What do you consider a reasonable commuting distance? 20miles? 30? Maybe, for a hybrid role, up to a two-three hour drive away, depending on how many times you're expected to be in the office? The Department for Work and Pensions expects jobseekers on Universal Credit to travel up to 90minutes, each way - yes, including for minimum wage roles.
Well, John Tuckett, the UK's new "Border Tsar" (or Immigration Services Co-ordinator, to give him his official title), considers a commute of 1,834miles, from his "family home" to the UK, to be completely reasonable, and believes it won't have any impact on his ability to effectively carry out his new role - which comes with a £140,000 a year salary.
If you were driving, you'd be on the road for almost two days, with a 37hr drive time.
Of course, John Tuckett is going to be flying to the UK to carry out his new job (carbon footprint, anyone..?); with a flight time of 2hrs 52mins, plus travel to and from the relevant airports.
Now, with a £140,000 a year salary, he could easily rent an apartment in London during the week. Or stay in a hotel, or an AirBnB. And honestly, a lot of us would probably prefer to live in Finland rather than the UK.
The logistics of Tuckett's 1,800mile+ commute aren't the issue.
The double-standards that it makes glaringly evident are.
Many disabled people in the UK are shut out of employment, despite their best efforts to engage with the workforce, by an increasing insistence from UK employers that applicants "must have a full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle." Companies that are slightly more concerned about how they come across, as the UK government becomes ever-more aggressive about getting disabled people "back to work", phrase it as "driving licence and access to private transport highly desirable, but not essential" - which, as anyone who has ever been jobseeking-while-disabled knows, means that, if you don't have a driving licence, your application will simply be dropped on its first reading - unfortunate, but definitely not discrimination - that's just how things go, right?! No harm, no foul.
Obviously, there are some jobs - taxi driver, bus driver, haulage, for example - where having a driving licence is going to be absolutely mandatory. Other jobs, for example, agricultural sales, where visits to customer sites which are likely to be significantly "off the beaten track", and not accessible by public transport, are also not unreasonable in their requirement of a driving licence; some products have to be demonstrated to the customer, and it wouldn't be feasible to expect the customer to come to you. Likewise, equipment repair and trades roles; people don't always live or situate their businesses on public transport routes, and it quickly becomes unaffordable to factor in the costs of taxis to your service fees.
But if someone with responsibility for oversight of the UK's borders can live outside of those borders, then there are certainly plenty of jobs where, as long as applicants can reasonably expect to be able to be able to travel to and from work safely and reliably, within the stated hours of the role, having a driving licence is not the "necessity" British businesses often like to make it out to be.
There is also the eyebrow raise of what the UK government's "immigration policy" is actually about...because, clearly, it isn't "people from outside the UK coming here to work" that's the issue if someone holding such a key post can come from outside the UK to do their job.
If you were driving, you'd be on the road for almost two days, with a 37hr drive time.
Of course, John Tuckett is going to be flying to the UK to carry out his new job (carbon footprint, anyone..?); with a flight time of 2hrs 52mins, plus travel to and from the relevant airports.
Now, with a £140,000 a year salary, he could easily rent an apartment in London during the week. Or stay in a hotel, or an AirBnB. And honestly, a lot of us would probably prefer to live in Finland rather than the UK.
The logistics of Tuckett's 1,800mile+ commute aren't the issue.
The double-standards that it makes glaringly evident are.
Many disabled people in the UK are shut out of employment, despite their best efforts to engage with the workforce, by an increasing insistence from UK employers that applicants "must have a full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle." Companies that are slightly more concerned about how they come across, as the UK government becomes ever-more aggressive about getting disabled people "back to work", phrase it as "driving licence and access to private transport highly desirable, but not essential" - which, as anyone who has ever been jobseeking-while-disabled knows, means that, if you don't have a driving licence, your application will simply be dropped on its first reading - unfortunate, but definitely not discrimination - that's just how things go, right?! No harm, no foul.
Obviously, there are some jobs - taxi driver, bus driver, haulage, for example - where having a driving licence is going to be absolutely mandatory. Other jobs, for example, agricultural sales, where visits to customer sites which are likely to be significantly "off the beaten track", and not accessible by public transport, are also not unreasonable in their requirement of a driving licence; some products have to be demonstrated to the customer, and it wouldn't be feasible to expect the customer to come to you. Likewise, equipment repair and trades roles; people don't always live or situate their businesses on public transport routes, and it quickly becomes unaffordable to factor in the costs of taxis to your service fees.
