When it comes to encouraging carpooling in the workplace, it is no longer just about saving the environment – although it does contribute significantly to this cause. Promoting ridesharing to your employees has multiple other benefits, including increased productivity and improved employee well-being, and it can even act as a benefit attracting potential employees. However, while many large corporations are proactively encouraging carpooling and bike pools, there remains a sense of doubt as to whether the initiative is worth it. Often, many employees cite complaints against ridesharing like mismatched schedules and the unfamiliarity with other employees nearby. By introducing innovative incentives in your company, you can persuade employees to embrace the idea of carpooling and access the benefits for the entire company.
Introduce Parking Or Fuel Benefits For Carpooling Employees
According to a recent Bloomberg report, only 7 percent of Americans carpool to work. When asked why, an overwhelming majority of employees (51 percent) cite inconvenience as their major deterrent against trying ridesharing. However, by offering incentives to employees willing to trial the program, employers can persuade workers to take a second look at carpooling and the lower cost it can mean for them. Offering incentives is a tried and tested way to motivate and garner the interest of employees. To encourage carpooling, this can take the form of subsidized parking fees (particularly for companies located in the metro area), premium parking spots or end of month fuel reimbursements under a company green energy program.
Address Potential Company And Employee Liability For Carpools
Companies also need to consider the legal implications of car sharing. While most auto insurance policies would cover ridesharing with others, there may be certain terms and conditions like whether you can collect money from fellow employees for fuel and other expenses. In many basic car insurance policies, passenger injuries are not covered. In this case, securing extended accident coverage is recommended. Companies looking to introduce an employee carpooling scheme can opt to offer incentives like partial payments on employee extended motor accident insurance policies or resources for recourse, including access to retained rideshare accident lawyers for advice and support.
Implement An Employee Carpooling Matching System
One of the most common problems of carpooling cited by employees is the lack of being matched with another employee living in the same area or working the same schedule. For an employee carpooling program to be efficient and successful, it must minimize the local traffic congestion and stress on the employees. Therefore, if the company has matched unsuitable employees that are starting or finishing their workday at different times or live on different routes, the purpose of the scheme can be quickly defeated.
To overcome this, start with grouping carpooling employees according to their geographical areas. Supervisors or human resource managers can also play an important role in narrowing down the list to those with similar work hours (or schedule the group on the same work hours if possible). To help with rideshare matching, carpooling software like Car Pool Party, Loopivity and Comovee can match employees according to work hours, driving routes, and even daily work patterns.
Finally, give attention to promoting the benefits of carpooling in your company. From saving your employees and your company money on parking and vehicle costs to boosting overall business productivity, companies can use seminars, handouts, and in-office memos to educate their employees on why they should embrace carpooling and give them the resources to get started.
