According to the study, improvements in communication technology are changing how workers use and manage work travel. The research, which was carried out by Dr Caroline Axtell from the Universityís Institute of Work Psychology and Donald Hislop, who previously worked in the Universityís Management School, shows that many people use train travel as an important part of their working day.

They discovered that out of the 350 business travellers surveyed most tend to travel alone and carry out independent tasks, which vary from reading through documents to typing up reports. Laptops are used quite frequently with 38% using them a little or a great deal, but pen and paper is still favoured by the majority.

Mobile phones were found to be unpopular on trains, with the majority of respondents commenting that they didnít like using them, either due to signal constraints, not wanting to disturb others or the fact that people can listen in. Business travellers also felt that they were expected to have their mobile phone on and be available during travel, but in some respects lack of signal was considered an advantage as there were fewer interruptions and more work could be conducted on the train. Some people surveyed checked their e-mails on the train, whilst others saw not being able to send e-mails as an advantage.

From the research it appears that most people who work on the train conduct activities that are not highly visible to others back in the office, for example catching up on paperwork or reading reports. Those whose work is most visible tend to be in corporate management, as they use mobile technology more frequently, tend not to travel standard class and travel by train for work related journeys more frequently.

In terms of space on the train 56% of respondents considered this as a constraint but many had ways of creating their own little space. Some chose aisle seats and hoped nobody would sit in the window, some put bags on seats, others got earlier, quieter trains, and a few mentioned using earphones to block out noise and cocoon themselves.

The results also showed that the average journey time was 2-3 hours and 34% of respondents admitted working on 81-100% of their journeys. It was also found that most people planned for train work. Some people routinely left work early and used the train journey as work time and others left early on a Friday because work on the train had helped them get ahead. Others though were less fortunate and worked longer days, by working on the train.

Although working whilst travelling has become commonplace, there has been little research until now into what impact this has on employeesí working lives and their work-life balance.

Dr Carolyn Axell said: ì The findings reveal that working on trains impacts peopleís work-life balance, as they can use their travel time constructively which can save them from having to work in the evening or weekend ñ or at least take the pressure off. However, some of the technologies, such as hand-held devices and mobile phones, can impinge on personal time with people answering work e-mails and phone calls even whilst travelling or, worst still, on holiday.î

She added: ìThe research shows that the boundary between work and non-work can become blurred ñ not through technology itself, but how people choose to use it. Our findings could have implications for the recognition given to the utility of travel time and the way the time is managed.î