Instead of dealing with depressed workers after hours on the road employers must consider increasing the “remote connection.”

Erez Buganim, Deputy and Acting CEO at Synel, the leading human resource management company in the organization offers a new way for the economy to deal with the traffic jams:

“The Israel Bank, the IMF and the OECD have recently determined that road congestion is Israel’s most serious problem in relation to other developed countries. According to Treasury estimates the annual damage to the economy as a result of road congestion is about NIS 35 billion. Many workers come too exhausted physically and mentally depressed to the office because of long-standing in traffic jams, many of them are also parents who have to take their children to educational institutions before work and collect them before returning home,” Says Buganim.

Erez Boganem thinks: “The unbearable burden requires employers to consider practical solutions for their employees and these are rooted in the concept of flexible working arrangements. Technological solutions already exist and it would be an injustice not to apply them in the current state of crisis. There are diverse economic benefits to flexible working arrangements especially for the employed people, many of whom are Millennials, who see this as a natural development for the era in which they grew up.”

To realize the concept, it is necessary to create a dialogue between the employer and any employee who experiences significant delays on their way to work and back from work. For example, consider whether they can be allowed to work remotely from home during rush hour on the roads, and leave the office about two or three hours later when they vacate. This approach can also be implemented on the way back, that is, to allow them to leave the workplace earlier and complete their tasks from home. In practice, each employee should build a customized program tailored to their needs based on their “experiences” on the go Boganem recommends.

Erez notes that: “Of course, there are drawbacks to flexible work arrangements and especially with the change to working from home. A feeling of suspicion about the method may be created, not only among the employers, but also among the certain employees. These may worry that the prolonged hours of work from home will impair family life and leisure. There is also concern that a flexible work arrangement of this kind will adversely affect employees’ chances of building a career in the workplace, as they may be perceived as less committed to the organization and its objectives.”

“Employers must understand that the shortcomings and concerns can also be tackled and it is better to go ahead and do so already today, because according to all studies – flexible work arrangements will occupy more and more jobs and their scope will grow by a large percentage in the coming years”. Buganim suggests.

Boganem finishes and says that “Employers who save countless hours of torment on the road from their employees will gain more fresh, alert and focused employees who also have a sense of satisfaction in light of employers’ identification with their situation. Employers who ignore the current state of the traffic can get bitter, frustrated and tired employees whose motivation will noticeably decrease.”

“Employers who give a personal example and implement the new approach will make employees believe in the new approach and the employer. They will prove that they do not suspect or judge employees, but that they are worth them and share with them the objective hardships and desire to resolve them.”