April 29, 2019

Top 3 Takeaways from the Employer Ambassador Awards

On April 4, 2019, goDCgo held the 3rd annual Employer Ambassador Awards ceremony to recognize DC employers who demonstrated an exceptional commitment to sustainable transportation. This year’s winners had robust commuter benefit programs, reduced the stress of commuting for their employees, and showed impressive results supported by data. Here are the top 3 takeaways revealed during this year’s ceremony:

Someone is 6x more likely to bike with peer and bike infrastructure support.
Keynote speaker, Shengyin Xu from the World Resources Institute (WRI), shared that her company deploys an employee travel survey every year to calculate their individual carbon footprint related to commuting. By learning from that data and using the information to bolster on-site amenities and perks, WRI learned that having on-site bicycle racks and peers who regularly commute by bike were the most influential supports for getting an employee to bike.

Employees can get an average 2 additional weeks per year in time back by participating in telework.
Winner of goDCgo’s Telework Award, Washington Gas, found that employees who participated in their telework program saved over 160 hours by working from home instead of spending time in traffic – that’s the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of vacation time. 

True champions create teams.
Workplace and institutional change are heavy-lifts; both the U.S. Government Accountability Office (Bike-Friendly Workplace Award Winner) and the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters (Rideshare Award Winner) advocate for commuter support by cultivating social networks within their organizations. At the U.S. GAO, an employee bike taskforce volunteers to support new bike riders and works with administrative staff to expand bike parking in needed areas. At the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, small teams of over 1,000 carpoolers and 375 vanpool groups collectively advocate up the chain leading to premium parking for rideshares and agency support.
 
With over 800 companies offering pre-tax commuter benefits and over 200 enrolled as Capital Bikeshare Corporate Members, supporting sustainable transportation options is becoming the norm among DC employers. To learn how you can start or enhance your transportation benefits to attract and retain top talent, contact goDCgo today!