How do my employees get to their workplace? A question that is increasingly on the minds of top-level management in both private and public sector businesses. Against this backdrop, the South Tyrolean Farmers' Union (Unione Agricoltori e Coltivatori Diretti Sudtirolesi/Südtiroler Bauernbund) has pioneered a whole new mobility concept for its employees. The motto: avoid traffic by relocating and improving transportation.
If we were to look for a silver lining in the Covid lock-down, it could be the fact that it has encouraged innovation in a number of ways: By catapulting smart working and remote work from our homes into the daily reality of many a professional, it has considerably changed and perhaps made everyday life easier and more sustainable for countless commuters. However, as travelling to and for work still remains essential for many of us, we can try to make these journeys as environmentally friendly as possible and reduce traffic jams wherever we can.
Leading by example, the South Tyrolean Farmers' Union has long invested in sustainable mobility for its employees: With its project "Sustainable mobility together", the association focuses not only on smart-working, car sharing and company bicycles, it also provides an annual subsidy of up to 60 EUR for all staff members who use public transport to get to work. For this initiative, which benefits the entire workforce and the environment in equal measure, the association has now received this year's South Tyrol Mobility Award, a coveted prize which the STA (Südtiroler Transportstrukturen AG/Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige SpA) confers according to a strict set of criteria defined by the provincial government.
The South Tyrolean Farmers' Union promptly announced that it will reinvest the prize money in stimulating sustainable mobility for the benefit of its workforce. The reward pays out more than enough to incentivise a Südtirol Pass for no less than 100 employees – and it's unquestionably cheaper than company cars and parking spaces. One thing is certain: Sustainable mobility pays off. So, if you're looking for top-notch birthday presents and Christmas gifts or perhaps simply a choice of meaningful incentives and benefits for your employees: Green mobility is the future.