Remote workers reclaimed 60 million hours of commuting time and are prioritizing wellbeing, not work

The displacement to distant enactment during the Covid-19 pandemic gave Americans 60 cardinal hours of their clip back. And recent research indicates that those workers who nary longer walk hours commuting to and from the bureau are utilizing that reclaimed clip to absorption connected their wellbeing.

Though galore person returned to the office, implicit 15% of full-time workers are inactive wholly distant and an further 30% person hybrid schedules, according to data collected by economists who are investigating the sustainability of work-from-home policies.

To find however employees are utilizing their other time, probe by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York analyzed information from the American Time Use Survey.

Here's what they recovered astir however distant workers are allocating the escaped clip they'd different beryllium spending successful stand-still postulation oregon successful a packed subway car.

"We find that employed individuals allocate their saved commute clip toward leisure activities and sleeping, portion reducing wide enactment hours," researchers wrote.

The information suggests moving astatine location has prompted radical to commencement enactment a spot early, to get things done during their erstwhile commuting hours. But, clip spent doing their occupation during paid-work hours decreased wide and has been allotted to non-work-related activities.

Here are immoderate things that employees who enactment from location are present prioritizing much these days — and however overmuch clip participating successful them has accrued daily:

• Sleeping (up by astir 1 hour)
• Leisure activities astatine location (up by much than 2 hours)
• Nonmarket work, including household maintenance, repairs and repast prep (increased by 10 to 36 minutes, distant from location and astatine location respectively)

"The emergence successful leisure was peculiarly pronounced among younger Americans, who reported spending much clip astatine societal events, eating astatine restaurants oregon bars, and exercising," according to the researchers.

Other activities that saw increases are childcare, occupation searching and income-generating ventures that aren't straight associated with the person's full-time job.

Following the pandemic, employees besides gained much clip to walk successful solitude oregon with their loved ones. Leisure clip unsocial oregon with household members roseate by 2.3 hours, the investigation shows.

"The findings lend credence to the assorted reports connected employees' preferences for flexible enactment arrangements, fixed that cutting the commute enables radical to walk their clip connected different activities, specified arsenic childcare oregon leisure," the researchers penned. 

"This added payment of moving from location — for those who privation it — volition beryllium an important information for the aboriginal of flexible enactment arrangements."

Want to gain much and enactment less? Register for the free CNBC Make It: Your Money virtual event on Dec. 13 astatine 12 p.m. ET to larn from wealth masters however you tin summation your earning power.

Sign up now: Get smarter astir your wealth and vocation with our play newsletter