IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS

There are a number of ways to
incentivize various mobility options,
but what works especially well is a
company-wide commuting policy
giving everyone in the business clear
guidelines and the tools to make their
commutes easier and healthier.
Why employers should be invested in
their employees’ commutes
It may be a surprise to learn that
commuting is closely aligned with
health: Regular exercise, after
all, improves physical and mental
health; and that means lower
insurance premiums, increased
employee morale and
performance, and fewer sick days.
How does this connection work?
Research in recent years has
repeatedly shown that sitting behind
the wheel of a car for long periods of
time leads to higher blood sugar,
cholesterol, risk of depression, anxiety,
blood pressure and other
negative health outcomes.
At the same time, commutes are
increasing in length in just about
every Kenyan city. Blame growing
suburban populations, a recovering
economy putting more people to work
and an increase in families who may
want to live close to a central business
district but can't afford to.
On the plus side, active commutes that
employ more transit use, walking and
bicycling have been linked to better
overall health . Even taking a bus and
then walking or biking between the
bus stop and your final destination
burns calories and gets extra steps in.
Related: When This Boss Walks 10 Miles a
Day, She Leads a Much Healthier Team
Sure, your employees can always get a
gym membership. But if someone sits
in a car 90 minutes a day, he or she
might not have the time or desire to
add in treadmill time. That's why it's
advantageous for employers to
encourage active commutes by linking
them to wellness in employee benefits,
and by helping employees avoid
traffic while boosting their health.
Another reason why offering
employees the resources and support
they need for alternative ways to
commute makes sense is that an entire
generation of up-and-coming workers
expects it. In fact, the youngest of the
milliennial generation are driving
less ; and, more specifically, they're
commuting by car less often than do
the older generations. Older
millennials and Generation X'ers are
also shifting away from driving.
The message? If your company wants
to recruit and retain talent, it’s time to
start supporting employees who don’t
want to drive to work during rush
hour.
How to shape a commuting policy
More and more options and tools are
available today for developing a
healthy and active commuting policy,
especially for employers in urban
areas. This can be as simple as
rethinking parking: Businesses are
starting to offer employees payments
equal to what would have gone to a
parking space -- if those employees
choose to commute by bike, transit
or carpool or on foot.
Policies developed around remote
work and flexible hours are other
great methods for boosting
productivity and allowing employees
to avoid rush hour altogether. Dell
launched its Connected Workplace
program in 2009. That program allows
25 percent of the company's staff
worldwide to work remotely or work
flexible hours -- which allows
commutes to occur before or after
peak rush hours.
The company estimates that since 2013
alone, its program has saved Dell $21
million in office space, time wasted in
traffic and electricity bills. "Flexible
work solutions can help any
organization to reduce their facilities'
environmental footprint while
simultaneously fostering creativity
and collaboration," Dell has said of its
flexible work program. "It also helps
empower team members to do their
best work -- whenever and wherever
that may be. "
In fact, according to the Global
Evolving Workforce
Study commissioned by Dell and Intel,
86 percent of the 4,700 study
respondents surveyed said they
believed they were just as productive
or even more so at home than in the
office.
Partnering with organizations like
transportation-management
associations, local transit
authorities and even other businesses
can also help employers offer commute
options to their employees. In Austin,
Texas, near where Dell is based, a
group of tech companies in the
downtown area formed the Brazos
Tech District, to address common
problems, including transportation.
The group partnered with local transit
agency Capital Metro to offer
discounted monthly transit passes, and
has worked to encourage local
property owners to include bike
facilities in downtown buildings.
Related: Why Are Companies Still
Avoiding Telecommuting?
Your company can get in on this trend,
too: Whether that means incentivizing
transit use or engaging in company-
wide commute competitions, you'll
find plenty of options for
helping workers find a commute that
boosts productivity, saves time
that otherwise would be spent in
traffic and improves morale.