Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • January–February 2021
  • Article
  • Organization Science

Between Home and Work: Commuting as an Opportunity for Role Transitions

By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Julia Lee Cunningham, Bradley Staats, Francesca Gino and Jochen I. Menges
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

Across the globe, every workday people commute an average of 38 minutes each way, yet surprisingly little research has examined the implications of this daily routine for work-related outcomes. Integrating theories of boundary work, self-control, and work-family conflict, we propose that the commute to work serves as a liminal role transition between home and work roles, prompting employees to engage in boundary management strategies. Across three field studies (n = 1,736), including a four-week-long intervention study, we find that lengthy morning commutes are more aversive for employees with lower trait self-control and greater work-family conflict, leading to decreased job satisfaction and increased turnover. In addition, we find that employees who engage in a specific boundary management strategy we term role-clarifying prospection (i.e., thinking about the upcoming work role) are less likely to be negatively affected by lengthy commutes to work. Results further show that employees with higher levels of trait self-control are more likely to engage in role-clarifying prospection, and employees who experience higher levels of work-family conflict are more likely to benefit from role-clarifying prospection. Although the commute to work is typically seen as an undesirable part of the workday, our theory and results point to the benefits of using it as an opportunity to transition into one’s work role.

Keywords

Commuting; Boundary Work; Self-control; Work-family Conflict; Prospection; Transition

Citation

Jachimowicz, Jon M., Julia Lee Cunningham, Bradley Staats, Francesca Gino, and Jochen I. Menges. "Between Home and Work: Commuting as an Opportunity for Role Transitions." Organization Science 32, no. 1 (January–February 2021): 64–85.
  • Find it at Harvard

About The Authors

Jon M. Jachimowicz

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

Francesca Gino

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • January 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments

    By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Francesca Gino
    • January 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Kwame Owusu-Kesse at the Harlem Children's Zone 'Navigating Careers'

    By: Jon M. Jachimowicz
    • January 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Kwame Owusu-Kesse at the Harlem Children's Zone 'Going for It'

    By: Jon M. Jachimowicz
More from the Authors
  • Mellody Hobson at Ariel Investments By: Lakshmi Ramarajan and Francesca Gino
  • Kwame Owusu-Kesse at the Harlem Children's Zone 'Navigating Careers' By: Jon M. Jachimowicz
  • Kwame Owusu-Kesse at the Harlem Children's Zone 'Going for It' By: Jon M. Jachimowicz
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College