The average one-way commute in Kent lasts more than half an hour, longer than the national average, according to new research.

People living in the county take 33 minutes to get to work, four minutes longer than the rest of the UK, said the study by workspace provider Regus.

More than a third (36%) of business people said their journey takes between 30 minutes and an hour, while 14% regularly travel more than an hour each way.

Regus suggests employees in large firms appear to endure the longest commutes and adds commuting is often linked to presenteeism, the act of going to work even when sick.

In a previous study, the company found nearly three quarters (72%) of employees felt managers were most likely to consider employees arriving early and leaving late as the most hard-working.

Regus UK managing director Steve Purdy said: “Privacy remains a huge concern for workers on their daily commute, catching up on emails on the train for instance, and also for the thousands of mobile workers who call into cafés during their working day.

“Increasingly, they are seeking a professional alternative to working in public places, using our new generation of drop-in workspaces at transport or retail hubs which offer a more secure environment, not to mention more productive.”

Maidstone resident Chris Awcock, who is a key account manager for Pitney Bowes Software, uses business lounges like the one at Clacket Lane motorway services on the M25, as a convenient place to stop and work between meetings.

He said: “When I’m on the road, I often have time before or after a meeting to touch down somewhere and fit in some work.

“I used to do this mainly in coffee shops and not only was it awkward and inappropriate to hold sensitive conversations, it was often noisy and unproductive.”