But if someone with responsibility for oversight of the UK's borders can live outside of those borders, then there are certainly plenty of jobs where, as long as applicants can reasonably expect to be able to be able to travel to and from work safely and reliably, within the stated hours of the role, having a driving licence is not the "necessity" British businesses often like to make it out to be.
There is also the eyebrow raise of what the UK government's "immigration policy" is actually about...because, clearly, it isn't "people from outside the UK coming here to work" that's the issue if someone holding such a key post can come from outside the UK to do their job.
The history of British businesses feeling that, regardless of the actual demands of the role, staff being able to drive is "absolutely essential" is a very recent development, brought about by two factors: the increasing move to 24/7 operation, courtesy of "just-in-time logistics", which brings the assumption that late finishes and early starts can't be accommodated reliably without a car (something that has become a more prominent insistence as society, the police, courts, and the government have decided that it's the responsibility of women to avoid being sexually assaulted, rather than doing anything about those who use the cover of darkness to commit crimes against women), and the belief that former British Prime Minister, the late Margaret Thatcher, said that "any man over 25 who travels by bus can consider himself a failure" - something it is highly doubtful she actually did say , but which, having entered the UK's urban mythology as a genuine statement, has influenced, and continues to influence, the attitudes of society in general - and particularly those members of society who are making hiring decisions.
The belief that Margaret Thatcher felt that taking public transport showed a "failure to adult", as it would be described in today's parlance, has, by impacting peoples' willingness to take public transport, reduced service provision, particularly as bus services have been privatised - something which has created very limited routes, shorter time tables, and created a situation in which, for many jobs, it's actually not possible to get to a job site, or to meet working hours expectations, if you're travelling by bus.
In the pursuit of higher profits, buses have also become a lot less accessible to disabled people - drivers will rarely move able-bodied passengers out of the wheelchair bay, there is never a directive to passengers to fold down buggies, the closeness of seating and the lack of luggage racks - in order to fit in more seats, and therefore more passengers - means it is increasingly difficult to get even a very simple, lightweight pushchair stowed securely. There is also the fact that 60% of disability hate incidents took place on buses, which is a strong barrier to disabled people whose disabilities prevent them driving feeling comfortable travelling by bus, especially for longer journeys - remember, the DWP feels a 90minute each way commute is completely acceptable. An hour and a half is a long time to be unable to get away from someone who is harassing or threatening you.
Whether or not you feel human-activity-driven climate change is a genuine concern, whether or not you have credulity around the need to achieve net zero, it cannot be disputed that air pollution - which is significantly contributed to by vehicle emissions - is causing increasing health issues in the UK population, which, in turn, are impacting on economic growth through absenteeism and long-term sickness. Reducing Britain's reliance on cars is essential to improving health outcomes, increasing engagement with employment, and lowering the welfare spend - all of which have been persistent challenges to multiple governments, of all political persuasions.
If a high-impact government appointment with a salary of £140k a year can be done by someone who lives in a completely separate country, your company or organisation can probably cope with a CEO who travels by bus, an office administrator who gets in their 10,000 steps by walking to and from work, or a waitress who bikes in for her shifts. Even if those people need to travel on unlit rural tracks to get to you, or to travel between the nearest bus stop or train station and your location.
New business owners: think about inclusion when you're establishing your business:
. Chose a site that is well-served by regular public transport, or at least on a well-lit, pedestrian-friendly, smooth surface route.
The belief that Margaret Thatcher felt that taking public transport showed a "failure to adult", as it would be described in today's parlance, has, by impacting peoples' willingness to take public transport, reduced service provision, particularly as bus services have been privatised - something which has created very limited routes, shorter time tables, and created a situation in which, for many jobs, it's actually not possible to get to a job site, or to meet working hours expectations, if you're travelling by bus.
