Commuting vs teleworking: How does it impact the relationship between commuting satisfaction and subjective well-being

Commuting satisfaction; Luxembourg; Satisfaction with life domains; Subjective well-being; WFH frequency; IT impact; Life domain; Satisfaction with life domain; Spillover effects; Teleworking; Well being; Working from home frequency; Civil and Structural Engineering; Business, Management and Accounting (miscellaneous); Transportation; Aerospace Engineering; Management Science and Operations Research

Abstract :

[en] While the relationship between commuting satisfaction (CS) and subjective well-being (SWB) has been extensively studied, less attention is given to explaining how CS affects SWB via satisfaction with non-travel-related life domains. Failure to account for these spillover effects of life domains other than commuting has certainly led to an overestimation of the impact from CS to SWB. This study aims to address this gap and examine the recent changes in commuting practices/working conditions, particularly the increase in working from home (WFH) due to the pandemic. A structural equation model is employed to examine differences in WFH frequencies and their impact on the relationship between CS, satisfaction with other life domains and SWB. The results suggest that hybrid teleworkers exhibit highest SWB and occasional WFH individuals have the lowest levels of SWB. Moreover, the effect of CS on SWB is mediated first by time satisfaction (TUS) and then by other life domains, highlighting the dominance of TUS on the relationship between CS and SWB regardless of WFH frequency. These findings help to identify not only areas where employee SWB can be improved, but also how.

Disciplines :

Sociology & social sciences

Author, co-author :

Maheshwari, Richa ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Urban and Environmental Engineering ; Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

Van Acker, Veronique; Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

Gerber, Philippe; Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

Language :

English

Title :

Commuting vs teleworking: How does it impact the relationship between commuting satisfaction and subjective well-being

Publication date :

April 2024

Journal title :

Transportation Research. Part A, Policy and Practice

ISSN :

0965-8564

eISSN :

1879-2375

Publisher :

Elsevier

Volume :

182

Pages :

104041

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0965856424000892?httpAccept=text/xml

Funders :

FNR - Luxembourg National Research Fund

Funding text :

This work was supported by Fonds National de la Recherce’ (FNR), Luxembourg [grant number 12676895].

Available on ORBi :

since 11 June 2025

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