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Families and Work Institute Explores...
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| Organizations and Resources |
Response |
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| Advocare Cleveland, OH |
Advocare Inc is a Cleveland workers’ comp firm with 85 employees that encourages flex-time arrangements, including four-day weeks and in certain cases the option of working from home. It also gives $25 gas cards to employees as incentives to participate in the company wellness program. |
American Public Transit Association “DUMP THE PUMP DAY” National |
June 19, 2008 was the third annual Dump the Pump Day -- a day when many public transport authorities offer free or discounted rides on mass transit. The day is dedicated to raising awareness that public transportation helps improve the environment and conserve fuel. It also offers the opportunity for people to beat the high price of gasoline and support public transportation as an important travel option that helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil. |
| AutoBlogGreen National |
This blog covers the latest news about cars that use less fuel and vehicles that don't use any gas at all.
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| BaptistWorx Kentucky |
We have offered employees 4-day work weeks. It does reduce his/her hours to 36-38 hours/week; however, this loss is offset by saving on fuel costs. |
| Barfield Murphy Shank & Smith CPA firm Birmingham, AL |
At Barfield Murphy Shank & Smith in Birmingham, Alabama, we are on a 4-day work week. Our staff alternates every other Friday off work. BMSS employees also have the ability to work remotely (at home). Everyone has access via laptop or link to secure server where employees can view all files, programs, and softwares just like in their office. We also have a personal valet that runs errands for employees and she is reimbursed for her gas mileage. |
| Bon Secours Richmond Health System Location: Richmond, VA |
Bon Secours Richmond Health System currently is investigating a number of options to provide employees with additional relief for rising fuel costs while increasing its environmental or “green” programs. Already a progressive employer, Bon Secours Richmond has moved forward with some initiatives and programs to address this important issue including:
Bon Secours Richmond Human Resources is recommending a three-part approach to enhancing its fuel relief benefits – and by extension green programs – for employees going forward. STRATEGY #1: Create a Mini Website (internal and external) listing all green initiatives and commuter options for employees:
STRATEGY #2: Integrated Management Program with Supporting Communication:
STRATEGY #3: Provide One-Time “Stimulus Check” for all Employees:
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CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT Environmental Defense Fund |
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.cfm |
| City of Houston Location: Houston, TX |
2008 Flex in the City is an opportunity for
By moving a relatively small number of cars off the roads during peak congestion periods, a measurable improvement in mobility can and will be realized.
Flex in the City 2007 had great results with 8 out of 11 freeways measured seeing measurable improvements in either the morning or evening commutes.
Houston saw a 0.8% decrease in travel time (0.15 minutes per average commute) resulting in 220 vehicle hours taken each day hours taken off Houston's roads. Participating companies included:
A savings of 906 peak-commute hours were experienced as a result of the 2006 Flex in the City on both the North and Southwest Freeways. This time saving translates into $16.8 million annual user cost savings.
Over 140
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| Community Council of Greater Dallas Location: Dallas, TX |
Many of our employees have been negatively affected by high gas prices. In addition to our on-going flexibility policies that allow staff to work from home and vary their hours, we have just instituted a compressed 4-day work week. Most of the employees who must or want to be in the office to perform their work are allowed to compress their full time total of 37.5 hrs per week into four days. All employees, including entry-level workers and hourly employees, are eligible to work a compressed work week. (The only exception is our 2-1-1 call specialists who will continue working 7 1/2 hr. shifts five days a week. Compressing their work into four days is too stressful emotionally for them. They have to deal with difficult callers, and sometimes people who are in crisis situations, i.e. suicide callers). The management of the office building where we rent space is considering installing an exercise facility so the employees of tenants won't have to drive to a different location to work out. Building management is also facilitating car pools to/from some of the most distant outlaying areas. |
Commuter Checks
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Commuter Checks are vouchers redeemable for transit passes, tickets, tokens, vanpool fares, and parking expenses. Commuter Check vouchers are accepted by transit providers in all major U.S. cities . You provide them tax-free to employees as a substitute for taxable salary or as a supplemental benefit (subsidy), or a combination of the two. Commuters can save 40% in after-tax value, while employers save 10% or more in payroll-related costs. They promote the use of public transportation, thus reducing traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality. Accor Services, based in New Jersey, can assist employers and employees with COMMUTER CHECKS. https://www.accorservicesusa.com/services/CommuterCheck.aspx |
