The issue of transportation and mobility for corporations poses constant challenges to managers. Rising fares, gasoline prices, and the demand for parking are some of the routine problems faced by companies. Your business is probably also looking for solutions to overcome at least some of these obstacles.
In this case, there are three perspectives that must be considered when proposing solutions to transportation issues: the economic side of the company (costs with transportation vouchers and parking, for example), the social aspect of employees and the community (traffic jams, stress, health problems, among others) and the environmental impacts (carbon emissions from the use of vehicles) of the actions.
Solutions based on sustainable development must consider these three perspectives simultaneously and in a balanced manner. None of them needs to be above the other in terms of importance. This is not a utopia, since large corporations are gradually incorporating sustainable practices into their processes, as they see them as the only way to grow continuously. To verify this fact, just look at the CEBDS membership board, for example.
Believe me: your employees suffer from city traffic just as much as you do. Therefore, ensuring less stressful alternatives that speed up the time it takes to get to work can result in a significant increase in productivity, after all, more willing and motivated employees work harder and better.
So, if you think that saving on travel benefits can generate lower costs for the company, that's not quite the case. It may even generate lower costs, but you may also lose out on a lot more revenue in the future.
Benefits of corporate mobility for your company
Investing in corporate mobility brings many benefits to employees and consequently to the company. Changes bring advantages in terms of finances and productivity. For example, for your employees and the community there are:
- – Better quality of life;
- – More productivity;
- – More willingness to go to work;
- – Reduction of time lost in transportation;
- – Less pollution;
- – Reduction in traffic jams.
Your company can now obtain:
- – Reduction of transportation costs;
- – Talent retention;
- – Improvement of the corporate image before the public and the team;
- – Compliance with sustainability goals;
- – Reduction in absences from work;
- – Ease of access to the workplace.
Corporate mobility measures you can implement
Implementing corporate mobility measures within a company is the most difficult step. The manager’s starting point is usually to look for successful solutions in other companies. This is a good start, although what works in one company may not necessarily work well in another.
Promote alternative means of transport
First, you should encourage the use of more sustainable means of transportation, such as walking, cycling, public transportation or chartered transportation. For those who are more resistant or who live far from work, you can encourage carpooling and shift work among employees.
Study changes in the working day
Check working hours and find out if it is possible to adopt home office a few times a week. Also consider increasing your schedule flexibility and setting up shifts.
Adopt financial measures
It is also possible to encourage the use of more sustainable means of transport through financial incentives, support and appreciation of employees who adopt such measures.
Data collection to implement corporate mobility-focused implementations
Before developing measures and implementation strategies focused on corporate mobility, you need to gather some data. Ideally, you should create a spreadsheet that accounts for the following expenses:
- – Parking spaces;
- – Fuel assistance;
- – Transport voucher;
- – Chartered bus;
- – Bicycles and walking;
- – Home office.
As previously stated, it is not mandatory to include all of these points in your spreadsheet, as each company has its own specific needs and possibilities.
The central idea is to transform into statistics and projections what the difference in costs will be between the current mobility policy in your company and a possible transition based on the implementation of corporate mobility practices.
After adopting the measures, you can start measuring results and reanalyzing the company's cost spreadsheet focused on corporate mobility. This is a slightly more complex calculation, it's true.
Fortunately, we have comprehensive material on this topic created especially for companies. Just download our e-Book Corporate Mobility – Economic potential of its implementation!
