If you live a big city chances are several, if not many people use public transportation to get into work. For the downtown Seattle that means taking the various express buses, Sounder Train, Van Pools and even carpooling. I happen to work for a company that has been accommodating to those that must take public transportation.
I’ve noticed that several companies in the area really encourage the use of public transportation. Some subsidize or outright purchase a bus or train pass for their employees. This is fantastic and is a benefit to the employee on the bus/train as well as the person who must drive by keeping fewer cars off the road.
Here are a few suggestions for companies who want to encourage the use of public transportation:
End All Meetings by 4 pm – It’s frustrating to have a meeting run long and have to make a mad dash to the train station. Schedule meetings far enough in advance so they can be held earlier in the day.
Offset the Cost – Even 50 bucks towards a bus or train pass would encourage people. I know that some jobs require having a car at work but not as many as some people believe.
Plan After-Hour Events Well in Advance – Company parties or happy hours usually take place later in the afternoon or evening. Give your employees enough advance notice so they can make plans to attend while still making arrangements to get home.
Provide plenty of Conference Room Space – Nice, large conference rooms are great because you can have larger client meetings at your place instead of making the trek over to your clients office. This provides an opportunity for your clients to meet more people at your company including management. Make sure each room has a projector that doesn’t take calling the IT to get working properly.
Provide Laptops/Remote Connections – If you really want to make your employees happy get them a state of the art laptop and one of the new high speed internet cards so they can work from anywhere! At the very least you should provide the ability to remote into the company’s network to get work done from home or any wireless hot spot.
Provide Virtual Meeting Space – For those times when you need to review a presentation, a service like Microsoft Live Meeting is very helpful. This cuts down on travel during the workday while still allowing your employees to work efficiently.
I’m sure I’ve left out many more. What are some ways your company encourages the use of public transportation or what would make you consider taking a train or bus if you currently drive to work each day?
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