Remote workers in County Galway have saved an estimated 78 hours on commuting to work since the country went into lockdown in March, according to one insurance broker.
Chill Insurance’s estimated how much time workers across Ireland have saved by analysing the Central Statistics Office’s data about the average commute time per region.
In Galway County, the average commute time was around 30 minutes per journey and to arrive at the 78 hours estimate, the insurance company has counted Ireland’s ‘lockdown’ as lasting for 81 days.
Chill Insurance also revealed that one-third of people in Ireland have been using this extra time to prioritise their physical wellbeing. Their survey of over 360 people found that 31.5% of respondents said they used this time exercising.
Over 18% of respondents also instead spent this time on entertainment, such as watching television or playing video games. Meanwhile, 16.3% used the time cooking and 12% on home improvement.
Fergal Lynch, head of marketing at Chill Insurance, said: “These are very challenging times, but being able to work remotely during lockdown has enabled Irish people to have a much better work-life balance.
“Not needing to commute, we have been able to spend that time with our families, taking on home improvement tasks we may have been putting off for years, and even prioritising our physical and mental wellbeing.”
