Want a happier, healthier workforce?

If you’re a Kent business and you like the sound of a healthier, happier workforce – you’ve come to the right place.

KCC’s Transport Innovations has recently introduced a sustainable journey planning website, Kent Connected, an initiative aimed to reduce single occupancy drivers in Kent. The hope is that by reducing single car drivers on our roads, we’ll have less congestion, which means less sitting in traffic, cleaner air, and happier, healthier people on their merrily ways to work. We want to inspire and empower people to change their travel methods to what inspires, challenges, and suits them.

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Kent Connected is targeted to like-minded residents and businesses in Kent who are also interested in making an impact on the environment, but also on the overall health and well-being of it’s residents.

Fun fact – Did you know there are 38 million empty seats in cars on UK roads every weekday?

Kent Connected is just one initiative within Transport Innovations, but the team is also offering businesses the opportunity to apply for a capital grant, to help encourage sustainable travel* and flexible working in your workplace.

Similar to Kent Connected, the aim of the grant is to make a bigger impact on our community and environment by getting people walking, on bikes, using public transport, working from home and car sharing, and together, we can help tackle congestion, air pollution, and inspire our peers and colleagues to get fitter, healthier, and happier.

Fun fact: Did you know the average worker takes around 4.5 sick days per Kent connectedyear?

One of the benefits to promoting sustainable transport as a business is the impact of health and well-being to your staff and the savings to your business in a reduced number of sick days. Studies show that when staff travel actively to work, they are healthier and more fit, and therefore take fewer sick days.

That’s not all though, by investing in sustainable travel measures, you are showing your staff (and visitors) that you care about themand that means something! You’ll notice an overall boost in morale, a boost in overall well-being, concentration, and even loyalty when you show them you care about them.

If this tempts you to think about how you and your staff are travelling in to work – great!

If you’re stuck on what you can apply for – let us help! Here are a few ideas:

  • Invest in better IT equipment to save time and reduce having to travel at all! This could be cloud software, smart phones, skype, audio-visual conferencing facilities – anything to help enable flexible working, promote home working and reduce travel
  • Install showers, changing room facilities, and/or lockers
  • Install cycle parking
  • Better outdoor lighting to make walking/cycling feel safer
  • An office pool bike or two! (Bromptons are great for travelling and fold down nicely which makes taking on buses and trains easy)
  • Cycling equipment (locks, helmets, reflective gear, tyre pumps)
  • Have an electric vehicle but struggle for charging points? Apply for a charging point!

A few things you can start working on today:

  • Encourage staff to work from home more often or on a more regular basis
  • Print out and promote nearby/local walking and cycle routes
  • Print out and promote bus and train timetables in your area
  • If staff must work in the office, allow them to come in at off-peak hours so they help reduce congestion (and air pollution) and they’ll also have a quicker journey time from not having to sit in traffic!
  • Join Kent Journeyshare – Kent’s car sharing platform
  • Encourage walking meetings
  • Go for a walk, run, or cycle ride during your lunch break and bring your colleagues along!

*Sustainable travel = anything that isn’t a single occupancy car! Includes cycling, walking, bus, train, car sharing…use your imagination!

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