How to motivate employees to travel to work sustainably

Now that sustainability is becoming a significant part of corporate strategies, companies are looking for ways how to motivate employees to reduce their carbon footprint even in their daily transport. Encouraging employees to use greener forms of transport, such as cycling, carpooling or using public transport, can bring multitude of benefits. In this article, we are going to look at practical advice on how companies can establish conditions that encourage sustainable transport, as well as provide an overview of its benefits for both employees and the company itself.

1. Create an infrastructure to support sustainable transport

One of the first steps how to motivate employees towards greener travel options is to create the right conditions directly in the work environment. Companies can support sustainable transport:

Securing safe bicycle parking space - employees, who would like to cycle to their work, need a place where they can safely leave their bicycles. Installing covered, monitored bicycle racks can make a significant contribution to enabling more people to choose this way of transport.
Changing rooms and showers – cyclists often need to refresh after arriving at work. If a company provides showers and changing rooms, this is going to be a pleasant advantage for employees that will reduce obstacles for making the decision to commute to work by bicycle.
Shared company bicycles – for employees who live close to their work, using shared company bikes to get to work or for short rides during the working day can be inspiring.

2. Organization of competitions and campaigns

Employee interest in sustainable transport can be supported also by engaging them into activities and campaigns:

Competitions – organize competitions in which employees collect points for eco-friendly transport. For instance, they can experience team challenges when a team that saves the most CO2 emissions within one month by using sustainable transport becomes the winning one.
Car-free days – once a month or quarterly, you can organize a ”car-free day” when employees will be encouraged not to use cars and to come to work but by means of alternative ways of transport.
Awareness-raising campaign – inform employees about the benefits of green transport through internal campaigns, leaflets, newsletters or information seminars where you will be explaining the impact of it on both the environment and their health.

3. Improve health and well-being of employees

Promoting sustainable transport not only contributes to environmental protection but also has a positive impact on the physical and mental health of employees:

Physical condition – regular cycling or walking strengthens the cardiovascular system, improves physical condition and helps to prevent health problems such as back pain or being overweight.
Stress reduction – compared to daily driving in crowded cities, public transport or cycling can be less stressful for many people. Less stress from transport can also manifest in better productivity and employee mood.
Improvement of work morale – promoting sustainable transport can be part of a wider corporate strategy to improve the working environment and thereby strengthening employee loyalty to the company and increasing employee satisfaction.

4. Long-term benefits for the company

In addition to direct impact on employees, promoting sustainable ways of transport brings a number of benefits for the company itself:

Reduction of carbon footprint of the company – when promoting green transport, the company contributes to reducing CO2 emissions, which can be part of its long-term environmental strategy. In addition, the company can gain a positive image in the eyes of its clients and partners as a company focused on sustainability.
Better relationships with the community – when employees use greener forms of transport, traffic load around the company's surrounding is reduced, which can improve relations with local residents and support community initiatives.
Culture of responsibility – promoting green ways of transport can be part of a company's wider commitment to sustainability and responsibility which can attract environmentally conscious employees and customers.

Promoting sustainable transport is an outstanding way to improve employee health, reduce a company's carbon footprint and enhance its positive image. With appropriate measures and initiatives, companies can create an environment that encourages greener forms of transport which will bring long-term benefits for everyone.

Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter to get more hints and advice from different areas of the business environment.