The daily commute is a great target for green employee programs. Explore the benefits of building a positive internal culture of sustainable commuting.
More and more employers are creating green teams. Usually staffed by volunteers, green teams help improve the organization’s sustainability profile and equip colleagues with practical tools for living more sustainable lifestyles.
When teams target the daily commute with their green employee programs, they unlock a powerful set of potential benefits. These include:
A more positive workplace culture
According to research published by Zipcar in 2023, more than one-third (35%) of U.S. drivers would like to give up their car by 2030. An earlier multi-country Accenture study placed the figure closer to half (48%).
Driving to work is stressful, expensive, and unproductive. Green employee programs designed to shift commuters to more sustainable modes offer relief from these drawbacks while helping employees become both happier and healthier.
This can have a strong trickle-down effect across your entire organization, leading to a more positive, collegial, and productive working environment.
Green employee programs also contribute to an organization-wide culture of sustainable commuting, which engages people in pursuit of an important shared goal. They help each individual contributor feel more connected and valued, which helps them stay motivated and connected to their peers.
Meaningful action to address the environmental impacts of commuting
Commuting takes a heavy toll on the environment. It contributes to troubling levels of air pollution and water contamination while accelerating the rate of climate change.
Seeking to become more sustainable, a growing number of employers are urgently working to reduce the environmental impacts of their activities. The Scope 3 emissions caused by commuting account for 65% to 95% of the typical employer’s total climate-related emissions, making the commute an obvious target for green employee programs.
Employee recruitment and retention advantages
IBM labor market research from 2021 found that 71% of survey respondents want to work for an employer with a proven commitment to sustainability. The comprehensive study involved 14,000 participants from nine countries.
Green employee programs imbue your organization with a strong sense of social purpose. That can have a huge impact on employee recruitment and retention efforts, potentially giving you a competitive advantage.
Labor market experts and economists recognize the value generated by longer periods of employee tenure. Businesses that retain their best workers are generally more stable and better able to serve their customers. This, in turn, can make them more efficient, profitable, and able to grow.
A more positive and socially responsible employer brand
Green employee programs help build your employer brand, creating benefits that extend well beyond employee recruitment and retention. These include:
- Improved marketing efficiency and lower marketing and hiring costs
- A unique internal culture that differentiates you from competitors
- Better candidate quality
In many cases, these advantages carry over to the company’s customers and clients. In a 2021 Business Wire study of more than 10,000 respondents from 17 countries, 85% of consumers said they have adopted greener buying habits in recent years. Notably, more than one-third (34%) also said they’d be willing to pay more for sustainably sourced products.
Green employee programs also tap into changing consumer values. They can help you attract new customers and retain existing ones at higher rates, generating excellent returns on your efforts.
Generate organization-wide benefits with your green employee programs
Pave Commute offers an easy, fun, and cost-effective way to generate more engagement with your green employee programs. As more people take part, your program’s impact grows and its benefits on workplace culture become stronger.
Key features of the Pave Commute app include:
- Complete support for locally available alternatives to driving
- Trip recording and analytics features for tracking your impacts and progress toward organizational goals
- Fun and rewarding recognition and social engagement tools
- Customizable rewards programs for sustainable commuters
Employers that have made the award-winning Pave Commute platform a part of their green employee programs have generated impressive benefits:
- 97% of Pave Commute users say they’re making meaningful contributions to their employer’s sustainability goals
- 71% of users receive recognition from their peers
- 63% say Pave Commute has had a positive impact on workplace culture
Sign up your team & try it today
Try Pave Commute with your team free for 30 days. No credit card required.
