Hundreds of hours in traffic and thousands of euros spent on commuting: the distance between home and work can affect well-being, employee retention and a company’s ability to attract talent. You may have introduced flexible working, reviewed your benefits and invested in your employees’ well-being. Yet some of them could still be spending thousands of euros and hundreds of hours every year just getting to work.
The commute happens outside the workplace, so it may seem beyond your control. But waking up earlier, sitting in traffic, paying for fuel and parking, arriving at work already tired, then doing it all again on the way home becomes part of the work experience you offer.
It may even influence someone’s decision to accept a job offer or look for another one.
Living farther away costs less. At least on paper
In recent years, many people have looked beyond major cities for more affordable homes. The calculation seems to make sense: a longer commute, but lower rent.
A CNA analysis shows how quickly that advantage can shrink. In Milan, living outside the city can mean saving around €5,400 a year on rent. But commuting can absorb more than €2,300 of those savings. In some Italian cities, travel costs can wipe out as much as 85–90% of the savings gained by choosing a cheaper home.
According to Autotrader’s Global Commuter Comparison 2026, people who drive to work in Italy spend an average of 8 days, 16 hours and 48 minutes a year commuting. It affects a large share of the population: according to figures reported by Il Sole 24 Ore, three in four Italians drive to work.
Twenty-six percent of Italians find their drive to work stressful, while 30% of commuters arrive feeling drained. Traffic is also cited by 84% as a major source of frustration. It is hardly surprising that 65% would like to put that time to better use.
Why should this matter to your company?
In 2026, 70% of Italian companies struggle to find the talent they need. In the first half of the year, 44.8% of planned hires proved difficult to fill. Yet the ideal candidate could live 40, 100 or even 500 kilometres from the office.
The more a company requires people to work in one location, the more geography limits its talent pool. And for those it hires, the cost of that distance adds up week after week.
According to ManpowerGroup, 17–18% of companies are offering greater flexibility in when and where people work to address talent shortages. A coworking space close to home can provide a professional workspace on days that call for focused work.
With more than 235 locations across every region of Italy, NOTONLYDESK enables companies to offer their employees professional workspaces, private offices, meeting rooms and spaces for training, workshops and events.
NOTONLYDESK (NOD) gives you a single dashboard to manage coworking spaces throughout Italy. You can use Nodey (digital tokens) to book desks, meeting rooms and private offices.
Discover how NOD works and arrange a trial for your team.
Your commute shouldn’t feel like a second job
Hours in traffic, long journeys and stress take a toll on employees and, over time, on the company too. With NOTONLYDESK, you can offer your team professional workspaces closer to home without opening an office in every city.
Coworking and workspaces starting from €22 per dayWith NOTONLYDESK you can book coworking spaces, workstations, private offices, and meeting rooms throughout Italy, with solutions starting from €22 + VAT per day and with no city-specific surcharges.
= 1 NODEY =
1 DESK WORKSTATION for the entire day, per employee1 MEETING ROOM for 1 hour, per employee
