Parking space is a growing concern for cities and metropolitans in the busiest areas, especially for the business communities. In this post, we will highlight how to solve this issue.
How do deal with parking problems within the company?
Does your company face difficulty in managing parking spaces at work? Are your employees often tussling to find an empty parking lot? Transportation is a significant issue that employees struggle with at their workplace. How your company considers parking problems determines the employees’ satisfaction, the expenditure, and the overall environmental impact.
When debating urban mobility, the maintenance and management of parking issues are a hot topic. As more employees choose to take their vehicles to work, companies have difficulty creating the proper parking protocol for their employees to follow. Using proactive and intelligent management company parking policies can make parking easier. It will also make the employees more responsible for their travel choices.
Four common parking issues faced by employees
Company parking issues present challenges to the management and the employees present in the company. Managing the parking needs of employees can be a pricey affair, if not immediately dealt with, and can lead to the following issues.
1. Limited space, unlimited users
Property taxes and urban densification have forced companies to rent out constrained parking spaces. But the changes in people’s work habits and unclear timings of coming in and going out have made it challenging to manage the parking space efficiently. With digitalization taking over, an online parking management solution can resolve this issue.
2. Ineffective usage of the parking space
How often have you thought there was no parking space when there were enough empty slots in reality? Open parking spaces are only adding up to the expenses of the company. There has to be a better method to update the company about free and full parking slots in real-time.
3. Time wastage on parking management
Undefined roles and timings of employees can make parking management tougher for companies. Defining who has access to parking and under what circumstances can save people’s time when they come in for work. Empowering them to manage their parking slots daily can take a considerable burden off the company’s back.
4. Unstandardized management of multiple parking lots
If your company rents out multiple parking lots daily, is there a standardized way to manage the needs and movements of people? If you cannot develop an optimal solution to manage parking spaces, it will lead to wastage of real estate, additional renting costs, and eventually, the loss of employees.
Five solutions to company parking problems
Parking issues have an impact on people on all levels within the company. It is also the first experience they will encounter even before entering your company. So it is important to have an affordable and convenient parking method for your employees as it makes them feel that they do hold some value within the company.
The good news is that managing employees’ travel to and fro work is now easier than ever. The following solutions place your freedom and convenience front and center. Focus on your requirements and identify the best solution that addresses them.
1. Parking Management Software to automate the parking process
Companies need to be in sync with the times. Companies should introduce a sound parking management system as advanced technology takes over. It is the most efficient and affordable way to manage parking lots. Eventually, an automated parking process will reduce your company’s carbon footprint.
With Covid—19 making many employees work from home, one is unsure of the day they would physically come to the office. With this software, employees can update their work position and update the company about their designated parking space status. This fully automated method helps you get more value from your parking spaces.
ParkOffice is one such parking management software that aims to make it easier for people to get to work. Their client base ranges from Fortune 500s to small family businesses. By combining innovation with creativity, ParkOffice has solved an age-old problem.
2. Encourage other forms of travel
Encouraging employees to work in other ways sounds like a straightforward method. However, companies find it difficult to push people to move away from their vehicles. Making them aware of the advantages of using public transport or carpooling is one effective way. As a result, employees can avoid traffic, save time and money, and help the environment.
Your company can take a step further by offering special transportation benefits. For example, purchasing transit passes can make traveling by public transport easier for your employees. This behavioral change will inspire people to use similar transportation methods beyond their daily commute.
For people who are icky about using public transportation, motivate them to shift to carpooling. Carpooling also reduces the pressure on the company to look for well-equipped parking facilities. The benefits of carpooling are aplenty:
- Reduces commuting costs
- Saves expenditure on fuel
- Reduces taxi traffic on the road
- Keeps carbon emissions in check
3. Introduce parking charges for employees
In layman’s language, your employees pay to park at work. This method may seem draconian, but it’s the most effective way to reduce car dependency while conserving the environment. You can start with a parking program where employees get a specific number of days in a month where parking is free. For additional parking on other days, employees have to pay.
You can also provide extra incentives to employees in parking credit. For example, many companies like KPMG and Renault pay their employees or encourage their users to leave their cars at home. Employers find that paying people not to drive is cheaper than shelling out big bucks to rent parking spaces.
4. Hire a car rental service provider
Another great way of preventing parking issues is to stop your employees from bringing their cars to work. Instead, your company can partner with car rental service providers like Uber or Lyft. The car rental service will take care of your employees’ transportation to and fro. This will avoid the significant expense of renting parking spaces by your company.
5. Rent extra parking spaces when needed
With companies bringing back employees to offices after a long hiatus due to Covid, it is common to see parking spaces filled to the brim. Your company can then look for additional parking spaces to rent to accommodate more vehicles.
Some places where you can easily find free parking spaces are:
- Car parks: Companies can contact a nearby local car park operating and inquire if parking slots are available. Most car parks have ample room to fit in enough cars. The operator can agree to a long-term rental plan and offer you a discount. You can also get short-term plans, be it weekly or daily.
- Community groups: Community groups make the best use of an opportunity where they get an extra source of revenue. Their spaces are suitable for external parking rental spaces as they work primarily on weekends or evenings. Community centers and sports clubs are good places to find additional parking spaces for your company.
- Real Estate companies: Real estate companies have plenty of space that they are willing to rent. Apartment blocks or undeveloped spaces are a few examples in urban areas. Your company can easily find good places to rent once they get in touch with real estate companies.
Bidding farewell to company parking problems
As the post—covid world adjusts itself to new ways of working, one can see changes in the commuting patterns of employees. As a company, you can only regulate and support employees as they embrace new transportation methods. However, implementing these five methods can be a catalyst in driving a substantial psychological and behavioral change in your employees.
Not everyone may embrace these new parking methods right away. But if you manage to get rid of at least 50% of parking space or create shared parking spaces, the Earth will be thanking you in the long run. As a company and as citizens of the world, we must all do our bit for the economy and the environment.
By: Naomi Grace