By Kelly A. Shue
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Greenspring, an Erickson retirement community, recently received the prestigious Best Workplace for CommutersSM award for the Washington, D.C. area by providing its employees valuable commuter benefits, including Metrorail vouchers, free parking, and emergency transportation credits.
Rewarding innovation
Best Workplaces for CommutersSM is an innovative program providing qualified employers national recognition and an elite designation for offering outstanding commuter benefits, such as free or low cost bus passes, strong telework programs, carpooling matching, and vanpool subsidies.
Employers must meet the national Standard of excellence in commuter benefits, created by the U.S. environmental Protection Agency, in order to receive the award. “The key to us winning was our emergency transportation program that provides all employees experiencing an unplanned or unpreventable incident with two one-way trips per year,” says Associate Executive Director Jacqueline Kung.
Commitment to dedicated staff
Greenspring’s many commuter benefi ts demonstrate its commitment to staff members by providing the best possible work environment. The community offers Metro-check exchangeable fare card vouchers, covering the cost of commuting on Metrorail, Metro buses, Virginia railway express, and MARC trains.
“At Erickson, each community is encouraged to develop benefits and programs that are tailored to the needs of its residents and staff ,” says Kung. “Greenspring saw a need for commuter benefits, and the human resources team created a program around it.”
Benefits for everyone
Additionally, Greenspring provides benefi ts that support community members as well as staff , including free on-campus shuttles between the three clubhouses and round trips to the local Metro station.