How much time does it take you to get to work? Say you’re working a normal 9-5, and it takes you 45 minutes to get to work and 45 minutes to get home. That’s a 9 and a half hour workday! Sure, you may’ve been at work for 8 hours, but you still had to get there (and back home) somehow – and that time goes off of YOUR personal clock.
And you may not count commuting as part of your workday, but it most certainly is and, more often than not, it’s anything but pleasant. To top it all, you’re the one paying for the commute, so it’s both stressful and a financial burden.
But you may’ve noticed that some employers are stepping up their game and paying for their employees’ transportation. They make the commute easier, more efficient, and the employees are happier. There’s a significant number of benefits to this, and I’ll tell you all about them!
What Is Employer-Sponsored Transportation?
Let me paint you a picture; it’s early morning, you step out of your house and get into your car. You have a relatively long commute ahead, but that’s okay; you’re in a good mood. You get on the road and before you know it, you’re stuck in traffic.
No biggie, you’ll listen to some music and relax. After all, it’s not your first rodeo and there’s always traffic in the morning. But after a while, you notice you’ve been in the same spot for too long and you thought you’d have time to get gas before work, but now you won’t.
Oh, and it seems you forgot your credit card so you have no way of paying for gas. Some more time goes by, you get to work at the last minute, but now there’s no parking. When you finally find it, you get into the office mentally exhausted and you’re not in a great mood anymore. Now imagine avoiding all of this because your employer has organized transport for their employees.
You don’t need to go through the hassle of finding your way through heavy traffic, you don’t need to look for parking, and you don’t need to pay for gas. How great is that? There are many ways of organizing this, from a shuttle service and carpool arrangements to subsidized public transit passes and bike-share memberships.
Google runs its famous fleet of high-tech buses equipped with Wi-Fi, so their employees start their workday during the ride. The logistics behind this aren’t so simple, but once everything is set in place, it’s so worth it.
5 Benefits of Employer-Sponsored Transportation
This whole thing is about more than getting people to work. It solves big commuting problems and creates benefits at the same time.
Here’s how it helps.
Less Commuting Costs
Very simple – employees save money if they don’t need to pay for the commute. Less money goes towards gas and parking, which means they can spend what they earn on things that make them happy, they can put more money into savings, and pay off debts.
More Productivity
Remember that image of a stressed guy coming to work? How productive do you think he would be? Commuting can be frustrating and it’s hard to focus on work if your nerves are fried. A commute without stress equals a more relaxed and focused employee.
Increased Job Satisfaction
If a company is willing to pay for their employees’ transportation (e.g., employee shuttle service, transit passes, shared bikes/e-bikes, electric scooters, etc.). It’s obvious they care about them. Something as simple as this is not that common today and it makes the people a lot happier about the establishment they work in.
Reduced Absence and Tardiness
Reliable transportation will get you where you need to be on time. That means, less missed workdays and delays caused by issues with vehicles or public transit.
It’s Good for the Environment
Did you know that in 2022, transportation was the largest portion of the GHG emissions in the U.S.? It’s actually not even hard to believe when you see how much traffic there is. The worst part? Those cars that are clogging up traffic usually only have one person inside.
So, it only makes sense that fewer cars mean less pollution, and companies that offer shared transportation evidently care about that.
Conclusion
For some, commuting is the worst part of the day. Perhaps you’re one of those ‘some’. But with an employer that sees their employees as more than just a bunch of numbers, this issue could easily be resolved.
You could reduce it to just the employer giving their people a ride, but it’s a lot more than a simple ride, and the benefits I listed clearly show it. If the company you work for is paying for your commute, your life gets easier, you save money, and even help the planet. For the company, it means a more productive team and stronger workplace connections.
It’s a win all around, and once the logistics are taken care of, all that’s left is a smooth ride to and from work.
Leave a Reply