Only a few months ago, life at home and the office resembled a steady stream of well-known routines. The majority of employees in London would take buses, trains and the underground to the office and mingle with co-workers in enclosed spaces.
But with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, the landscape of work has changed dramatically and forced businesses to think of other ways to operate.
From home working to going back to the office
When the government announced their stay-at-home policy at the end of March, many businesses scrambled to get the right measures in place to help their employees work from home. This meant fast tracking new technologies, implementing alternative ways of doing business and quickly responding to the issues that came with remote working.
But now, as the government eases restrictions, businesses face a new challenge: getting their employees back to the office in a way that is safe and reduces the risk of Covid-19 infections.
To guide businesses, the government has introduced a blueprint for working safely during Covid-19. This detailed document sets out the new realities of work in offices, contact centres and operation rooms. From measuring risk and enabling social distancing to cleaning the workplace and improving ventilation, the current rules will continue to shape new behaviours amongst employees, visitors and customers.
New challenges for businesses and commuters
The news that workers may start to return to the workplace is a relief for many. But with it comes new challenges. The government has advised against the use of public transport and encourages employees to walk or cycle to work instead.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is guiding local authorities on managing their road networks and allocating more space to encourage walking and cycling, and enable social distancing on pavements. The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, announced a £2bn package to help boost cycling and walking capacity. Some of these initiatives include building emergency bike lanes and trialling rental e-scooters.
But despite these forward-thinking measures and huge investments, many employees won’t be able to walk or cycle to work for various reasons. And this unprecedented shift away from public transport creates new challenges for organisations.
Businesses now need to think of alternative ways to help get their employees to work. Those who cannot walk or cycle, but prefer to drive, have to find parking in close proximity to the office.
Many offices don’t have parking facilities and will have to locate available spaces nearby and make sure employees can park and pay without being exposed to common Covid-19 touchpoints, such as Pay and Display machines.
Parking in cities are often charged at premium rates and the demand usually far exceeds supply. Employees who drive will soon discover the costly expense of parking. And by claiming it back, businesses will face greater parking expenses than ever.
Helping businesses get moving again
Right now, we’re working with many businesses across the country to solve these challenges and help get their employees back to the office safely and within government guidelines.
With our Business Account, we help organisations to find parking spaces for their employees at a location that’s close to the office. Once they’re set up, businesses can book and pay for short and long-term parking in advance or on-the-go, at a fraction of what other providers offer. They’ll be able to add or remove drivers at any time and allocate parking spaces in line with a phased return – without the administrative burden.
Employees can also book a parking space for themselves and pay using a personal or business account.
Our back-office portal makes it easy to see past, present and future bookings, and manage the schedules of those returning to the office. We also generate monthly reports, detailing the previous month’s activities, parking locations, times and costs. With our platform’s user-friendly reporting and helpful spend summaries, businesses can save time on admin and simplify expenses, billing and accounting.
For drivers, this means less time searching for parking and the peace of mind of knowing they’ll have a guaranteed space throughout their workday. Our business parking solution is also cashless and touchless, which means they don’t have to handle cash or press the buttons of Pay and Display machines.
Parking solutions for everyone
Currently, we have numerous locations available. Business can also decide on the car park features they want, including barriers, CCTV and height restrictions.
In many cases, we offer all-day parking where there are usually maximum stays, so employees don’t have to keep an eye on the clock and worry about getting a fine.
There’s the option to book daily or long-term, and with a range of pricing costs, we cater for every budget.
For more information, get in touch at businessparking@justpark.com.