Compuware Campus Martius |
Compuware, headquartered in Campus Martius in downtown Detroit, has been one of the more ambitious companies in the area in helping employees. From its Commuter Assistance Center, an onsite contractor from a locally based company sets up vanpools, coordinates car shares and bus rides -- all paid for on a pretax basis -- and even allows people to drive the vans themselves. Employers who carpool or vanpool often get preferential parking. |
Craig Technologies
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Our workplace flexibility programs—developed from the company's inception—have provided most employees the option to telecommute and work remotely from home. Our web-based corporate management infrastructure and nature of work allow for this virtual workplace business model. Those employees required to report to a project site away from home are free to make arrangements for carpooling or use of public transportation. In some metropolitan regions, we have had employees admit to "slugging," where they can join drivers in need of additional passengers for making use of the carpool lanes. Also, our flexible scheduling allows some people to adjust their work days to make for longer hours and shorter weeks, saving a trip to the office. |
Denver Regional Transportation District |
With the Denver region currently serving as home to 2.5 million people and another 1 million expected to move to the metro area by 2030, improvements in transportation infrastructure are critical to maintaining the excellent quality of life that attracts so many to this area. In the past 10 years alone, RTD (Regional Transportation District) ridership has increased more than 28 percent. In 2003, RTD carried over 86 million riders . Ridership on the current rail system has exceeded even the most optimistic projections, carrying more than 35,000 riders per day. The RTD FasTracks Program is a $4.7 billion, 12-year program to build 119 miles of new commuter rail and light rail, 18 miles of bus rapid transit, 21,000 new parking spaces at rail and bus stations, and provide expanded bus service throughout the entire eight-county district. |
DRIVING TIPS TO USE LESS GAS Environmental Defense Fund |
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EMPLOYEE BENEFIT NEWS ON FIGHTING HIGH FUEL COSTS |
Ways to Help EmployeesBring in an Automobile Association representative and local mechanics to present tips and inspect cars for improving fuel efficiency. Provide childcare at work or set up a day care opportunity close to work to lessen child care travel time and expenses. If the daycare is not too far away, you might be able to arrange a group rate fee structure or maybe have a shuttle transport parents and kids to and from work. With money being eaten away by travel expenses, there is little left over for entertainment. Giving employees movie passes or restaurant certificates for excellent work will have greater meaning during these hard times. Make exercise programs and gym equipment available at work to help employees save on travel costs and membership fees. Work with your local tourism board to see what package deals can be arranged to assist your employees with little or no vacation plans. Maybe your company can sponsor a day outing or bus trips for employees and their families to a local tourist attraction . |
Everburn Manufacturing |
Our Company has decided to change our production schedule from Monday through Friday 8 hours a day to a Tuesday through Friday schedule working 10 hours a day. This will help employees save on gas cost by not driving to work one day a week and also save on child care cost. |
Forest City
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We offer all of our full-time employees Annual RTD (Regional Transportation District) Eco passes at no cost to them. |
| GasBuddy.com Location: National |
Find the lowest available gas prices in your area. |
| Gas Relief and Telecommuting Tax | June 29, 2008 Op-Ed Contributor Pajama Life By NICOLE BELSON GOLUBOFF As gas prices increase, so will telecommuting and America’s ability to make the most of its benefits. Although the appeal of telecommuting is clear and the number of telecommuters is rising, people would be even more inclined to dial in from home if tax rules weren’t stacked against them. Some telecommuters must pay income taxes in more than one state on wages they earn at home. So here’s one potential positive outcome of rising gas prices: people who want to telecommute will join together with their employers, who want to retain them, to agitate to change these policies. Once legal obstacles like these are removed, the nation will realize telecommuting’s promise. The benefits include reductions in traffic, carbon emissions and the cost of building transportation infrastructure; increased employment among older and disabled Americans; and more time for leisure and work for employees who aren’t spending hours in cars and on trains. We’ll have exorbitant gas prices to thank. NICOLE BELSON GOLUBOFF, a lawyer and the author, most recently, of “The Law of Telecommuting” FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE LEGAL AND TAX IMPLICATIONS OF TELECOMMUTING, PLEASE GO TO THIS GEOREGTOWN LINK: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/workplaceflexibility2010/ |
Getronics USA, Inc. National |
At Getronics, we continue to send employees to work from home as part of our "home sourcing" project. Originally, the program was scheduled to send an additional 100 employees from our Houston location by the end of 2008, however with the price of commuting, we have increased our numbers. We have also started a program to all as many employees the options of either a 9/80 or 4/10 work week (for employees waiting to become teleworkers), when business needs are not affected. |
