Employers

How TravelWise Strategies can Benefit Your Business

Creating a workplace that integrates TravelWise strategies can give your company a competitive edge in the marketplace. While at first glance the ideas laid out in TravelWise appear to only benefit employees, remember that happy employees make for happy employers.

Benefits

Implementing TravelWise strategies benefits everyone. Studies have shown that employers who allow their employees to utilize TravelWise strategies in the workplace experience an increase in applicants, employee retention and productivity as well as decreased sick leave and need for office space -- all because employees are able to arrange their schedules to better fit their lifestyles. For employers, these things all add up to a better bottom line.

Getting Started

If you are interested in establishing a TravelWise program in your office, the following steps may help you get started:

Survey employees to determine their level of interest in implementing the various TravelWise strategies
Determine which strategies are most feasible to support
Determine if you need to assign an employee to coordinate your efforts
Create an incentive and/or awards program to encourage and recognize employees and their managers who implement TravelWise strategies (examples: additional vacation time, free breakfast or lunch once a month, financial-based rewards, etc.)
Develop company policies regarding the use of TravelWise strategies

You'll find more strategy-specific tips for employers in the Strategies section below. Additionally, you may contact the TravelWise team to assist you in setting up a customized TravelWise plan for your company.

Strategies

Public Transit: Offer your employees a more productive commute

Employers who offer transit benefits to employees reap rewards from reduced employee absenteeism, reduced employee turnover and potential savings on employer payroll taxes. Transit benefits can be a low-cost way for employers to offer an added benefit to employees through options such as employer-paid transit commuter benefits or employee-paid pre-tax salary deductions. If you currently pay for or subsidize your employees' parking costs, your company can reap significant savings.

Tips

Explore the possibility of providing a shuttle service to and from the nearest transit stop or station
Coordinate with other nearby employers to see if they are interested in arranging to provide transit services and share the costs
Talk with your HR representatives or your accountant about the federal tax code allowance for contributing up to $230/month tax free to employees' transit benefits
Offer employees a "Guaranteed Ride Home" benefit . This can be accomplished relatively inexpensively by simply paying cab fare when an emergency or sickness arises. In reality, employees do not often use it, and the cost of providing this security is minimal

Teleworking: Save space, costs and stress

Offering teleworking options at your workplace can help you improve employee recruiting and retention. Additionally, financial savings can result from no longer needing to provide office or parking space for all employees every day. Many employers report that costs associated with setting up an employee to telework are offset by the cost savings and are key to helping employees decrease their stress and balance their work life. Research shows that many employees who telework report higher levels of productivity because they are not constantly interrupted by workplace issues.

Thanks to modern technology, teleworking is possible from just about anywhere -- at home, a telecenter, a coffee shop or a grocery store, not to mention in transit, at the airport or anywhere that has wireless Internet. Teleworking by conference calling or video conferencing can also save travel time and travel reimbursement costs.

Tips

Identify and screen positions or employees with job skills that make them suitable for teleworking
Make sure all telecommunication infrastructure is in place (example: video-conferencing software)
Encourage employees to conference call or video conference in place of face-to-face meetings
Determine whether employees will telework from home, a telework center or another location
Take advantage of any remote work locations or satellite offices
Establish clear expectations regarding remote supervision and communication
Provide necessary technical support so that technology, equipment or connections are not a barrier to productivity
Offer an orientation and on-going training on how to telework successfully

Carpooling: Reward your team for working together

Employee carpooling offers businesses several benefits including a reduced need for parking. This alone can offer significant savings if you currently pay for or subsidize employee parking. Also, employees who carpool are shown to have less commuter-related stress, improved morale and greater productivity.

Tips

Determine what incentives would encourage employees to carpool (examples: preferential parking or reduced cost or free parking)
Consider utilizing UTA's vanpooling options
Help employees form carpool groups according to their work schedules and where they live
Offer employees a "Guaranteed Ride Home" benefit. This can be accomplished relatively inexpensively by simply paying cab fare when an emergency or sickness arises. In reality, employees do not often use it, and the cost of providing this security is minimal

Flexible Schedules: Motivate your employees to balance their work life

Research shows that employees who have control over choosing their work hours are more motivated and less likely to leave, thereby reducing turnover costs. A flexible schedule allows employees to better balance their work life and other responsibilities, reducing tardiness and absence due to personal commitments.

With compressed workweeks, employees work non-standard hours in fewer days, typically 10-hour days for four days a week, or nine-hour days with one day off on alternating weeks, thus allowing them to have more personal days. Another type of schedule, flexible work hours, allows for variability in the time employees begin and end their workdays. For example, working flexible work hours allows for a parent to arrive after school carpooling responsibilities. For companies that span different time zones, flexible work hours allow the company to extend their business day and facilitate company operations. As a result, flexible schedules can be good for a company's financial health.

Tips

Review business operations and make necessary changes to accommodate flexible work hours
Evaluate which positions require presence at all times during normal business hours and whether or not each position's responsibilities are measured by results or hours on the clock
Establish clear policies regarding work hours

Active Transportation: Improve your team's health while reducing emissions

Employees who walk or bike to work are more productive as they arrive relaxed and ready to work. With strong employee participation, you can realize reduced parking needs at the workplace along with the benefits of a healthier workforce. Potential employees will see your company as a good steward of the environment by promoting alternative modes of transportation, which in turn provides you with a recruiting advantage.

Tips

Ensure that there is free and secure bicycle parking
Provide on-site showers and lockers so that employees can freshen up before starting their workday
Check with your HR department or accountant about recent federal tax code changes offering deductions for bicycle allowances up to $20/month
Offer employees a "Guaranteed Ride Home" benefit. This can be accomplished relatively inexpensively by simply paying cab fare when an emergency or sickness arises. In reality, employees do not often use it, and the cost of providing this security is minimal