How To Get Your People Safely Back To Work

Creating a safer and productive commute in the new norm

Prior to the pandemic, more than 4 million U.S. workers spent over 90 minutes each way getting to work. Three hours a day commuting is a time many employees were happy to get back when Covid-19 forced everyone to work from home. But as the pandemic slowly subsides, it’s become clear that the most effective companies will move back to at least some in-office work. The time has come for companies to make this commute safer and more productive for their employees in the new normal.
 

When the chaos of Covid-19 hit the workplace, corporations were forced to accommodate a remote work environment, many for the first time. The early months showed nothing but positive results. Contrary to their prior assertions, corporations found productivity wasn’t hampered by people working remotely. Professions that rely on face-to-face contact, like lawyers, financial planners, doctors, or therapists, were able to make the transition successfully.

The early eye-opening success of remote work aside, the long-term benefits are less clear. Being physically at work will still be the preferred or only option for many jobs, individual work styles, or even businesses as a whole. A recent study from PwC indicated that while fewer than one-in-five executives want things to go back to where they were pre-pandemic, only 13 percent want to abandon office work altogether.

And it’s not only managers. Eden Workplace found recently that 85% of workers are looking forward to a return to the office. Attitudes vary on exactly when this should happen, and how many days a week the expectation should be, but the office is universally seen as a mechanism for collaboration and relationship building. Whatever shakes out could wind up as an ideal scenario—and result in a workable combination of autonomy and sociability. 

Of course, the desire to “return to work” is tempered by questions of health and safety. There have been many exciting innovations from companies large and small to make the workspace safe and healthy. But getting there is a different story. A global survey of 1,012 workers by Salesforce found nearly a third had major concerns about commuting with another third having moderate concerns.

So, as the pandemic begins to die down, how can those with a daily commute be safely returned to their workplace? The likely hybrid workplace approach means the final arrangements will be decidedly different among organizations. The variables include hours of the day or days of the week being at the office. Figuring out the sweet spot for any organization will be a challenge.

The good news is companies now have the option to take matters into their own hands and provide commuting transportation services that will help get businesses back up to optimal operations while keeping employees safe. Through enterprise transportation platforms, and mobile apps, employers can create and manage dedicated commuter services for their teams. Employees get an Uber-like experience in booking tickets, reserving seats and tracking routes, all in real-time. For company executives, these tech-transportation services can be managed from a dashboard and be customized to fit the specific needs of an organization. Contact tracing, controlling how many people are on a bus, and implementing health and safety consents, are now available to and can be utilized to reduce risk and increase employee comfort. And as Covid-19 concerns subside, a comfortable, reliable and productive way to travel creates value for employees and employers alike.

The commute is a critical area where technology allows for a managed service that addresses current health and safety transportation concerns while allowing the flexibility necessary to usher in the future of work.

Author Bio

Amiad Solomon is the CEO of Hip. Visit https://ridehip.com/  Connect Amiad Solomon Follow @Ride_Hip