Commuting is a necessary part of most employees’ daily routines. But, as a business owner, you shouldn’t accept commuting as it is just because it’s so common. Often, your staff members may have a draining and stressful time traveling to work, so finding ways to improve employee commutes will help them a great deal. When employees are less stressed, they’ll have greater satisfaction with their work and be more productive as a result.
Make Hours Flexible
A simple change in workplace policies can ease the strain of commuting. Normally, businesses have strict starting times that workers must adhere to. Sometimes, though, the unpredictable nature of traffic can cause employees to get in late and face penalties. If you know that your staff members live relatively far from the workplace, consider making hours flexible. You could set a range of times between which employees must arrive. This can accommodate unexpected circumstances along their commutes. It also gives your staff a bit more choice in their daily routines which they’ll appreciate.
Give Commuter Benefits
Although you can’t control the commute itself to aid employees, you can give employees commuter benefits to counteract the strain it might place on them. You can include some amount of reimbursement to cover travel costs, for instance. Depending on where you’re located, you could cover public transportation fees or parking fees. When you take care of a good portion, if not the entirety, of their transportation costs, employees will have more satisfaction with their work.
Add Parking Spaces
Adding parking spaces is also a way to improve employee commutes in places where driving is the primary means of transportation. You could add parking spaces by redrawing lines on your lot to maximize space efficiency. If you have the ability, you could alternatively expand your parking area by developing some more land nearby. Should you be unable to do either of these, you could also install a puzzle parking system to your lot or garage. This system stores cars above the ground with moving platforms that can raise and lower them effortlessly. Since cars sit suspended over the ground, it can double the number of parking spaces in a particular section of your lot or garage.