| GM Location: Michigan |
GM has offered six commuter buses from the suburbs to the city for years. Company officials say they've seen usage jump to near full-capacity in the past several months. The cost: $75 a month. |
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Akron , Ohio |
Goodyear gives employees free ride-sharing ads in GO, an online company newsletter. |
| HR Web Café TIPS FOR EASING THE GAS STRAIN |
Encourage Pedal Power- Offer bike-to-work incentives, such as subsidizing bike purchases for employees who bike to work; install expanded bike parking options; sponsor bike-to-work days with breakfast for participants. Biking will not only save your employees money, it will keep them healthy. Consider Conservation Contests- Invite your employees to suggest the best gas and energy conservation tips and cost saving ideas. Offer “green” prizes and publicize the best ideas and tips internally and in your local newspaper. Offer Debt Counseling Services- As gas prices go up, so too do food and other necessities. This is causing serious hardship for many who try to solve the problem with additional credit card debt. EAPs offer debt counseling services. It’s a good time to publicize and remind your employees what their EAP resources are. |
Humana Military Healthcare Services (HMHS)
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In an effort to provide Perfect Service to our associates, Humana has teamed with TARC (Transit Authority of River City) to provide free bus, trolley or TARC3 (paratransit) rides to Humana associates in Louisville. In addition to free public transportation the project involves installation of “Next Bus” technology, which is a flat-screen display connected to a GPS system. "Next Bus" displays in real time how many minutes away the next bus is from arriving at a specific location. This service will help associates decide whether they should walk, take a bus or catch a trolley to their next location. |
| IRS OPTIONAL STANDARD MILEAGE DEDUCTABLE OR REIMBURSEMENT RATES | The Internal Revenue Service announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rates for the final six months of 2008. Taxpayers may use the optional standard rates to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. The rate will increase to 58.5 cents a mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through Dec. 31, 2008. This is an increase of eight (8) cents from the 50.5 cent rate in effect for the first six months of 2008, as set forth in Rev. Proc. 2007-70. In recognition of recent gasoline price increases, the IRS made this special adjustment for the final months of 2008. The IRS normally updates the mileage rates once a year in the fall for the next calendar year. "Rising gas prices are having a major impact on individual Americans. Given the increase in prices, the IRS is adjusting the standard mileage rates to better reflect the real cost of operating an automobile," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "We want the reimbursement rate to be fair to taxpayers." While gasoline is a significant factor in the mileage figure, other items enter into the calculation of mileage rates, such as depreciation and insurance and other fixed and variable costs. The optional business standard mileage rate is used to compute the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business use in lieu of tracking actual costs. This rate is also used as a benchmark by the federal government and many businesses to reimburse their employees for mileage. The new six-month rate for computing deductible medical or moving expenses will also increase by eight (8) cents to 27 cents a mile, up from 19 cents for the first six months of 2008. The rate for providing services for charitable organizations is set by statute, not the IRS, and remains at 14 cents a mile. The new rates are contained in Announcement 2008-63 on the optional standard mileage rates. Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates. |
| IRS QUALIFIED TRANSPORTATION FRINGE | Section 132(f)(1) provides that the term “qualified transportation fringe” means (1) transportation in a commuter highway vehicle between home and work, (2) any transit pass, and (3) qualified parking. The amount of the fringe benefit which may be excluded from gross income and wages is currently limited to $110 per month for the aggregate of transportation in a commuter highway vehicle and transit passes, and $215 per month for qualified parking. See http://www.irs.gov/irb/2004-29_IRB/ar10.html for more information. |
Juniper Networks |
Juniper Networks, which won a 2008 Business Environmental Award from Acterra, makes a wide range of transportation programs available, from mass transit subsidies to telecommuting programs to financial incentives, which helped the company achieve over 24% trip reduction in 2007. Among other initiatives, the company provides EcoPasses free of charge, so their employees can have unlimited rides on VTA buses and light rail throughout Santa Clara County, and offers subsidies toward purchasing their Caltrains transit pass. |
KSBA |
We just distributed $100 gas cards to all staff members to let them know we appreciate them (and realize the hardship that many are facing). We are also considering letting certain positions work from home one day per week or letting employees work a four day week (putting in 37.5 hours in 4 days). |
| MapQuest Location: National |
When we launched MapQuest Gas Prices last year we didn't know how popular it would be with our users. We knew gas prices were very topical, but we received a lot of great feedback and suggestions for new features. We took all those requests and merged them with features that we had already planned to do and started version 2.0 of MapQuest Gas Prices. Here's a list of the new features that we added:
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Miami-Dade Transit Corporative Incentive Program |
Miami-Dade Transit Corporative Incentive Program provides group discounts of up to $12.50 to passengers who purchase their monthly Metropass through a pre-tax payroll deduction, pre-tax savings and other benefits to employees who purchase the Metropass through their employers. Employers are also offering additional incentives. For example, the City of North Miami has offered these discounts to their workers enabling workers to pay only $15 a month to ride the Metrorail train versus $75. |
MWW Group |
With gas prices growing increasingly higher, MWW Group introduced "No Drive Workdays" to help its employees better cope with difficult economic conditions. Through "No Drive Workdays," MWW Group staff members will now have the option of working remotely two days per month to avoid using the gas required as part of their daily commute. In addition to helping its employees reduce spending, the program also decreases fuel consumption, part of MWW Group’s focus on sustainability, green practices and being a more environmentally conscious organization. The "No Drive Workdays" is part of MWW Group’s "Take Charge, Initiate Change, Get Green" campaign to reduce waste, conserve energy and become a more environmentally conscious organization. Additionally, through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable technologies practices, MWW Group continues to help create and implement programs for companies that promote and create green technologies. http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/200806181249PR_NEWS_USPR_____NYW047.htm |
New Jersey Transit Village Initiative |
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and NJ TRANSIT spearhead a multi-agency Smart Growth partnership known as the Transit Village Initiative. The Transit Village Initiative helps to redevelop and revitalize communities around transit facilities to make them an appealing choice for people to live, work and play, thereby reducing reliance on the automobile. Studies have shown that an increase in residential housing options within walking distance of a transit facility, typically a one quarter to one half mile radius, does more to increase transit ridership than any other type of development. Therefore, it is a goal of the Transit Village Initiative to bring more housing, more businesses and more people into communities with transit facilities. This is done through the use of mix-used development. The objective of mixed-use development is to increase housing opportunities within walking distance of shops, jobs, offices, restaurants, entertainment and cultural centers. By increasing opportunities for pedestrian activity, you reduce reliance on the automobile, reduce traffic congestion and pollution, boost the local economy and improve the feeling of safety and security. |
NRG::Seattle |
Everyone is feeling the pinch. Because Seattle's traffic is so tough and have subscribed to the Triple Bottom Lines - People/Planet/Profit, our flexibility programs have been driven a lot by keeping our staff off of the road as much as possible. We carpool. We are highly automated so everyone can work at home if necessary as much as possible. We are working harder at carpooling. Systems thinking is a part of workplace flexibility. Flexibility is sustainable in many, many ways. |
Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit OREGON |
Oregonians drive almost 39 billion miles a year. More than 70 percent of these miles are from single occupant vehicles. Changing travel habits and reducing commuter and business driving are cost-saving alternatives to building ever-increasing highway and public transit capacity. Reduced driving also lessens air and water pollution, energy consumption and highway maintenance costs. Oregon´s Business Energy Tax Credit provides tax credits to businesses that support transportation solutions. Projects eligible for tax credits include: subsidizing or purchasing transit passes, purchasing vehicles and providing regular shuttle services where public transit may not be easily accessible, supporting vanpools and carpools and telework. For more information on the State of Oregon’s program, please see the attached link: http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/TRANS/transhm.shtml. |
Palo Alto Way2Go Program |
Alternative transportation is a priority for the City of Palo Alto. Palo Alto encourages the use of alternative transportation modes including walking, biking and the use of shuttles, buses and trains as important components of efforts to reduce the noise and pollution associated with traffic congestion and to increase the safety all who use the City’s streets. As part of their Way2Go Program, Palo Alto has an Employee Commute Program that offers incentives for employees who commute to work using transit, vanpools, carpools, bicycling and who walk to work. Employees that are eligible for City benefits programs may enroll in the commute program. Approximately 15 percent of eligible employees participate in this program. The incentives for employees to use an alternate commute include Commuter Checks for employees who ride transit or are in a vanpool, and a taxable cash incentive of $30 for employees who carpool and $20 for employees who walk or bicycle to work. Employees must turn in a log each month and must take transit, ride in a vanpool or carpool, and must bicycle or walk at least 60 percent of their scheduled work days to be eligible. The City also offers a guaranteed ride home for employees who must get home in an emergency. For more information about the Way2Go Program, please see the following link: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/pln/news/details.asp?NewsID=206&TargetID=107.
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Powerfeedback Easton , PA |
Scott Gingold, owner of Powerfeedback, a market research and business consultancy based in Easton, Pa., is pursuing a more creative way to cut gas costs. With nearly half of his 32 employees driving to clients at any point in time, he realized that paying for all that pricey gas was taking a tremendous toll on the company's bottom line. So Gingold decided to offer everyone on staff $1,500 toward the lease or purchase of a new car that's at least 25% more fuel-efficient than what they currently drive. Two SUV-owning employees are already shopping around, he says: One is considering a Toyota Prius and the other, a Honda Accord. "What this also does is lower our cost that we don't have to pass down to clients, which makes us more competitive," he notes. In today's economic environment, that's an upshot that any employer would appreciate. http://www.smartmoney.com/consumer/index.cfm?story=20080529-save-on-gas&pgnum=2 |
REI |
REI installed a customized work environment program (CWE) in some departments at its headquarters several months ago. Initially, the program’s main goal was to help employees achieve greater work-life balance; now, the employees are saving money on gas. CWE allows employees to select alternate commute times to avoid traffic or the opportunity to work from home a few days a week, based upon each department’s need. CWE along with REI’s other subsidized transportation programs, such as van pools and paying 50% toward the cost of mass-transit passes, is a strong selling point with applicants. http://www.ere.net/2008/06/12/rising-gas-prices-impact-recruiting-and-retention/ |
RIDESHARE DIRECTORY REGIONAL AND NATIONAL |
Find a regional or national rideshare, vanpool, or carpool resource on the rideshare directory.http://www.rideshare-directory.com/ |
| Rideshare Location: Michigan |
Officials at the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments say company interest in its RideShare commuter database is up at least 50% in recent months. RideShare is free and open to the public. It helps connect carpoolers and can be linked to from company intranets. More than 1,450 companies are now logged in. Sign-ups since spring include General Motors Corp. and local Ryder rental offices -- both in May. DTE Energy signed up in the fall of 2006. Wayne State University now actively promotes RideShare year-round to students, faculty and staff. It has seen usage double since last summer -- despite the summer lull on its scattered commuter campus. |
SMARTBIKE DC Washington DC |
A new public-private venture called SmartBike DC has made 120 bicycles available at 10 spots in central locations in the city. The automated program, which district officials say is the first of its kind in the nation, will operate in a similar fashion to car-sharing programs like Zipcar. The district has teamed up with an advertiser, Clear Channel Outdoor, to put the bikes on the streets. For a $40 annual membership fee, SmartBike users can check out three-speed bicycles for three hours at a time. The program will not provide helmets but does encourage their use. In the deal, Clear Channel will have exclusive advertising rights in the city’s bus shelters. The city will keep all revenue generated from the program. The company has reached a similar deal with San Francisco. Chicago and Portland, Ore., are also considering proposals from advertisers. |
Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
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We are collaborating with several other local law firms to provide information to our employees who are interested in forming carpools. The participating firms have collected the names and locations of 93 individuals who are interested in this concept. Next week we are co-sponsoring a luncheon which will be held at Frost Brown Todd where the employees can meet with others who live near them and work out carpool arrangements. We have considered requests for a 4-day work week, but given the amount of paid time off to which our employees have access, that does not appear to be an acceptable solution at this point. |
Strategic Legal Solutions New York |
Jay Horowitz, CEO of Strategic Legal Solutions, a New York-based provider of outsourced legal services and staffing, suggests employers make certain the telecommuting employee has a properly outfitted home office to assure effective communications. Strategic Legal built a practice around experienced telecommuting attorneys who provide remote support for large cases and projects, such as class-action law suit discovery. Horowitz says that law firms are cognizant of all the indirect costs of employment including space, furniture, computers, and parking, so increasingly, the firms requested offsite attorneys for project work. Now, given the current gas prices, the concept makes even more sense. http://www.ere.net/2008/06/12/rising-gas-prices-impact-recruiting-and-retention/ |
