September 2020 - Employee Transport Management

Will Employee Satisfaction and Corporate Transport Management Go Hand-in-Hand

Posted on September 15, 2020 by emptranssup-useradm

Job satisfaction is essential for employees to contribute to the growth of any organization. Satisfied employees remain motivated and hence the employee turnover will be very low. All employers are faced with the challenge of increasing employee job satisfaction levels with corporate transport management so that their businesses continue to enjoy a competitive advantage.

According to a survey carried out by the Conference Board, only 45 percent of the employees in America are satisfied with their current jobs. In over 22 years of the survey, this is by far the lowest level.

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Changing customer demands have placed immense pressure on employers like never before. Employers have to maintain productivity, profitability, and keep their workforce satisfied and engaged with their jobs. Businesses that fail to focus on employee job satisfaction are at the risk of losing talented individuals to their competitors.

Of course, employee satisfaction is not limited to compensation alone. A salary raise or a new perk will improve employee contentment, but there are other aspects that organizations need to take into account.

Giving More Control to Employees

An employee’s happiness is dependent on the amount of control he/she has over his/her life. As such, it pays for employers to look for ways and means to give more control over their schedules, work habits, and/or environment to their employees.

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For example,

most employees prefer to work for employers that offer flexible time schedules. This is because today’s employees have to deal with demanding schedules outside of their work. Many people, therefore, prefer to work with a boss who appreciates work-life balance. This is to say that customized schedules help to improve employee satisfaction.

Easing Commuting Stress

A survey carried out by the Census Bureau in the US showed that more than 86 percent of the workers above 16 years drive to work. They either drive alone or use carpooling. Bad commutes are one of the major sources of unhappiness. People feel frustrated, stressed, and powerless.

Therefore, employers must consider ways to reduce commuting stress. Some of the options include staggering work times to help them avoid heavy traffic. By reviewing the work start and end times employers can determine the specific times as well as the number of employees needed during those times.

Additionally, it makes sense for organizations to review their late arrival policies. If people who arrive late are severely reprimanded, they will experience more stress, especially if they have a bad commute. This affects their productivity and attitude towards the organization.

Employee Transport Vehicle Fleet

Organizations wherein people work in dynamic shifts, need to meet clients, or achieve project deadlines often have fleets of vehicles. This is to avoid wasting a significant amount of time in finding public transport or waiting for pickups whenever they have to commute for office work.

Waiting in queues for long periods or having no information as regards the arrival of the pickup vehicle often causes anxiety and worries to employees. This, in turn, affects their productivity. That’s why many organizations maintain fleets of different types of vehicles for picking up and dropping off employees to and from the workplace and for other work-related commutes.

Though flexible work schedules and telecommuting have been implemented in many companies around the world to fix the commuting problems, the average commute time has only increased over the past few years.

According to research studies across 1,360 cities in as many as 38 countries, traffic congestion is a common phenomenon. On average, drivers spend 9 percent of their travel time, driving at just 14.4 kilometers per hour (8.9 miles per hour) because of traffic congestion. It does not matter whether an individual is driving his/her car or traveling as a passenger, traffic congestion increases the commute time.

In the United States of America, by far the most developed country in the world, the average time for a one-way commute is about 26.1 minutes. In India, people spend 7 percent of the day to reach their respective offices and in Europe, the commute time has become such a pressing issue that laws for compensating workers for their official travel time are being considered.

Apart from affecting employees, commute hampers business as follows:

• Missed Workdays
• Difficulty in Hiring
• High Attrition Rates
• Increased Error Rates
• Less Productivity
• Revenue Loss

Investing In Technology For Employee Transport

Organizations that maintain fleets of vehicles for employee transport need to invest in technology not only to enhance employee satisfaction but also to improve their bottom line.

This is because transport automation systems help organizations overcome challenges and provide seamless solutions for facilitating employee transportation. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, and automation offer a set of benefits to employees and organizations. Some of the key benefits are mentioned below.

Enhanced Employee Safety

One of the key benefits offered by company-sponsored transport systems is the security and safety of employees, especially women. Transport automation systems often come with security features such as built-in panic buttons, SOS calls, real-time vehicle tracking, driver profiles, and number masking.

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These systems also come with one-click options so that employees can notify the employers when they board cabs and/or reach their destination. Thus, technology enables organizations to ensure the utmost security to their employees and avoid untoward incidents which often damage an organization’s reputation.

