Anyone who is responsible for recruitment and hiring will tell you it is an interesting – even challenging – time to be searching for new talent. It seems everyone is hiring. Alternative transportation and commute support for your employees could be your tool to compete and attract the best talent for your business.
Helping employees navigate the commute or remote work arrangements does not have to cost a lot, but it can pay dividends in nabbing the employees you want to hire. And, best of all, you can sell it as an incentive by offering a few tools to all employees.
Telework and Hybrid Schedules
During COVID, many employers turned to telework to keep their businesses running and, for many, it has become the new normal, or even a perk for employees. Offering a hybrid schedule with a few days of working from home a week can make the difference in attracting someone with more than one job offer.
Hybrid schedules provide work-life balance for prospective employees and can help them save money, especially with today’s gasoline prices.
Alternative Modes
Most employees know how they will get to work before they start a job, so incorporating the use of alternative modes of transportation into the application and interview process can be another way to attract employees. Whether prospective employees are worried about the environment, want to save money or spend less time in the car, showcasing how they can use alternative modes to get to your business location can become a selling point.
Cycling
Cycling became a popular hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic and now many who bought a bike for exercise are looking to use their bicycles for their daily commute. Does your place of business have facilities for bikes? Is there room to store bikes or do you have bike racks cyclists can use? Are there showers or facilities that make it easy to change or store a set of work clothes?
Is your business near the Loop or other bike corridors? Is there already a culture of cyclists at your workplace who can help new employees navigate cycling to work? Make sure you let applicants know about these options.
Transit
Tucson has several excellent transit options, but they also can be a little difficult for newcomers to navigate. A little bit of leg work on your part can help prepare them for using transit to commute to work. Use the resources at SunTran.com to figure out what route (or routes) your business is on and where the closest bus stops are. Are there park-and-ride options nearby or easily accessible to your employees? Point those out and help them set up their fare cards.
Maybe your business is near the Sun Link streetcar or in one of the two Sun on Demand zones. Being able to inform potential employees of these transit options may open your business to a new crop of candidates who were concerned about how to commute to work.
Carpools and Vanpools
Does your organization have existing carpools and vanpools that are looking for, or open to, new members? If so, use that as a selling point for new hires to save costs. Not only can you help new employees find efficient ways to commute to work, you also can help them get acquainted with their coworkers from day one.
With a small amount of work and some creativity, your organization can use alternative transportation methods as a way of attracting new employees.
