How is your employer helping you deal with gas prices? (appointed, sales)

[Chicky]

I'm on a team at work to develop some ideas for how the organization can help employees deal with the rising price of gas. We'll be considering the usual ideas - telecommuting, 4-day weeks, ridesharing. We already have all that in a limited way - available for most but not all. I'm looking for some fresh ideas!

What kinds of options does your employer offer? Are they available to everyone, or only select positions/levels? Has your employer offered this for a long time, or were they recently developed in response to the gas price inflation?

Thanks in advance.

[In & Out]

By letting me keep my job.

[CaliBoy]

Originally Posted by Chicky

What kinds of options does your employer offer? Are they available to everyone, or only select positions/levels? Has your employer offered this for a long time, or were they recently developed in response to the gas price inflation?

LOL

Been carpooling with our car since we arrived here in NC. Unfortunately, the job located at a retail store (intentionally left nameless) has not ever nor is anticipated to offer ANY options, alternatives, supplements or financial encouragement whatsoever. The can even avoid split shifts, but still continue to schedule them without any regard to their employees' burden or transportation costs.

Besides, we don't anticipate any offerings nor expect it either. It's just what it is these days.

[tluv00]

I am in sales and my company just bumped up our reimbursement to 58.5 cents per mile. Each market also has the ability to tele-commute one day per week if feasible.

[welovedurham]

There are some ideas at the Triangle Transit site, too:
GoTriangle.org - Home

(I telecommute, but have been doing so for 8 years.)

[JJingle]

My company's position has been for many years that alternative workplace options are available to deal with personal issues, including transportation costs. Some of the more popular options are telecommuting and working longer hours in less days.

[lottamoxie]

The best way to deal with the cost of gas is to use less of it. And that = telecommuting as a primary means of cutting back. Fortunately in my job I am able to telecommute 99.999% of the time at this moment, although it could change. But it helps a LOT these days, esp. when my merit increase %s are painfully tiny.

It really comes down to this: does the management of your company TRUST that employees will get the work done when they are not sitting in their appointed veal-fattening cube? If there is TRUST then there can be telecommuting and other alternative work options. If there is no trust then the traditional 'warm-the-chair-and-be-seen' tactics will continue to apply.

So I think that's the first question that every organization needs to ask itself....and be honest about it. Because if mgmt doesn't really trust it's employees to do the work without someone watching over them physically, all the creative ways to save gas aren't going to amount to anything in the long run. (My $.02, which before these inflationary times was a whole $.06). YMMV.

[scorp200]

Telecommuting - we did some of that anyway but now it's being encouraged. It benefits everyone because we have people who fly in and need office space, so it all works out. It makes for happier employees too and makes up for the less than ideal salaries! But in my industry we all have project-based work and we have to get it done regardless of where we are...we'd do it without someone watching over us. Maybe those who are hourly and don't have that situation could do a condensed week with longer hours Mon-Thurs or whatever (if that would work out for them, sometimes it can't with kids).

[saturnfan]

I like Mayor Meeker's recent comment that folks should live no more than 5 miles from work.

That makes a lot of sense.

Roads should not be built encouraging long commutes.

[bull_city_original]

LOL! That's too funny. North Carolina is an at-will state....so anyways, they are choosing to do nothing. Lots of talk for multiple years before gas was even expensive...no action by any employer my wife or I have been a part of to date.

currently
me - The University of North Carolina
wife - North Carolina National Guard

I don't consider rideshare an employer tool to help combat gas prices. That's more of a community thing. Moreover, it is hit n' miss and limited to its effectiveness due to the sprawl. The answer is only 4-day work weeks or allowing for telecommute one or two days a week or every other week. ARE YOU LISTENING?---Nope.

People should learn this early...the government and employers will not help you generally. You need to pull yourself up and make things work. There are ways if we stop the idiocracy. Please, stop the dependence as the next stage is bondage.