Increased Employee Productivity

Technology-based corporate transport management systems contribute a great deal toward enhancing employee satisfaction by eliminating commuting stress.

Such systems resolve issues such as the late arrival of employees at the workplace by streamlining cab pick-ups or multiple pick-ups from locations outside the shortest route. This contributes to improving employee productivity.

Automated transport management systems employ innovative technologies to predict the number of employees traveling on a specific route by factoring in cancellations and identify the least traffic as well as shortest routes depending on the time of the day. Employees who reach on time to and from work enjoy better work-life balance.

Monitoring Driver Behavior

Corporate transport management systems allow companies to incorporate driver profiles into their database so that detailed information about them can be easily accessed. Besides, these systems come with an efficient feedback system.

Employees can rate drivers and leave comments as regards their driving skills and behavior. Further, advanced technological systems allow companies to keep track of aspects such as driving speeds and rash driving. All these features contribute to enhancing employee satisfaction & corporate transport management syncing up together.

Reduces Financial Burden

Traditional or manually-managed corporate transportation systems often incur financial losses at many levels. The main reason is ill-planned routes.

Corporate transport management systems that employ technology determine costs based on kilometers covered from point-to-point. This enables corporates to save a considerable amount of money.

Saves Human Effort

An automated corporate transport management system helps cut down labor costs and improves operational inefficiency. Automated systems enable simple rostering, fleet deployment, fleet planning, and billing services. In addition, they keep track of employee boarding/de-boarding information and driver trip-sheets through either web- or mobile-based applications.

Furthermore, the data and analytical information collected daily from employees, drivers, and transport managers enable companies to further improve efficiency and keep employees happy.

Conclusion

Companies that focus on reducing the commute stress of their employees will have happier people working for them. They will be more productive and contribute to the growth of the organization. As such, employee satisfaction and corporate transport management always go hand-in-hand.

Top 10 Issues Faced by Business Travelers & Their Solutions

Posted on September 8, 2020February 20, 2023 by emptranssup-useradm

Business travel has become a norm in many companies these days. With business going global and companies operating from multiple locations, executives need to travel quite often. Sometimes, executives and top management people may have to travel to visit clients or vendors. Business travelers face a lot of difficulties during their travel.

Nearly 50% of business travelers say that the quality of travel determines the business results. In other words, if the executives have a safe and comfortable journey, they are more likely to get better results from the trip. Let’s take a look at the top issues faced by business travelers and how we can find solutions for them.

Problem 1: Safety Concerns

More than 80% of business travelers with a majority of this percentage being women cite not feeling safe as one of the biggest problems while traveling. A major problem is the fear of being mugged while in an unfamiliar place.

Airline safety is also an issue that many travelers are concerned about. One repeating refrain related to safety issues is that the executives don’t know who to contact in case of an emergency. There are also other unexpected safety problems like natural disasters, political unrest, racial tensions, accidents, and such.

Solution:

It can be difficult to find a complete solution to safety issues. However, companies can reduce safety issues by ensuring that the hotel is in a safe location. They can also arrange for reliable transportation for the duration of the stay.

It will also be a good idea to have a local person to contact in case of emergencies. The person can be a travel agent or preferably, a representative of the company that the executive is visiting.

Problem 2: Stress

The second major problem for business travelers is stress. A study by the World Bank found that 75% of executives reported high-stress levels because of business travels. The staff needs to simultaneously deal with deadlines, work issues, conflicts, travel, and client management.

At the same time, constant travel could wreak personal life, leading to other issues. All these problems can pile up, leading to a lot of stress and strain.

Solution:

Many of the issues that cause stress can be removed with proper planning and organization. While preparing the travel schedule, it will be a good idea to leave the first and the last day free to relax and unwind. If the company’s travel policy allows, executives may be allowed to travel with family.

Problem 3: Adjusting to time zones

When executives travel abroad, the time zones are different. So, all day long, they will be working with the client and then they need to stay up all night to work with the team back home. Also, it takes time for them to adjust to the different time zone. It can cause stress or even make the person ill.

Solution:

While working on different time zones, executives can delegate tasks to others in the team to reduce the stress. Also, as suggested earlier, the schedule can be prepared with a day free for the travelers to get used to the new time zone and get over the jet lag.

