Daily commutes should count as part of the working day because most of us spend the time catching up on work emails, scientists say.

　　英国的科学家近日表示，每日通勤时间也应计入工作时长，因为大多数人会在路上收发工作邮件。

　　Improved wireless internet connections on trains and advances to portable devices like laptops, smartphones and tablets mean our working hours have extended into our travels to and from the office, experts say.

　　专家表示，火车上无线网络连接技术的提升以及笔记本电脑、智能手机和平板电脑等便携设备的改进，意味着我们的工作时间已经延伸到了上下班通勤的路上。

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　　Scientists found more than half of train commuters use the free Wi-Fi to send work emails – a habit they argue threatens to disrupt people's work-life balance.

　　科学家发现，超过一半的火车通勤族都会使用免费的无线网络发送工作邮件。他们认为这种习惯可能会破坏工作与生活平衡。

　　Researchers at the University of West England surveyed 5,000 train passengers commuting on the London to Birmingham and London to Aylesbury routes.

　　西英格兰大学的研究人员调查了5000名火车乘客，他们往返于伦敦到伯明翰与伦敦到艾尔斯伯里两条通勤路线。

　　The survey was carried out over a 40-week period during which time Wi-Fi access on the two services was incrementally improved by train operators.

　　这项调查持续了40周，在此期间，火车运营商逐渐提高了这两条路线的无线网络速度。

　　The team found that as the Wi-Fi access improved, it had the effect of extending working hours through the laptops and smartphones carried by commuters.

　　研究小组发现，随着无线网速的提升，通勤者使用笔记本电脑和智能手机工作的时间也延长了。

　　Over half (54 percent) of those surveyed using the Wi-Fi aboard the train were sending work emails.

　　有超过一半(54%)的受访者使用火车上的无线网络发送工作邮件。

　　This figure jumped to 60 percent when faster Wi-Fi speeds were offered by the train operator.

　　火车上的无线网速进一步提升后，这一比例跃升至60%。

　　According to the researchers, others used their 3G or 4G mobile data connections for the task.

　　研究人员表示，其他人会使用3G或4G移动数据收发工作邮件。

　　Interviews with commuters by the researchers revealed that internet access was as important for commuters as it was for business travellers.

　　从研究人员与通勤者的交谈中可以得知，网络接入对通勤者和商务旅客来说同等重要。

　　Many respondents expressed how they consider their commute as time to 'catch up' with work, before or after their traditional working day.

　　很多受访者表示，他们会把通勤时间视为上班前或下班后“赶工作”的时间。

　　This transitional time also enabled people to 'switch roles', for example from being a parent to an office worker.

　　此外，这种过渡时间也可以让人们“转换角色”，例如，从父母转换到员工。

　　Other commuters liked the 'buffer' of being able to work when travelling.

　　而其他通勤者也很喜欢通勤路上用工作来“缓冲”。

　　Study co-author Dr Juliet Jain said mobile email access had caused a 'blurring of boundaries' between work and home life – and this now applied to commutes.

　　研究报告的合著者朱丽叶-杰恩博士表示，移动电邮接收模糊了工作与家庭生活之间的界限，通勤路上也是这样。

　　'How do we count that time? Do workplace cultures need to change?' she asked.

　　她说：“我们该如何计算这些时间?职场文化需要改变吗?”

　　'There's a real challenge in deciding what constitutes work,' Dr Jain told a conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

　　杰恩博士在伦敦皇家地理学会的一次会议上说：“其实很难界定到底做什么事情算是在工作。”

　　Counting the journey as work could allow for more staggered commuter travel times, which would 'ease commuter pressure on peak hours' travel, she said.

　　她表示，把通勤算在工作时间内更有助于错峰上下班，能够“缓解高峰期的通勤压力”。

　　But the change would mean employers would want 'more surveillance and accountability' for how employees were spending their commutes, she added.

　　她补充说，不过这一变化也意味着雇主会对员工通勤时是否在工作进行“更多地监督与问责”。

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