Meet Our Greenest Workplaces for Commuters

By Heather Klinefelter, Outreach Specialist

It’s Earth Month and Commuter Services could not be more excited to see what our community can do to improve the environment through green commuting.

We hear it from employers all the time.  Employees find commute times to be brutal.  Depending on where you live – driving up to an hour to a larger city for work or even just across town – most commuters say that they don’t want to spend more time commuting to work.  There’s a better way.  Offering commuter benefits helps with employee retention and satisfaction.  One way to do that is with the Best Workplaces for Commuters program.

“Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) is an innovative membership program that provides qualified employers with national recognition and an elite designation for offering outstanding commuter benefits. Employers and developments that meet the National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits can get on the list of Best Workplaces for Commuters. We’re passionate about helping workplaces improve their performance of commuter programs via listserv to foster peer-to-peer exchanges, FAQs, employer case studies, webinars and other resources.”

Congratulations to the 2022 winners in PA:

DHL Supply Chain (Annville, PA)

Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories (Lancaster, PA)

WebFX (Harrisburg, PA)

Here are some of testimonials from our partners about how BWC can benefit your organization and employees.  We interviewed Bree Whitelock, Happiness Manager at WebFX and Amanda Dioszeghy, Sustainability Group Leader at Eurofins to get their insight.

• Why is a green transportation mission so important to you and your organization?

Bree – We lead by example, work with integrity, and aspire to leave the world a better place. A large part of that is leaning into the areas we can help reduce our carbon footprint, green commutes being a key part of that!

Amanda – Green transportation is essential in partnering with our employees to create a healthier community. As an organization, this allows us to reduce our Scope 3 emissions from employee commuting. For our employees, it provides them with the infrastructure and services needed to successfully get to work without harming our environment.

• Do you have any special Earth Day Events coming up this month?

Bree – Yes! Our team is spending Earth Day in our local community doing a litter cleanup. As a funny aside, we’re also hosting an ‘anything-but-the-cup’ happy hour to reduce our single-use plastic for an Earth Day happy hour.

Amanda – We are doing a recycling day for our employees where they can bring in a larger array of recyclables (like electronics and air conditioners) and we’ll hold a bike drive for The Common Wheel. We chose to virtually participate in the Earth Day Race hosted by Commuter Services.

• What sort of perks do you offer your employees for taking a green commute (carpooling, telecommute, biking, walking, or transit)?

Bree – Quarterly incentives (gift cards) for walking/biking to work 3+ days a week, transit reimbursement, down payment assistance for houses within walking distance, electric car credit, free on-site electric charging

Amanda – Each quarter, we provide a gift card incentive drawing for all employees using and recording green modes within the Commuter Services’ app Commute PA. We have publicly supported the construction of The Greater Lancaster Heritage Pathway which would provide a biking path from downtown Lancaster City to our campus in Leola, PA. We continue to provide priority parking for carpoolers, covered bike racks and a bike repair station, electric vehicle charging units, RRTA 5-day bus passes, and more.

• What does being a Best Workplaces for Commuters mean to you?

Bree – Living out our values by leaving our community a better place

Amanda – Eurofins is incredibly proud to be designated as “Best Workplaces for Commuters” since 2018. It proves our commitment to providing options for employees to reduce or eliminate their emissions when getting to work. A sustainable company isn’t possible without the support of our employees.

• What benefits of being a Best Workplaces for Commuter have you realized?

Amanda – This designation has increased our employee participation in green commutes. Eurofins has over 2,000 employees at the Lancaster campus. Best Workplaces for Commuters has helped encourage even more of our employees to try out a green commuting option like carpooling or taking the bus.

If your organization is ready to learn more about BWC, please feel free to reach out to us to find out more information about how Commuter Services can help you!  Email us for more information!