Head rush: took annual leave due to traffic

[NE21 worrier]

Hello everyone,

Apologies for starting another work-related thread but my head is all over the place right at the moment and I just need somewhere to write something down. Here it goes...

About a month ago, I had my mid-year review at work and while it was agreed that my call times could be improved (...and they have been), my quality of work and time-keeping were considered my real strengths (time-keeping not just being turning up on time, but not taking too long on breaks, lunches etc).

Then, at the start of this month, we moved offices about a mile up the road. Unbelievably, because of the bottlenecks of traffic there and the fact that I have to park away from the site, this has pretty much doubled my commute time to well over an hour, most of which feels as if it is sat in first gear.

Like many people, my anxiety is often worse on a morning - I've been awake since 6.45am today after about five-and-a-half hours sleep. I even have a real phobia of brushing my teeth (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=143659) which I finally started to work on. The fear of being late and admonished for it is something which I have dreamt about recently (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=143658), and it has indeed happened twice since the office change (with two other very close calls - I had to run really hard from the car with my heart pounding to make it).

Anyway, despite setting off 10 minutes earlier today as any sensible person would, the traffic was even worse than usual this morning because of the torrential rain which we are currently having here in the Newcastle area. It's so dark it's like night out there :sad:

This was going to be a third spell of late-ness so I called our Absence Line to take some in-day leave - so lucky to have that option. I probably only needed til 10am off but my head was in such a whirl, I'm off now til 1pm, thus using three hours annual leave which could have been much better spent elsewhere. I just cannot afford to fritter away leave like that but I don't think I will be able to change my hours.

I suppose answering my own question: the move is only rash if I cannot find a solution to the problem. The two obvious solutions are: leave the house even earlier or research another way of getting there so I intend to do that now as well as using the time productively to renew my car insurance and chase up a couple of other calls.

Sorry for the ramble, thanks for reading.

[Rennie1989]

I would suggest asking your manager if you could start work an hour before or after your normal starting time (and obviously finishing an hour earlier or later). I live near London and a lot of companies that operate a 9-5 working pattern often let their staff start earlier or later to avoid rush hour traffic. It makes a huge difference because you're work day doesn't start by stressing over the traffic.

[blueangel]

A few other things to consider:

* Has the office move affected many people? It's always better if there are a group of people raising a problem rather than one person, who can then get labelled as a whinger.

* Could you park further away and walk? If you're in gridlocked traffic then walking might be faster anyway.

* As above, it is possible to change your hours slightly? You could work an hour earlier or an hour later. Another option might be to ask to work four longer days per week instead of five. This means less travelling overall, and the longer hours would automatically mean that you would stand more chance of avoiding the worst of the rush hour traffic.

[Edie]

Even if you can't change your work hours, would it be possible to travel in half an hour or an hour early? Is there a staffroom or somewhere quiet you could sit and maybe read a book or something in the mornings. I know it means an early start, but I'm suggesting it because I arrive at college 45 minutes early to miss the worst if the traffic and I find it helpful - though fortunately I only have to attend 2 days a week, not 5, so it's not too bad.