Chances are you stay in your lane as it relates to how your employees get to work. But with skyrocketing fuel costs and all of us needing to do our part to reduce our carbon footprint, why not be proactive? Encourage your employees to carpool by making it easier for them to do so.

Most likely your employees who live on the Middle Peninsula have never considered carpooling. We’re a place of single-occupancy vehicles going to and from work. But as an employer, you can change that, which has its perks for you, too!

Some ideas to facilitate a company rideshare program:

• -At your next staff meeting or as part of your internal newsletter or messaging, introduce the idea of ridesharing. Have someone take the lead on helping employees find rideshare partners — those whose schedules and geography align. Even employees carpooling one or two days a week can make an impact.
• -Add incentives of your own to encourage ridesharing. These can include reserving special parking spaces for those who carpool.
• -Offer an incentive to sign up for MidPenRideShare, which helps commuters with similar schedules and geography find matches.
• -Add a little fun into the mix by giving out a monthly prize to the carpool group that logs the most trips or miles. These don’t have to be lavish gifts. Could be that the winning group gets to dress down on a certain day or the other rideshare groups have to provide doughnuts and coffee to the winners.

As an employer, you’ll gain by building camaraderie among your employees. You’ll pave the way for friendships and more collegiality in general to develop at work. If one of your company values relates to sustainability, making ridesharing a convenient alternative means there’s talk behind the words on your website. Another bonus: Chances are with employees depending on each other, being prompt for work won’t be a problem.

A robust rideshare program can actually become an enticing company benefit. Your employees will be less stressed about the commute and save on tolls and gas while reducing emissions in the environment. Today many prioritize working for a company that embraces going green, and with a newly implemented rideshare program, that’s you!