This year’s theme is intergenerational fairness, as the campaign’s mission is to highlight the way that our mobility needs can change over time, at different points in our lives. For businesses, European Mobility Week is the perfect time to think about your teams, staff and management, the forms of transport that they depend on, and some cleaner and greener alternatives.
Consider your employee’s mobility needs
This can be as simple as asking your employees if there are parts of their work that they are struggling with, and making sure that your management knows their staff well enough to notice changes when they occur. For example, an employee who is taking a little longer to stand, or walk up and down stairs might benefit from a desk on the ground floor, or a reserved car parking space that is closer to the offices. Chronically ill employees may have mobility needs that fluctuate; some days they may be more mobile, and some days they may not be.
Reflect on how these mobility needs may change
Whilst taking stock of the mobility needs of your current employees is important, it is also worth considering how these mobility needs might change, or how easily you would be able to support a new employee with different mobility needs.
For those experiencing changes to their health, or are receiving medical care, their ability to move through your office spaces, sit at a desk or use certain pieces of equipment may change. This includes those who are receiving surgeries, pregnant, and those going through menopause. Opening up a conversation with employees and being proactive ensures that you’re prepared to support them in the ways that they need.
Organisations should also think about how accessible their business is for disabled customers and staff. Is there step-free access? What about enough space for a motorised wheelchair? If not, are you able to offer online meetings, home visits or remote working?
Support your employees in becoming more mobile
There are a number of ways that organisations and businesses in the North East can support their staff in becoming more mobile. Offering salary sacrifice schemes is a way of providing your staff with more transport options for their commute, at no cost to your business.
The Cycle to Work scheme allows employees to purchase a new bicycle by sacrificing a small portion of their salary each month, spreading the cost of the purchase whilst saving on the tax that they pay. You can even get free bicycle parking for your organisation through ParkThatBike.
Nexus also offers Corporate Metro Season Tickets, where businesses can purchase discounted annual season tickets for their employees, where the employee then pays for the cost of the ticket by sacrificing a little of their salary each month. A number of bus services also offer a similar scheme, including Arriva, Stagecoach and Go North East.
