Center your new 'workplace’ around the human experience: Begin with the commute

We know by now that things aren’t going to return to the way they used to be. Maybe after some time, but likely never. The pandemic has made that clear. It’s also paved the way for the future: a dynamic workplace that includes the necessities of in-person working and collaboration, along with the kind of personal safety and flexibility to which we’ve become accustomed during the pandemic.

HR and operations executives are already hard at work changing our physical spaces. Once in vogue, the open, densely populated floor plan will soon be a relic, like the in-office bunk beds of the dot-com era. Changes will be more than simply functional, however. The workplace of the near future contemplates the permanence of some level of remote work and the flexibility to facilitate dynamic collaboration, all while prioritizing personal safety. In fact, according to a Pulse Survey published by the Harvard Business Review, 83% of corporate respondents believe a more attractive and flexible work environment is essential to acquiring the talent they need.

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As we think about these human experiences and our physical spaces, we need to pay equal attention to how we bring employees back to work with a safe and flexible commute. After all, employees will only return to work once they feel safe doing so. And when they do return to work, it likely won’t be every day of the week. Our Band-Aid approach of allowing everyone to drive in during the pandemic simply won’t scale.

Traffic in Boston is already at pre-pandemic levels. In the Bay Area, it’s closer to 80%. In Seattle, I-5 traffic is only 6 or 7% below pre-pandemic levels. That’s to say nothing of parking availability and costs. Unless HR executives put into place flexible commute policies and programs that mirror the dynamic workplace, we are looking at an Armageddon of traffic and parking that could render all our return-to-work efforts useless.

The first question to consider is how we prioritize who comes back and when. Many organizations with essential workers have already adapted by providing free parking, continuing subsided transit passes, etc. Because their populations are small relative to the full workforce and due to the safety measures transit agencies have implemented, public transit has been safe for them.

As we bring more populations back to the workplace, one of the first considerations is communications. It’s important that HR and commute managers put into place IT systems that allow the organization to connect with employees based on location, department and commute method so that messages about safety and well-being don’t get lost in crowded inboxes, to the extent employees even have ready access to email.

Secondly, organizations may need to retire the monthly parking pass as both obsolete and inequitable. With teleworking a major part of the dynamic workplace, how many employees will be driving to work every day anyway? It is not flexible, nor is it fair to the employee to pay for days they do not come to the office. Also, now would be a good time to ask ourselves why those with the biggest paychecks often times get the highest parking reimbursement levels. As you put more flexible plans in place, take the time to build in policies that are equitable for your lower-income workers.

Additionally, with varying populations of employees entering the workplace every day, there are ways to build more certainty into the stress of finding a parking spot by offering systems where employees can reserve and pay for a daily parking spot on their phone. Peace of mind for the employees, better-managed parking for the employers.

Most plans include some level of active commuting, such as by bicycle, e-bike, scooter, walking, etc. HR execs should think about how incentives and rewards can reduce vehicle commuting, and promote a safer and healthier workforce. An important part of any active commute plan includes the concept of a “free ride home” for employees who face a family emergency and need to return home faster than a typical bike commute. Ask yourself whether your program has the flexibility necessary for you to adapt to changing situations and employee behavior. You should be in the driver’s seat.

A more dynamic workplace should also include thinking about other commute methods differently. Carpooling has been around forever. But with COVID, we are correctly reluctant to enter into shared spaces with strangers for sustained periods of time. Most people have formed “bubbles” of trusted friends and family, so many HR execs are building in the concept of “closed-network” carpooling where employees choose colleagues whom they trust to commute. This puts some level of control into the hands of employees by allowing them whom to choose, and also giving the organization a facility for contact tracing.

Similarly, large employers offer shuttle services to surrounding neighborhoods and transit hubs. Rather than encouraging employees to cram themselves in with strangers, you can offer seat reservation systems that can provide appropriate social distancing and also allow for contact tracing.

Employees have considered the commute to be a central consideration in where to work and in work satisfaction. As you bring these safety-conscious employees back to work, it will be critical to think through getting them safely from their doorstep to work, while also helping them avoid the nightmare of gridlocked traffic and parking availability.

Now is the time when HR executives must think strategically beyond the pandemic-driven needs of commuting and the workplace. Now is the time to appeal to your employee’s total human experience from their home to their workplace. These are the most important business decisions of our times to secure your organization’s competitive advantage, talent attraction and retention, and climate impact.

E. Sohier Hall is co-founder and president/CEO of Seattle-based Luum, a commute policy and management platform used by North American employers in technology, healthcare, higher-education and government.