Right now, with a little more time on our hands, we have been thinking about ways employers can help their employees. We know we’re probably the only people thinking about commuting (or commuter benefits) at the moment, but that’s what we do – especially for when your employees do return to the office.
When life begins again, your employees will more likely than not be extra cautious of commuting, most particularly your employees who use public transit. Because buses and trains won’t be at the top of everyone’s ideal commuting list, you’re going to have to think outside of the box to keep employees from reverting to driving alone. Luckily for you, we have curated a list of benefits we’re rather fond of.
Biker gangs
Based on what we’ve heard from our customers and other industry leaders, bicycles are going to receive a lot of corporate endorsement – with good reason. Bikes are more sustainable, require less space, and are cheaper than cars.
We’ve seen and written about companies giving their employees free bicycles in order to promote more sustainable commutes. We know this is tough for both smaller companies that may not have the disposable cash, and for large companies with potentially thousands of employees. But there are workarounds to promote biking to work when the time comes. You can provide monthly or yearly stipends for employees who already bike to work and need to take care of routine maintenance.
Another bicycle benefit that we’ve recently heard about is a company-conducted bike rental program. This is a win-win for both employers and employees. Shifting back to office life with a new method of commuting is essentially adopting an entirely new commute. If employees decide to switch to biking, they will need help, but buying a bike of their own may be a little premature. Renting bikes to your employees affords you a trial period to ensure a bike commute is the right option.
New shoes
When employees begin commuting again, driving to work is going to be extremely tempting. Being isolated in your car, away from packed trains and buses, is an attractive thought given the circumstances. It’s important to keep employees on their sustainable commute game – and that’s where shoes come into play.
Here at TransitScreen, we’ve recently implemented a shoe stipend for employees who bike, walk, or take transit to work. (Pretty much anything other than driving.) This can work wonders for your company as well! It’s fun, original, and makes your employees want to hit the pavement instead of the parkway.
Carpool party
We know carpooling isn’t necessarily new or outside of the box, but it’s a solid compromise for employees who have hesitations about their previous commutes. While employees are going to want to get behind the wheel to get to work, you have to make it as sustainable as possible. How do you make driving sustainable? Carpooling!
It may take some convincing to get employees to double, triple, or even quadruple up on a daily basis. What it might come down to is what you can offer them. Providing gas cards or monetary incentives to employees who agree to ride together may be all it takes. You can also reserve preferred parking spaces for your carpoolers. Even if employees agree to carpool two or three days a week, you’re doing plenty to help them ease back into their new normal.
