In a new survey by the company, Hong Kong commuters rated traffic congestion or crowded trains/buses as their greatest sources of annoyance on their journeys to and from the office.
Delays and service interruptions placed second, followed by pollution and overheating, loud mobile phone conversations, rude behavior from other passengers, dangerous drivers, and bad smells from other commuters, all of which also figured as major causes of stress, Regus noted.
Respondents reported an average commute of 29.2 minutes, just over the global average of 29. Only 13 percent of Hong Kongers have to travel over three-quarters of an hour each way, placing the territory ahead of almost every country surveyed including mainland China (39 percent), Japan (38 percent), UK (25 percent), Singapore (19 percent) and US (14 percent), the exceptions being Canada and Spain (both 11 percent).
No business wants employees turning up to work already exhausted and stressed out, unable to function properly during the working day. The findings of the Regus survey help to identify the major causes of commuting stress amongst users of public transport and drivers.
"Service interruptions and traffic jams are of concern to users of public transport and drivers alike, hence their top billing," said Hans Leijten, Regus' regional vice president for East Asia. "The mobile phone pest also evidently remains with us, with offenders not realizing -- or caring -- that they are ruining many people's day right from the start. And the insidious power of bad smells to get the day off to a poor start cannot be underestimated."
Regus advocates flexible working locations and hours to avoid all these stresses and strains which can have such an adverse effect on employees' throughput, motivation and happiness, he said, adding that travelling to a work location closer to home, especially outside peak hours, is often the best way to avoid sources of stress for a happier, calmer and ultimately more fruitful day's work.