Chances are that your employer can help you through a commuter-assistance program that the company may be having. These are vital programs and you can persuade your company to contribute to their share of the responsibility.
Advantageous of Commuter-Assistance Programs
It raises the self esteem of the workers, and consequently their loyalty to their workplaces, when they see employers valuing their time and money and putting transportation programs in place. This helps them balance their work and life a little more comfortably.
Apart from the increased self-esteem, what also matters to the workers are the reduced expenses. This is guaranteed to increase employer commitment, contentment, job satisfaction and their general attitude towards the workplace and its management.
Moreover, some transportation plans can also be offered on a pre-tax basis, thereby lowering the employee’s taxes. For the current year, employees can take up to $125 each month for transit or van-pool commuting costs as a tax-free benefit or up to $240 a month in tax-sheltered payroll deductions for parking.
The other more employee-friendly option is that employers can share these costs by paying part of their employees’ monthly commuting costs and letting workers pay the balance using pretax dollars.
Whichever option is availed of, the final outcome is that both end up saving money.
Commuter-Assistance Possibilities:
There’s a wide range of options from which the companies can chose, according to their affordability and requirements.
- The company can enter into a partnership with the local public transportation organization to set up a commuting plan or assisting employees in developing their existing commuting routines.
- The company can also organize commuter fairs where employees interact with local transit experts that include, transportation management associations, regional ride-sharing organizations and public transportation providers. This will create an atmosphere of sharing ideas on improving commutes.
- The company can arrange to sell public-transit passes onsite and offering payroll deductions for reduced-fare bus and rail passes.
- They can also assist employees by participating in a public-transit discount program.
- Workers can be made to commute less by compressing their weekly work-hours into 4 days instead of 5.
- Apart from compressed workweek, other arrangements like multiple work shifts, flexible arrival and departure times and working from home can be considered.
- Offering incentives to workers who carpool, by offering them lower parking charges
- The company should encourage workers to bike to work, or those living in nearby localities to walk to work. Such workers should be provided facilities for storage of their bicycles as well as providing shower facilities for the walkers.
- Earmark some particular days in the month as walk to work day, bike to workday, carpool workday and similar fuel and money saving ideas. Recognize and applaud employees who use commuting options.
- Appoint a company commuter benefits coordinator who will coordinate between the management and the employee for commute related problems and also liaison with external organizations.
If you are really keen on getting your company to participate in and implementing a commuter-assistance program, do the initial groundwork before you approach them. Garner the support of likeminded employees, make a list of no cost or low-cost commuting ideas, keep track of issues or situations where better transportation could have helped employer or employees, explain to the management that better commuting will lead to less absenteeism, less tardiness and less exhaustion.
You can also appeal to the employer’s moral and social duty to take responsibility for the congestion and pollution generated by their employees’ trips to, from, and at work.
Management does not normally lend willing ears, but when you tell them these are possible solutions, with minimal costs that will also benefit the company, their hearing suddenly comes good.