Problem 4: Delayed Flights/Cancelled Flights

One of the biggest problems that business travelers face is flights being delayed or cancelled. Sometimes, flights are overbooked, which can lead to further complications. If a flight is delayed, then the entire schedule may go askew.

The problem is worsened if the flight is cancelled. Then the executive needs to check if there are any other flights and make the arrangements. It gets even worse if the delay is overnight and they need to look for a safe and comfortable place to stay.

Solution:

A smart way to overcome the problem is to book flights at least a day or two before the actual meeting. So, even if there are any delays or cancelations, you will still have ample time to make it to the meeting.

If the company works with a travel agency, then managing the problem gets a little easy. The agent will take care of rescheduling and rebooking the flight while the executive can relax and prepare for the meeting.

Problem 5: Expense Tracking

Expense tracking is a huge problem for business travelers. In most cases, the company or travel agency takes care of the flight and hotel booking. Sometimes, even transportation. However, the executive may have other travel expenses.

They need to keep all the bills and receipts and submit them when they return. There are also times when the executive needs to spend from his/her pocket and claim reimbursement from the company. The reimbursement process can be long and tedious, making it more difficult for the employees.

Solution:

In most cases, when the company takes care of travel, stay, and commute expenses, the financial burden on the employee is reduced. It will help if the organization uses a portal to monitor and streamline all the travel expenses. The executives can upload the details and check the approval status on the portal itself.

Problem 6: Health problems

If the person has health issues, then traveling may aggravate the condition. Also, the different climate, weather conditions, food habits and more can make one fall sick. Continuous travel and not having proper sleep can also make a person fall sick. Business executives who travel often face health issues because of such problems.

Solution:

It can be difficult to deal with a sudden bout of sickness while staying in a new place or a new country. The company needs to ensure that the employees have a clean bill of health before they travel, especially abroad.

It will also be helpful if the staff have medical insurance that can reduce the financial burden of dealing with the treatment expenses. However, the best solution is that the employee follows good health practices to stay fit and healthy.

Problem 7: Unhealthy food

Traveling to new places and trying out new cuisines can be exciting at the start. But then unhealthy eating habits can take a toll on health. Also, airport food is very expensive and the food delivered on the airplanes is not very delicious. So, in many cases, the executive may not have a proper meal until he/she reaches the destination.

Solution:

While traveling, it can be difficult to stick to a specific diet. Research the restaurants near you to find ones that serve healthy food at affordable prices. You can even ask the locals for suggestions. Another suggestion is to stick to simple foods and not try exotic foods unless you are sure you have the palate for it.

Problem 8: Uncomfortable or unsafe stay

This problem is associated with the safety and well-being of travelers. Sometimes, companies book in budget hotels to save on hotel expenses. But then if the hotel is located in an unsafe area or if the conditions in the hotel are unhygienic, it can become very difficult for the traveler.

Solution:

The best solution is to book a hotel that is in a safe location, close to the client’s office. If the hotel is not good, then the employee should provide the feedback to the admin or travel agency so that they don’t book in that hotel again.

Problem 9: Lack of support

A common gripe of regular business travelers is not being able to get proper technical support when they’re traveling. It can be very frustrating when they want to access a portal or download some files and find that they are not able to do it.

Sometimes, the laptop may have a technical failure or the server may be down. At such times, the executives will have a lot of difficulties.

Solution

The executive should have the laptop checked by the company’s tech team before they carry it on the trip. Also, they should have all the necessary files they need for the meeting on their system. A tech person should also be available online to help out with any technical issues that may arise during the business trip.

Problem 10: Data Security

Executives need to carry the laptop and phone when they go on a business trip. But these devices will have confidential business information and other data. So, if the devices are hacked or lost, then the critical information could go into the wrong hands. Also, the executive may need to use public or client networks, which may put their data at risk.

Solution:

Employees need to be made aware of possible cyber threats and attacks. The laptops they use should have state-of-the-art security systems to prevent data breaches. Also, executives should follow safe practices to ensure data safety.

Conclusion

Business travel is inevitable as it plays an essential role in the growth and development of the business and the organization. The 10 problems that we discussed here can be solved with proper planning and scheduling. Companies should also look for ways to make business trips less stressful by providing a positive work environment and a safe travel experience. Have you faced any other problems during business travel? Share them with us.