The pain of the morning commute is getting worse according to a new report – and easing the morning struggle is becoming an issue for employers.

The New South Wales auditor-general yesterday released a report which demonstrated that the average morning peak travel speeds has worsened on six out of seven of Sydney's major roads.

The stress of the commute is now at record highs, and engagement specialist RedBalloon has said that employers have a role to play in easing the pressure, namely by offering altered start and finish times when possible, or even the option to work from home if the role allows.

RedBalloon employee experience manager, Megan Bromley, said there are steps employers can take to lessen the frustration of the daily commute for employees.

Bromley commented, “Organisations need to shift the way they think about the standard work day, and how they expect employees to work their hours and meet their goals.”

The alternative is employees arriving at the office stressed and frustrated before the work day has even started, and Bromley said this can have severe effects on employee health and productivity.

She added that incorporating flexible work options are integral to maintaining good employer-employee relationships, and a happy and productive workplace.