The Hidden Cost of the Farnham Commute: Why Teams Are Staying Closer to Home

2. Cost: A Key Factor in Relocation Decisions

One key problem with Farnham as an office location is the rising costs attached with businesses operating in its town centre. This is happening across the UK in large towns and cities, where office rents and other attached costs have risen significantly. Premium locations in The Borough command high rates, and that’s before you factor in the hidden costs including parking for staff/clients and business rates on older buildings. According to research from INRIX, UK employees spend an average of £2,288 per year on parking within 15 minutes of the city centre, nearly £44 per week that could be going straight into their pocket.

However, there are cheaper and flexible options for businesses. Business Parks like Tanshire Business Park offer competitive rental prices and flexible lease terms, providing a persuasive draw to businesses looking to reduce their overheads. Rather than being locked into long leases and extreme rental costs, businesses can find an option that meets their needs. 

Additionally, organisations can make substantial savings beyond just rent. If you look at the wider factors such as parking, utilities and maintenance costs, a rural business park becomes more favourable.

3. Space: Room to Grow and Adapt

Limited Space in Town Centre Offices

Office spaces in the town centre tend to be smaller and constrained within older buildings. These spaces often lack the flexibility that modern businesses need to accommodate growing teams. When your team grows or your working style changes, you can find yourself squeezed into a small office that doesn’t accommodate your business needs. 

Business parks often offer various sizes of office space that can accommodate to every individual need, so you’re not forced into an office that isn’t quite right. By using an office space calculator, you can ensure that you have the required space at your office and not overspending or squeezed in. 

Adaptability to Employee Needs

With green, spacious surroundings at Tanshire Business Park, the workplace reflects a more nature-immerse environment, away from the noise and crowds of Farnham. The office spaces are bright and airy, with large windows that create a perfect environment for productivity and collaboration. This setting is designed to help businesses and their employees thrive and achieve success. Tanshire Business Park also offers a wide range of office spaces including brand-new range of suites from 190-1160 sq. ft available for rent in January.

4. Employee Satisfaction and Wellbeing

Often, the location of an office can have a massive effect to a business and its employees. Both congestion and work-life balance are key factors in assessing a business’ office location.

Employees working in town centres often face lengthy, unpredictable commutes through congested streets. They deal with the stress of finding parking, high noise levels, and a general lack of green space. A 2024 survey by Ciphr found that 15% of workers cite their commute as a significant source of stress, and anyone who's sat in Farnham traffic on a busy morning will understand why. Over time, this daily cause of stress can build up and cause job dissatisfaction for the business’ employees.

Business parks offer a tranquil environment with green spaces, natural light, and quiet areas for focused work. These features not only reduce stress but also improve employee wellbeing, leading to higher job satisfaction and productivityFor many professionals living in and around Farnham, the romantic image of a Surrey commute, past rolling hills and charming villages, doesn’t always match the reality. What starts as a scenic journey can quickly turn into a drain on time, money, and wellbeing.

With train tickets often topping £150 a week and journey times easily stretching beyond an hour each way, it’s little wonder that teams and businesses are rethinking where and how they work. What’s emerging isn’t just a shift in location, but a rethink of workplace culture itself, with many choosing to stay closer to home for both practical and quality-of-life reasons.

More Than Money: The Real Price of Commuting

It’s easy to think of commuting as a routine cost, a necessary travel expense. But the real price tag is far broader.

1. Time Lost on the Road and Rails

Whether it’s a drive to Farnham station or the train to London Waterloo, many commuters find themselves spending two or more hours a day just getting to and from work. That’s time that could otherwise be spent with family, exercising, eating well, or simply resting.

2. Financial Strain

Train season tickets and daily travel costs add up fast, often eating into wages that were meant to support lifestyle or savings. Community conversations frequently highlight frustration about how travel expenses can erode the value of even substantial pay rises.

3. Wellbeing and Job Satisfaction

Long commutes are more than inconvenient. Worker sentiment and research increasingly link them to stress, fatigue, and poorer mental health outcomes. Commuting pressure is regularly cited as a factor in job dissatisfaction.

Together, these factors are reshaping how local teams think about where work happens.

Hybrid Working and the Local Shift

The pandemic fundamentally altered workplace expectations. Remote and hybrid arrangements are now common, allowing teams to preserve the social and collaborative benefits of an office without the daily travel burden.

Across the UK, hybrid commuters are more likely to combine movements to nearby workspaces with active travel such as walking and cycling. This supports wellbeing while keeping travel efficient.

Not all roles or industries can operate entirely from home, which is where locally accessible workspaces come into play.

Business Parks: A Strategic Middle Ground

As traditional commuting patterns evolve, many companies are exploring business parks and local hubs as an alternative to long journeys into town centres or cities. Many of these business parks are conveniently located near Farnham and major routes, providing easy access for employees and clients alike.

These spaces offer professional environments with a fraction of the travel disruption. They balance the need for an office, a place for team collaboration, client meetings, and brand presence, without the prolonged rail or road hours. A growing number of firms based around Farnham and the wider Surrey area are seeing the benefits firsthand.

Why Business Parks Are Gaining Traction

• Location advantage: Business parks such as Tanshire Business Park, positioned between Farnham, Guildford, Godalming and Haslemere, benefit from strong access to major routes including the A3, M3 and M25.
• Flexible office space: A variety of office sizes allows businesses to scale without being tied into expensive city leases.
• Quality environment: High-speed broadband, meeting rooms, cafés, parking and green space support productivity and wellbeing.
• Reduced travel impacts: Teams avoid crowded stations, unreliable rail services and congested town centre roads.

These features support staff retention, attract talent seeking balance, and help businesses adapt to hybrid working without losing professionalism.

What This Means for Businesses and Teams

The future of work in commuter towns like Farnham is evolving quickly. If current trends continue:

• Flexible workspaces will become standard for hybrid businesses.
• Business parks will play a greater role in supporting regional employment.
• Employees will increasingly prioritise roles that support wellbeing and quality of life.

This reflects a wider shift in how organisations think about performance, retention and sustainability.

Rethinking the Commute

Commuting is more than a daily routine. It carries financial, emotional and organisational costs that directly affect how people work and live. For teams around Farnham, these hidden pressures are driving a reassessment of workplace location and flexibility.

By embracing local workspaces, hybrid models and business parks, companies are finding smarter ways to operate while supporting their people. Staying closer to home is proving not only practical, but commercially and culturally beneficial too.

Why Choose Tanshire Business Park?

For businesses looking to reduce commuting strain while maintaining a professional office presence, Tanshire Business Park stands out as a smart choice. We offer:

• Strategic location: Close to major commuter routes, making it convenient for staff across Surrey and Hampshire.
• Flexible, modern offices: Tailored spaces that can adapt to teams of all sizes.
• Amenities that matter: On-site parking, green spaces, and communal areas that support collaboration and wellbeing.
• Balance for employees: By providing a workspace nearer to home, teams spend less time commuting and more time focusing on productivity and work-life balance.

Tanshire Business Park provides a practical alternative for companies embracing hybrid working or looking to create a regional hub without the costs and pressures of city centre office space.

Take a look at our available offices, and get in touch with our team to learn more.