ways2work > How to do it > Creating your ways2work plan > PLAN your initiative
PLAN your initiative
Identify your strategy and business case
Developing a ways2work plan requires an understanding of the impacts of how the employees in your organisation work and travel in relation to their work. These might encompass issues as diverse as a shortage of office space; of car parking for employees and visitors; a concern for emissions from work-related travel; a planning condition imposed on a site expansion; a need to reduce costs associated with car use, business travel or facilities operations; or an interest in promoting active travel as part of an employee health and wellbeing programme.
Steering Group business drivers
Sustainable Travel Steering Group members cited a variety of business drivers for their sustainable travel plans, including:
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Meet planning permission criteria for site expansion or improving the effectiveness of facilities management by reducing accommodation and car parking requirements (or alternatively accommodating growth without the requirement to physically expand facilities)
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Reduce the carbon footprint of the business by lowering the proportion of single occupancy vehicles used in commuting and business travel; reducing the numbers of flights made for business
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Improve recruitment and retention rates and lower associated costs by promoting a better work / life blend; encouraging cycling, walking and other active travel alternatives to enhance employee wellness
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Improving productivity psychologically and physically healthy people = healthy profits
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Ensure business continuity by reducing delays associated with congestion, incidents, bad weather, volcanic ash
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Reduce costs and impacts of air travel by providing sustainable alternatives to flying
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Improve community relations by reducing complaints and bad press associated with overflow parking in local housing estates near work sites.
In many instances, Steering Group members reported that combinations of business drivers underpinned their sustainable travel plans.
“At local level-we have around 100 locations - the drivers vary from planning conditions, car parking”
“Associated health, wealth and environmental benefits of choosing more sustainable modes of travel, or working from home”
“Enabling people to work with ease and efficiency through innovative, pragmatic solutions that are sustainable, promote the reduction in travel and where travel is needed, the use of alternative, eco-friendly transport modes and in turn, supporting the efficiency of space utilisation in West London”
“[Our plan] fits in with our employee welfare agenda and sustainability strategy”
“The main reasons for our travel reduction plan are car parking shortages, staff morale, planning requirements for some newer buildings, staff wellbeing and fitness along with a desire to encourage more environmentally friendly travel to work”
“[Strategic drivers included] Occupational Road Risk Policy, Business Continuity, CSR, Relocation, New buildings”.
Example: BT
Steering Group member BT identified the following issues which motivated the development of their Adastral Park Travel Plan:
Drivers for BT’s Adastral Park Travel Plan. (Source: Grass Routes: The Adastral Park Travel Plan, A Cassy and LQ Xu (BT), NC Taylor (Integrated Transport Planning Ltd), Sept 2009)
Understanding the nature of your business and the priorities of organisations in your sector will help you identify potential strategic drivers for your organisation’s travel reduction plan. Steering Group members cited business continuity issues (NATS, E.ON UK and Nationwide), reduction of environmental impacts (NATS, E.ON UK), being perceived as an employer of choice among potential recruits (Wellcome Trust, Capgemini).
However, operating or expanding a site with a large number of employees creates impacts which transcend all sector boundaries, including the need to get planning permission and parking constraints (e.g. BSkyB, GlaxoSmithKline, RWE npower, Wellcome Trust).
For some companies that operate multiple sites, reducing travel has been a bottom up approach - tailored on a site-by-site basis in response to local transport infrastructure, planning requirements and workforce demographics. However, use of planning templates can ensure that the process of travel planning across sites is standardised, even though the actual travel plans which emerge may vary in content.
What are your business drivers?
Within your organisation, specific function or department priorities may also provide strategic drivers for your sustainable travel plan. Below are some common examples to consider:
