Toole Design Group’s (TDG) comprehensive commuter incentive program uses a variety of rewards and benefits to encourage employees to ride, walk and take transit. As a result, 89% of the 46 employees at the company headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, take transit, walk or bike to work – an impressive number that prompted the judges of the annual Commuter Connections Employer Recognition Awards to present TDG with their top Incentives Award earlier this summer.
As well as offering a monthly $125 pre-tax transit benefit, TDG encourages biking by providing $25 toward an annual Capital Bikeshare membership and offering secure bike parking and on-site showers and lockers. The company is also an active participant in the National Bike Challenge each year – this year more than 80 employees company-wide are logging miles toward the corporate challenge leaderboard. TDG’s Super Human Powered Commuting Incentive program gives employees who bike or walk to work cash incentives each month based on the number of trips to and from work made by these active travel modes. For those who require an adjustable schedule, TDG supports flextime schedules and provides most employees with a laptop, enabling them to work from home as needed.
“Toole Design Group is at the forefront of multimodal planning and design,” notes company President Jennifer Toole. “So we understand how important promoting alternative transportation is in an increasingly environmentally-conscious world, and in the competitive world of hiring the most highly qualified employees. Our commuter incentive program is good for business.”
TDG firmly believes these programs have contributed to the 30% growth in staff size since 2014. The programs improve morale, increase productivity, and reduce absenteeism. TDG’s success in its employee incentives has led to 82,000 fewer vehicle miles traveled per year, saving employees 4,141 gallons of fuel. TDG remains committed to excellence in providing its employees options in how and when they commute.
The Commuter Connections’ Employer Recognition Awards Program recognizes employers that implement initiatives to promote alternative transportation methods to and from the office, as well as employers who offer a variety of telecommuting and flexible workplace options. Winners are not only chosen by the reduction of gas consumption and emissions through fewer vehicle trips and miles traveled, but also by a company’s commitment to enrich the lives of its employees.
Commuter Connections, recognizes programs in three categories: Incentives, Marketing, and Teleworking, TDG won the Incentive Award, recognizing companies that incentivize alternate means of travel when commuting. Of the 46 employees at TDG’s Silver Spring headquarters, 67% use public transit, and 22% bicycle or walk.
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