How to Help Your Employees Manage the Commuting Crisis
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We're livng in a time when our daily lives revolve around the car. Our best, as well as our worst memories, revolve around the automobile. Car ownership and the number of journeys is rising steadily in the United States. Traffic, as far as it's concerned, is getting worse. Commuters are upset because policymakers don't seem to care enough to solve the problem. They don't do anything to eliminate road congestion and people are told that they have to leave earlier to get where they need to go. People have no choice but to do the heroic commute. It's not like they can afford to miss work.
Solving the commuting crisis should be the employer's responsibility. To be more precise, the employer should make an effort to help employees that are constantly on the road. Try as they might, commuters find it impossible to optimize the way they optimize their time, which is the worst thing possible. The point is that commuting can be tough. People who are seriously dissatisfied with their commutes don't look forward to work. As a matter of fact, some of them are even thinking about finding another job. At present, enterprises have the power to mitigate the negative impacts of commuting. Keep on reading to find out what to do to make your employees' lives easier.
Give up outdated management structures
Needless to say, everyone has an opinion about how leaders should be or not be. Here's ours: a person with an outdated management style measures the physical presence and in-office time. There's no reason to do that since, now, employees can work from virtually anywhere. Physical presence in the office isn't necessary any more thanks to technology. Application suites such as Office365 enable employees to work from home, while still being connected with their fellow colleagues. Your company can use a tool such as Asana or Trello to monitor productivity. They may not be glamorous, but at least you can see what tasks have been completed.
Telework is just one of the many solutions for solving the commuting crisis. Employees can meet their obligations and even surpass their goals if they want. You have guarantee that no matter where your employees are, they will do their job. An ever-increasing number of employees is giving up on long, tiresome commutes and remote work is the only thing that's keeping them around. Managing a virtual workplace isn't the simplest thing in the world, but it's doable. Most importantly, professionals expect and demand to be given the chance to work outside of a traditional office environment. You can't afford to disappoint them.
Offer a commuter benefits plan
Not all employees can enjoy the privilege of working from home. The problem isn't about office morale. Industries other than sales, customer service, technology, and marketing can't afford to let employees work from anywhere simply because they're not reliant on computer technology. There are jobs that don't require sitting at a desk. If you're an acupuncturist or work in construction, you won't be sitting at the desk all day long. While the current workforce is experiencing rapid change, some things will remain pretty much the same. More precisely, the office still has a reason for being.
Since employees have to come to the office almost every day, offer commuter benefits. It's something you need to put on your to-do list. Financial help significantly eases the burden of long, expensive commutes. Offer employees gas gift cards and pay for parking or transit passes. Better yet, provide secure parking for privately owned vehicles. Private parking is governed by the law of contract. This basically means that it's necessary to adhere to the rules of the operators have specified. There is an increasing popularity of monthly parking throughout the United States. Several major employers secure Seattle monthly parking for commuters. This is popular in other major cities as well, since parking is a common problem for commuters. There is little incentive for employees to skip work. Programs of this kind aren't expensive for employers and can be easily implemented.
Take the complexity out of employee relocation
Some people would rather spend hours at and end commuting back and forth to work. They don't even think about relocating. Others believe that long commutes suck and prefer moving for a good job. They don't want to deal with unnecessary stress, health problems, or financial worries. It's your duty, as the employer, to help employees relocate. It's in your best interest to do so because you'll see better productivity, increased sales, which positively impact your income. Make the process simpler and ensure that the people in your organization start off on the right foot.
Offer the employees a relocation allowance if you can afford to. a lump sum has become the most popular way of expense reimbursement. What you're doing, practically, is offering people a bonus that will be used only for the relocation process. Establish what amount of money would be suitable and give it to the employees. Finding a reputable moving company is hard enough, so why don't you hire a relocation company? Generally speaking, organizations of this kind offer corporate and residential services. You just need to schedule ahead of time.
Last but not least, be clear about your expectations. If you need your employees to be present at the office every day of the week or if you can give them more time to get started, let them know. Clearly articulate your expectations verbally or on paper. Make sure that you and the employees are on the same page. Don't let anything up in the air.
Final thoughts
Americans spend a great deal of time behind the wheel, wasting more or less 90 minutes per day. Owing to new communications technology and altering workplace norms, modern employees can skip commuting altogether. Those who still enjoy commuting, even if it's a drag, should be rewarded with commuter benefits, which includes monthly parking at a location near the place of work. People who insist they want to relocate will enjoy the full support of the organization. Unless there's a big change in where jobs are created, these remain the only viable solutions.