In the pursuit of higher profits, buses have also become a lot less accessible to disabled people - drivers will rarely move able-bodied passengers out of the wheelchair bay, there is never a directive to passengers to fold down buggies, the closeness of seating and the lack of luggage racks - in order to fit in more seats, and therefore more passengers - means it is increasingly difficult to get even a very simple, lightweight pushchair stowed securely. There is also the fact that 60% of disability hate incidents took place on buses, which is a strong barrier to disabled people whose disabilities prevent them driving feeling comfortable travelling by bus, especially for longer journeys - remember, the DWP feels a 90minute each way commute is completely acceptable. An hour and a half is a long time to be unable to get away from someone who is harassing or threatening you.
Whether or not you feel human-activity-driven climate change is a genuine concern, whether or not you have credulity around the need to achieve net zero, it cannot be disputed that air pollution - which is significantly contributed to by vehicle emissions - is causing increasing health issues in the UK population, which, in turn, are impacting on economic growth through absenteeism and long-term sickness. Reducing Britain's reliance on cars is essential to improving health outcomes, increasing engagement with employment, and lowering the welfare spend - all of which have been persistent challenges to multiple governments, of all political persuasions.
If a high-impact government appointment with a salary of £140k a year can be done by someone who lives in a completely separate country, your company or organisation can probably cope with a CEO who travels by bus, an office administrator who gets in their 10,000 steps by walking to and from work, or a waitress who bikes in for her shifts. Even if those people need to travel on unlit rural tracks to get to you, or to travel between the nearest bus stop or train station and your location.
New business owners: think about inclusion when you're establishing your business:
. Chose a site that is well-served by regular public transport, or at least on a well-lit, pedestrian-friendly, smooth surface route.
. Use technology to replace the expectation of off-site travel wherever possible - don't hire people who express resistance to computers and wider technology; stubbornness and lack of familiarity are choices; disability isn't.
. Be aware of where your team members live as you recruit - this will enable you, as a leader, to step in and respond to people needing - or choosing - to carpool, giving people no option to decline requests for lifts to work, if they could reasonably accommodate someone. The existence of hundreds of cars, all going in the same direction, 90% of them empty except for the driver, should be considered an outrage to a halfway civilised society.
. Structure your working patterns around public transport timetables.
. Consider providing a shuttle service from the closest major transit centre to and from your location, around all shift times.
Considerations for government actions could include:
. Be aware of where your team members live as you recruit - this will enable you, as a leader, to step in and respond to people needing - or choosing - to carpool, giving people no option to decline requests for lifts to work, if they could reasonably accommodate someone. The existence of hundreds of cars, all going in the same direction, 90% of them empty except for the driver, should be considered an outrage to a halfway civilised society.
. Structure your working patterns around public transport timetables.
. Consider providing a shuttle service from the closest major transit centre to and from your location, around all shift times.
Considerations for government actions could include:
. Subjecting all businesses which are established away from public transport locations, or which operate outside of regular timetables for public transport, to taxation at a level which enables State-funded transport options to business locations.
. DWP providing all claimants with an annual nationwide bus pass, and annual train season tickets for those living in areas with mainline railway services located within walking/wheeling distance, on the understanding that, if proof that these are not being regularly used to access work search/work preparation, for jobseekers, or therapeutic/social network support for those not currently required to undertake work-related-activity, they will be revoked.
. Reduced road tax for car owners who register their journeys on a central, government-hosted lift-share site, facilitating those needing to travel to/from locations, or at times, where public transport isn't viable, to quickly and easily identify lift options, in a way where driver and vehicle details are securely recorded, and able to be shared with police, thus providing greater personal safety measures than Uber or traditional taxi services may offer.
. DWP providing all claimants with an annual nationwide bus pass, and annual train season tickets for those living in areas with mainline railway services located within walking/wheeling distance, on the understanding that, if proof that these are not being regularly used to access work search/work preparation, for jobseekers, or therapeutic/social network support for those not currently required to undertake work-related-activity, they will be revoked.
. Reduced road tax for car owners who register their journeys on a central, government-hosted lift-share site, facilitating those needing to travel to/from locations, or at times, where public transport isn't viable, to quickly and easily identify lift options, in a way where driver and vehicle details are securely recorded, and able to be shared with police, thus providing greater personal safety measures than Uber or traditional taxi services may offer.
Interested in exploring the themes of this article further in your own business? Reach out to schedule a supportive consultation with The Productive Pessimist Ltd from just £45p/h -
email us: theproductivepessimist@yahoo.com
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