Bad and dangerous drivers topped a list of major stress factors experienced by commuters in the UAE, according to a recent survey.

Road rage, loud mobile phone conversations and bad smells from other commuters also figured among the important factors in the new survey conducted by workspace solutions provider Regus.

The average one-way commute is 27 minutes, although 13 per cent of UAE commuters have to travel over three quarters of an hour each way, the survey discovered.

Yet the time taken to commute is less of an issue than the commuting experience. No business wants employees turning up to work already exhausted and stressed out, unable to function properly in the working day.

The findings of the Regus survey help to identify the major causes of commuting stress across drivers and users of public transport, said the company’s CEO.

“We can all recognise our own worst experiences in the findings of this survey.  Road rage and dangerous driving is a real concern for drivers and pedestrians alike, hence their top billing,” said Mark Dixon, CEO of Regus.

“Being left in the dark about service interruptions or traffic jams is also a killer for the calm and productive working day.  The mobile phone pest also evidently remains with us, with offenders not realising – or caring – that they are ruining many people’s day right from the start.  And the insidious power of bad smells to get the day off to a bad start cannot be underestimated.”

“Of course, at Regus we advocate flexible working location and hours to avoid all these stresses and strains which can have such an adverse effect on employee’s throughput, motivation and happiness.  Travelling to a work location closer to home, especially outside of peak hours, is often the best way to avoid theses stresses for a happier, calmer and ultimately more fruitful days work,” Dixon added.

The UAE’s “seven deadly sins of commuting” include bad/dangerous drivers, road rage, pollution and overheating, delays and service interruptions, lack of information from service providers, people talking too loudly on their mobile phones and other commuters’ body odour or bad breath or smelly food, according to the survey. – TradeArabia News Service