上下班通勤也該算工作時間

Daily commutes should count as part of the working day because most of us spend the time catching up on work emails, scientists say.

英國的科學家近日表示，每日通勤時間也應計入工作時長，因爲大多數人會在路上收發工作郵件。

Improved wireless internet connections on trains and advances to portable devices like laptops, smartphones and tablets mean our working hours have extended into our travels to and from the office, experts say.

專家表示，火車上無線網絡連接技術的提升以及筆記本電腦、智能手機和平板電腦等便攜設備的改進，意味着我們的工作時間已經延伸到了上下班通勤的路上。

Scientists found more than half of train commuters use the free Wi-Fi to send work emails – a habit they argue threatens to disrupt people's work-life balance.

科學家發現，超過一半的火車通勤族都會使用免費的無線網絡發送工作郵件。他們認爲這種習慣可能會破壞工作與生活平衡。

Researchers at the University of West England surveyed 5,000 train passengers commuting on the London to Birmingham and London to Aylesbury routes.

西英格蘭大學的研究人員調查了5000名火車乘客，他們往返於倫敦到伯明翰與倫敦到艾爾斯伯裏兩條通勤路線。

The survey was carried out over a 40-week period during which time Wi-Fi access on the two services was incrementally improved by train operators.

這項調查持續了40周，在此期間，火車運營商逐漸提高了這兩條路線的無線網絡速度。

The team found that as the Wi-Fi access improved, it had the effect of extending working hours through the laptops and smartphones carried by commuters.

研究小組發現，隨着無線網速的提升，通勤者使用筆記本電腦和智能手機工作的時間也延長了。

Over half (54 percent) of those surveyed using the Wi-Fi aboard the train were sending work emails.

有超過一半（54％）的受訪者使用火車上的無線網絡發送工作郵件。

This figure jumped to 60 percent when faster Wi-Fi speeds were offered by the train operator.

火車上的無線網速進一步提升後，這一比例躍升至60%。

According to the researchers, others used their 3G or 4G mobile data connections for the task.

研究人員表示，其他人會使用3G或4G移動數據收發工作郵件。

Interviews with commuters by the researchers revealed that internet access was as important for commuters as it was for business travellers.

從研究人員與通勤者的交談中可以得知，網絡接入對通勤者和商務旅客來說同等重要。

Many respondents expressed how they consider their commute as time to 'catch up' with work, before or after their traditional working day.

很多受訪者表示，他們會把通勤時間視爲上班前或下班後“趕工作”的時間。

This transitional time also enabled people to 'switch roles', for example from being a parent to an office worker.

此外，這種過渡時間也可以讓人們“轉換角色”，例如，從父母轉換到員工。

Other commuters liked the 'buffer' of being able to work when travelling.

而其他通勤者也很喜歡通勤路上用工作來“緩衝”。

Study co-author Dr Juliet Jain said mobile email access had caused a 'blurring of boundaries' between work and home life – and this now applied to commutes.

研究報告的合著者朱麗葉-傑恩博士表示，移動電郵接收模糊了工作與家庭生活之間的界限，通勤路上也是這樣。

'How do we count that time? Do workplace cultures need to change?' she asked.

她說：“我們該如何計算這些時間？職場文化需要改變嗎？”

'There's a real challenge in deciding what constitutes work,' Dr Jain told a conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

傑恩博士在倫敦皇家地理學會的一次會議上說：“其實很難界定到底做什麼事情算是在工作。”

Counting the journey as work could allow for more staggered commuter travel times, which would 'ease commuter pressure on peak hours' travel, she said.

她表示，把通勤算在工作時間內更有助於錯峯上下班，能夠“緩解高峯期的通勤壓力”。

But the change would mean employers would want 'more surveillance and accountability' for how employees were spending their commutes, she added.

她補充說，不過這一變化也意味着僱主會對員工通勤時是否在工作進行“更多地監督與問責”。