It's a constant balancing act for every business owner: increasing employee morale, enhancing corporate image and adopting green business practices, all while keeping profits up. In today's economic environment, it may seem that something has to give, but innovative thinking about affordable investments in employee benefits may help to achieve all of these goals and more.
"What kind of employee benefits could achieve all that?" you might ask. Consider this: in Southern Nevada, it costs nearly $7.50 to make an 11-mile commute alone by car, which means average drivers spend about $150 a month or more just getting to and from work. Additionally, every mile those employees drive releases a pound of pollution into the air and increases congestion on our roadways.
Offering employees alternative, sustainable ways to get to and from work can help relieve the cost of commuting and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. It can cost a company little to nothing to establish a commute options program, allowing a small investment to go a long way, financially and environmentally.
In Southern Nevada, the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) has developed the Club Ride Commuter Services program, a cost-free initiative to help employers offer the benefits of commute options at worksites. Club Ride currently works with about 200 employers throughout the Las Vegas area and has made it easy for hospitals, call centers, law firms, government agencies, hotels, casinos and workers in almost every industry to help employees carpool, vanpool, ride transit, walk or bicycle to work.
Every employer partner of Club Ride has a dedicated Club Ride outreach coordinator who provides free, one-on-one assistance to design and implement customized commute options and air quality improvement programs. Partners receive marketing materials, training, ongoing support, and worksite event assistance and more - all at no cost.
While commute options programs cost an employer practically nothing, the payoff can be substantial for employees. Take that $150 it takes to drive to work alone, compare it to a $55 monthly transit pass, and you'll see savings of more than $1,100 a year. Take that $150, split the cost with a carpool partner, and you'll see $900 in savings. By providing employees with the means to experience savings like these, you're giving them added benefits at no extra cost to you.
Partnerships with Club Ride also allow employers to offer discounted transit passes to employees through the EZ Rider Transit Pass Program, which can give commuters up to 15 percent off the price of a pass. Ridematching services for finding carpools, guaranteed rides home in times of need, and financial incentives, are additional benefits partners can offer employees at no cost. Every month the Club Ride Rewards program even gives gift cards and other prizes to commuters who use commute alternatives, an incentive offered only to employees of Club Ride partners. Taking advantage of the RTC's program pays off for employees, while also reflecting well on participating businesses.
Productive employees make for a thriving business. When workers don't have to sit in traffic wasting gas, they arrive at work on time, less-stressed, and with more money in their pockets. Commute options programs have been proven to increase employee production, reduce absenteeism and help in recruiting and retaining the best employees. But the benefits don't end there.
Aside from the incentives offered by Club Ride, some employers offer preferential parking for carpools and vanpools and added incentives and recognition to employees who take advantage of alternative commute modes. Being able to offer employees such benefits can help to boost morale at the worksite, creating happier employees.
Commute options also provide added tax benefits for businesses. By subsidizing employees' transit costs or letting employees pay for transit via pre-tax benefits, employers can reduce payroll taxes and boost their bottom lines.
Working toward sustainable practices is part of almost every business plan today. Though some projects may cost millions of dollars and take years to implement, commute options programs offer immediate results at very low costs.
Because more than 85 percent of Las Vegas' air pollution comes from the tailpipes of cars, getting those cars off the roads is one of the most effective ways to clean the air. By promoting carpools, transit, walking or bicycling, businesses with commute options programs are helping to significantly reduce pollution in Southern Nevada. Commute options programs can even be used toward qualification for LEED Certification, and the employers that participate in the Club Ride program experience an enhanced corporate image for promoting sustainable commute modes.
No matter what your reasons may be - increasing employee morale, boosting bottom lines, enhancing corporate image or greening your business - commute options programs are a smart choice for every employer. With the help of the RTC and Club Ride, these programs are affordable and offer a return unmatched for the price.
To join other Chamber Members that have partnered with Club Ride, like Bally's, Boyd Gaming, Caesars Palace, Embarq, Greenspun Media Group, Palms, Valley Hospital and many others, call Club Ride Commuter Services at s228-RIDE (7433) or visit rtcsnv.com.
More Chamber: 
6671 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 300, Las Vegas, NV 89119
Phone: (702) 641-5822 Info Center (702) 735-1616 Fax: (702) 735-0406