🕒 Time Is the One Thing You Don’t Get Back — So Why Aren’t We Talking About It More?

🕒 Time Is the One Thing You Don’t Get Back — So Why Aren’t We Talking About It More?

Over the past year, I’ve noticed a shift in what candidates are starting to prioritise.

💷 Salary? Still important.
📈 Progression? Always a factor.
🏡 Flexibility? Of course.

But there’s one factor that still gets overlooked far too often — until it starts to take a toll:

Time 🕒

More specifically, time spent commuting.
Because even with hybrid working in place, people are starting to ask:

“Why am I spending hours each week getting to a job I could probably do 20 minutes from home?”

Isn’t Hybrid the Solution?

Hybrid working (2–3 days from home) has been a huge step forward. It’s helped create more balance and better boundaries — no doubt.

But here’s the catch: even just 2–3 office days still add up.

🚗 Traffic on the A27.
🚆 Trains that may or may not show up.
⏰ Early starts, late finishes, tired evenings.

I speak to people all the time who say they dread their office days — not because of work, but purely because of the travel.

So I ask:

• Would you take the same role, but 20 minutes from your front door?

• Could you cut down your commute without compromising your career?

• What would you do with those extra 6–10 hours a week?

The answers usually lead to the same thing:
More time for life.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Time with family
🐾 Time with the dog
🏋️‍♀️ Time for fitness or hobbies
🧠 Time to just breathe

It’s not laziness.
It’s priorities — and they’re changing.

What I Tell Candidates

Salary matters. So does progression.
But sometimes, the smartest move isn’t the one with the flashiest title or biggest bump in pay.

It’s the one that gives you your time back.

Because once it’s gone — you don’t get it back.

So if your current role looks great on paper but drains you in reality… maybe it’s time to ask:

👉 “Could I get the same… but closer to home?”

Chances are — the answer is yes.