Symbio Solutions |
Fuel prices are definitely affecting Symbio employees. The Dallas Metroplex is a large area, so many of the suburbs where our employees live are 20 to 40 miles from the office. Fortunately, mass transit in DFW has steadily improved over the last decade. We selected our office partly based on close proximity to the train rail and a station. The nearest DART rail station is immediately across the street from our office. We encourage employees to ride the train, and we pay for their monthly train passes. We continue, as we have in the past, to offer employees rotation schedules that allow many to work two days a week from home. Additionally, we have made sure that employees who live close to each other know; this has helped a few identify co-workers for carpooling. |
| Texas Instruments Location: National |
Excerpts from a TI Work-Life Tip Sheet. Tip sheets on a variety of topics are produced several times a year at TI. TI recognizes that the rapidly escalating cost of many items essential to maintaining a family and a career – such as gas and food- is impacting employees. Here are some of the suggestions and resources that we are recommending. INCREASED COST OF LIVING
TELECOMMUTING
TIPS FOR SAVING GASOLINE COSTS TI recommends to all employees that they try to utilize TI’s commuting benefits. In the Dallas area, there are free DART passes for commuting to work via bus or rail. There are also on site (whether you drove here or arrived by some other means) shuttle services provided by TI to travel from building to building as needed during the day. Another option recently highlighted in is vanpooling. Carpooling is also a great approach if you aren’t interested in a van pool. TI has a Commute Solutions website. You also can save on gasoline depending on how you use and maintain your car. For example:
WHAT MANAGERS CAN DO
AS A TI LEADER…
OTHER RESOURCES -There are a number of public websites devoted to sharing ideas for saving money. Here are a few interesting ones:
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University Hospitals Cleveland , OH |
University hospitals have offered home subsidies for employees who buy and rent housing close to work for years now-usually in the form of forgivable, low-interest loans to help them buy dwellings in the immediate area. UH also provides discount bus cards that employees can purchase using pre-tax earning through payroll deduction and several flex-time options, including 3 and 4 day work weeks. |
| Utah Location: Utah |
Utah this summer will become what experts say is the first state to institute a mandatory four-day work week for most state employees, joining local governments across the nation that are altering schedules to save money, energy and resources. Gov. Jon Huntsman, a first-term Republican, says he's making the change to reduce the state's carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency, improve customer service and provide workers more flexibility. The change will apply to about 17,000 employees, roughly 80% of the state workforce. Public universities, the state court system, prisons and other critical services will be exempt. Residents still will have sufficient access to state offices, many staying open from 7 a.m.- 6 p.m., and more than 800 state services are available online. |
WellStar Health System
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We are working on vanpools, carpools, educational information and access for employees to discount programs with local grocery and gas vendors. This is also helping provide energy for greater utilization of flexible work arrangements, especially the compressed work week. |
| WorldatWork National |
As a member of the Maricopa County Trip Reduction Program, WorldatWork encourages employees to carpool, take the bus, ride a bike, or walk to work whenever possible. WorldatWork also offers flexible work schedules such as compressed workweek and telework. We are all becoming increasingly aware of traffic congestion and air pollution problems (not to mention gas prices!), so WorldatWork has enhanced our commute-related incentives and resources. The following incentives have been implemented:
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Write2Market Atlanta , Georgia |
Lisa Calhoun, president of Atlanta-based marketing firm Write2Market, recently decided to let her employees work exclusively from home. Rather than requesting permission to telecommute, as used to be the case, her 20 full-time contractors now ask permission to come into the office or drive to client meetings. "People came to me asking for a raise because their costs are going up," Calhoun says. "And now's a bad time to be giving raises and promotions." By allowing her employees to work from home, she estimates they'll save an average of $500 a month. As an added bonus, the company saves by cutting back on the roughly $3,000 a month it spends on reimbursements for transportation to and from client meetings. |
