Travel Well, Work Well
Employer Resources
Whether you’re a small business owner or heading up a team within a large organisation, we’re here to help you guide your staff towards speedier, greener and easier travel. With practical advice on everything from how to free up parking spaces to retaining staff, we’ve got all the tools you need.
Why encourage change?
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Did you know that even just 20 minutes a day of exercise can have a big positive impact on the health of your employees? The Royal College of Surgeons claims that being active for at least that long “reduces a person’s risk of dementia by 30%, depression by 30%, heart disease by 40%, type 2 diabetes by 40%, breast cancer by 25% and osteoporosis by 50%.” So by helping your employees have a more active commute, you can actually improve their long term quality of life.
What's more, exercise also improves employee productivity, by increasing focus and energy, and reducing stress. A 2019 study estimated that physical inactivity cost UK businesses £6.6 billion in lost employee productivity. Whereas studies on active travel have shown a significant reduction in mortality, hospitalisation and cardiovascular disease.
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Healthier employees miss fewer days of work. Physically inactive individuals lose up to 4.5 more working days per year compared to active individuals. And employees who are walking or cycling to work won’t be negatively impacted by the uncertainties of traffic.
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If getting to work is difficult, stressful, or expensive, it can be hard to retain existing employees. (Read more about the link between commuting and staff wellbeing here.) But if people are able to reach your workplace easily, without driving in, this hugely widens your pool of potential employees, including those who don’t have or prefer not to use a car. Help with travelling to work can be presented as employee benefits and used as part of your recruitment package to draw in new employees.
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Your business can save money on the costs of offering and maintaining parking spaces, as well as in fewer lost work days, more productivity, and less employee turnover. You can also save on national insurance contributions by participating in a Cycle to Work scheme.
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Fewer people commuting by car means less traffic. Traffic congestion is a big problem for businesses, negatively impacting the ability of staff and customers to get to a business. In a 2016 survey, it was named as one of the key issues that Oxford businesses wanted to see addressed.
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Fewer employees commuting by car means fewer emissions and better air quality for everyone. It also means a smaller carbon footprint for your business, which can help you achieve your sustainability goals.
Top tips
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You can think of employees as being in four different groups: those who have already changed, those who want to change, those who can’t change, and those who won’t change. Focus on helping those in the second group make the changes they want to make.
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Free parking makes every other mode of transport seem more expensive by comparison. Consider how your company can make parking more available to those who truly need it and less available to those who don’t.
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Doing a travel survey or interviews will help you understand what is stopping the employees who want to change from doing so. Let these barriers guide the priorities of your travel plans.
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Be consistent. Don’t walk back changes if they don’t have immediate effect. What starts with a small number of people can grow.
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Set achievable and measurable goals, and track your progress toward them so you can assess what is and is not working.
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Offer incentives for people to make changes. These rewards can be things like money (ie. travel allowance or reimbursement), goods (ie. free breakfast or prizes), time (ie. events or leaving early), pride (ie. competitions or challenges), or community activity (ie. active commuter groups or lunchtime walks/rides).
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Make sure everyone knows what changes are happening and why; and what resources are available to help.
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Make sure any changes are funded and there is a person or team who is heading the charge as part of their job.
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Offer trial incentives that allow employees to go back to driving if they need to. Having a safety net might take the pressure off when trying new things.
Why encourage change?
-
Did you know that even just 20 minutes a day of exercise can have a big positive impact on the health of your employees? The Royal College of Surgeons claims that being active for at least that long “reduces a person’s risk of dementia by 30%, depression by 30%, heart disease by 40%, type 2 diabetes by 40%, breast cancer by 25% and osteoporosis by 50%.” So by helping your employees have a more active commute, you can actually improve their long term quality of life.
What's more, exercise also improves employee productivity, by increasing focus and energy, and reducing stress. A 2019 study estimated that physical inactivity cost UK businesses £6.6 billion in lost employee productivity. Whereas studies on active travel have shown a significant reduction in mortality, hospitalisation and cardiovascular disease.
-
Healthier employees miss fewer days of work. Physically active individuals lose up to 12 fewer days of productivity annually compared to inactive individuals. And employees who are walking or cycling to work won’t be negatively impacted by the uncertainties of traffic.
-
If getting to work is difficult, stressful, or expensive, it can be hard to retain existing employees. And if people are able to reach your workplace easily, without driving in, this hugely widens your pool of potential employees, including those who don’t have or prefer not to use a car. Help with travelling to work can be presented as employee benefits and used as part of your recruitment package, so you can draw in the employees you want and keep them too.
-
Your business can save money on the costs of offering and maintaining parking spaces, as well as in fewer lost work days, more productivity, and less employee turnover. You can also save on national insurance contributions by participating in a Cycle to Work scheme.
-
Fewer people commuting by car means less traffic. Traffic congestion is a big problem for businesses, negatively impacting the ability of staff and customers to get to a business. In a 2016 survey, it was named as one of the key issues that Oxford businesses wanted to see addressed.
-
Fewer employees commuting by car means fewer emissions and better air quality for everyone. It also means a smaller carbon footprint for your business, which can help you achieve your sustainability goals.
Top tips
-
You can think of employees as being in four different groups: those who have already changed, those who want to change, those who can’t change, and those who won’t change. Focus on helping those in the second group make the changes they want to make.
-
Free parking makes every other mode of transport seem more expensive by comparison. Consider how your company can make parking more available to those who truly need it and less available to those who don’t.
-
Doing a travel survey or interviews will help you understand what is stopping the employees who want to change from doing so. Let these barriers guide the priorities of your travel plans.
-
Be consistent. Don’t walk back changes if they don’t have immediate effect. What starts with a small number of people can grow.
-
Set achievable and measurable goals, and track your progress toward them so you can assess what is and is not working.
-
Offer incentives for people to make changes. These rewards can be things like money (ie. travel allowance or reimbursement), goods (ie. free breakfast or prizes), time (ie. events or leaving early), pride (ie. competitions or challenges), or community activity (ie. active commuter groups or lunchtime walks/rides).
-
Make sure everyone knows what changes are happening and why; and what resources are available to help.
-
Make sure any changes are funded and there is a person or team who is heading the charge as part of their job.
-
Offer trial incentives that allow employees to go back to driving if they need to. Having a safety net might take the pressure off when trying new things.
