Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Lily-May Edwards has a strong attachment to both her home in north Wales and her position at the University of Liverpool. Rather than relocating, she embraces a demanding daily routine, waking up at 5:30 each morning to embark on a four-hour round trip involving a combination of car, train, and walking. For 24-year-old Lily-May, physically going to the office provides a sense of purpose that she values highly.
The trend of remote working, which became widespread during the pandemic, has shifted somewhat, especially among younger generations. According to a 2025 survey of 12,000 workers across 44 countries, younger employees—especially those from Generation Z—are more likely to return to office environments than older cohorts. Lily-May’s commute, which starts with a 45-minute drive to the train station followed by a train ride into Liverpool and ends with a walk to her workplace, allows her to maintain a lifestyle connected to her hometown while accessing professional opportunities elsewhere. She works as a social media officer and acknowledges that similar roles are scarce in north Wales. “I feel really lucky to live in such a nice little town, so why would I wanna move away?” she said. Nonetheless, she also expresses affection for Liverpool, saying she enjoys having “a bit of a double life.”
While the lengthy commute leads her to work remotely two days a week, Lily-May admits she would spend even more time in the office if she lived closer. She appreciates the social connections she has formed at work and emphasizes that hybrid working arrangements reflect a desire for flexibility rather than laziness. Supporting this perspective, recent data from the Office for National Statistics reveal that those aged 30 to 49 are the most likely to engage in hybrid work schedules, balancing office and home-based duties. However, opinions differ among business leaders about the impact of remote work on productivity. JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon has suggested that younger workers may be disadvantaged by working from home, although Claire McCartney from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) counters this, stating there is “no compelling evidence” that remote work adversely affects performance. She highlights both the value of flexibility and the benefits of in-person collaboration and learning, especially for newcomers to the workforce.
Other young professionals have varying experiences with remote and hybrid work. Daisy Willis, 21, transitioned from an office-based role to a fully remote job in the travel industry and highlights the improved work-life balance she now enjoys. Based in Essex, Daisy no longer faces a costly commute and can use breaks to walk her dog, which means more time with family. Meanwhile, Eleanor Cotton, a 24-year-old marketing executive from Birmingham, navigates a two-hour commute to Manchester, where her office space is shared with other businesses, allowing her to work on-site only two days a week. Eleanor values the opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing that come with being physically present but is glad to limit her commute to two days. Lily-May’s social media posts documenting her daily journeys have elicited mixed reactions, with some people criticizing the long commute as time wasted, while others have reached out with supportive comments, reflecting the shared experience
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.