Companies ask prospective workers to try the drive first

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-sprawlcommute.artjun25,0,5238831.story

The Cost Of Sprawl
June 25, 2008
If you weren't already convinced that sprawl is a major problem in Connecticut, how much are you paying for gas to drive to work?

Companies in suburban and rural industrial parks are now putting that question to prospective workers. With the price of gas well north of $4 a gallon, an employee facing a long commute to a job that pays $10 to $20 an hour might not net enough at the end of the week to make the drive worthwhile. By the same token, a company is reluctant to invest in an employee who may leave after a short time because of the cost of transportation.

The Courant recently reported that some companies are asking prospective workers to try the drive before committing to the job. This represents a sea change in Connecticut. The massive postwar move to the suburbs was predicated, more than anything else, on cheap cars and cheap gas. People and companies moved to distant subdivisions and industrial parks because they could drive. Now we reap what we have sown.

[depakid]

1. Sounds like a rational question to me

Perhaps 50 years too late- yet rational nonetheless.

[WillowTree]

2. What am I missing here?

Who gets hired for a job without going to an interview? Wouldn't the prospective employee have "tried the drive" then?

[Fumesucker]

3. Probably means "try the drive at traffic time" n/t

[conscious evolution]

4. Good idea

I had a company ask me to come in for an interview at rush hour once.
I made the drive,arrived at their office,walked in and told them thanks but no thanks.They laughed and said no problem.