June 18, 2024

Supporting a Sustainable Return to the Office

by Cate Longino

As many employers continue to return to in-person work, it’s more important than ever to promote sustainable commute options and support the needs of non-driving employees. From offering transportation benefits to hosting engaging office events, there are many actionable steps employers can take to encourage sustainable travel habits, especially in transit accessible areas like Downtown DC! If you’re planning a return-to-office policy, check out some of the ways you can do so while reducing your organization’s carbon footprint.

Enhance Your Commuter Benefits 

Commuter benefits are transportation benefits that allow employees to reduce their monthly commuting expenses for modes like transit, biking, and carpooling. You may already offer some commuter benefits at your organization, as District employers with 20 or more employees must provide a form of commuter benefits under the DC Commuter Benefits Law. However, there’s no better time than the return-to-office to make your workplace’s commuter benefits even better!

Some commuter benefits you can offer include: 

Subsidized Commuter Benefits: Help your employees out by giving them money towards their daily commute. Subsidies are shown to improve morale, reduce turnover, and can even save your business money on taxes. 

• Bikeshare Benefit: Cover the cost of annual Capital Bikeshare memberships for your employees with Capital Bikeshare Corporate! Full and partial subsidy options are available to employees, with costs starting as low as $25 per participating employee.  
• Transit Subsidy: Auto-load monthly funds onto an employee’s SmarTrip card for use on most regional transportation options, including Metrorail, Metrobus, and DC Circulator. WMATA SmartBenefits provides a free way to set up this process.  
• Bicycle Commuter Benefit: Support your employees who bike to work by reimbursing them for bicycle-related expenses or by providing a monthly voucher redeemable at local bike shops. Although this benefit is currently treated as taxable income for your employees, your organization can deduct qualified bicycle commuting reimbursements as a business expense through 2025!  

Pre-Tax Commuter Benefits: Allow your employees to deduct up to $315 per month from their paycheck before taxes and use it towards Metrorail, bus, commuter rail, or vanpool fares. This can be set up with no charge through WMATA SmartBenefits. 

Employer Subsidized Transportation: Employers can offer their own transportation for employees, including shuttles and vanpools. Contact goDCgo to learn more about these options for your organization. 

Offer Alternative Schedules 

Even if you’re eliminating or reducing your organization’s telework offerings, alternative work schedules (AWS) are an increasingly popular way for employers to ease the challenges of commuting. Alternative work scheduling allows employees to shift their work schedule to avoid rush hour, accommodate personal appointments, or complete their work in fewer days, which helps reduce the impact of their commute trips. Flexible, compressed, and staggered work hours are all types of alternative work schedules that adjust the traditional nine-to-five, eight-hours-a-day schedule: 

• Flexible Scheduling: Allow employees to arrive or leave work at different times, giving more flexibility for appointments and responsibilities outside of the workplace.  
• Compressed Scheduling: Allow employees to complete their work hours over fewer days, thereby reducing the number of days they commute. Two common schedule configurations are the four/forty (4/40) schedule, in which employees work four 10-hour days per week, and the nine/eighty (9/80) schedule, where employees work 80 hours in nine business days and take the tenth day off.  
• Staggered Scheduling: Shift employees’ schedules from the normal starting time by 15 minutes or up to two hours, helping them avoid rush hour congestion and easing their commutes. This can be coordinated on a departmental or individual basis. 

Provide Transportation Amenities 

There are numerous transportation-related amenities your organization can offer to make commuting sustainably easy, including: 

• Maps & Resources: Display informational materials to inform your employees about their sustainable commute options. Request transportation resources, such as bike maps, Metrorail guides, and Capital Bikeshare pamphlets, for your front desk and new employee orientation packets.  
• Streetside Bike Racks: Place bike racks in front of your office to reduce the demand for parking. DDOT provides bike racks at no cost; submit a request through 311 to get started.  
• Showers & Lockers: Having a convenient place to shower and change clothes alleviates common concerns of employees who bike or walk to work. Work with your building management to add facilities or allow free access to gym locker rooms for bike commuters.  
• Secure Bike Parking: Secure bike parking for employees inside your building to give riders a peace of mind when they bike to work. Oftentimes, buildings in DC are required to have secure bike parking. Submit a request to your building management team.  
• Real-Time Transit Displays: Install a transit display in your reception area or lobby to provide employees with real-time information about transit schedules and Capital Bikeshare bike and dock availability around your office. This is a great resource for employers in areas with a wide variety of transportation options, like Downtown DC. Contact Actionfigure or Redmon Group to get started.  
• Ridematching Assistance: Conduct a survey or use employee zip codes to identify commuters who live near each other and would be willing to carpool to work. Commuter Connections’ Ridematching service can also help employees find matches outside of your office.  
• Priority & Discounted Parking: Encourage employees to share the ride by reserving prime parking spaces or offering discounted/free parking to those who carpool or vanpool. 

Host an Event 

Invite goDCgo to your office for transportation fairs, sustainability events, and more to get your employees excited about sustainable transportation! We’ll bring SWAG, engaging activities, and transportation resources to help your employees start commuting sustainably. Contact our Employer Services Team to get started.  

With the wide variety of options listed above, you may be overwhelmed and not know where to start. That’s why goDCgo is here to help! Schedule a complimentary consultation with our Employer Services team for customized assistance with your organization’s commuter programs. We’ll work with you to match your goals with the best transportation benefits and amenities to create a commute-friendly workplace and streamline your employees’ return to the office.