Tropical Sportswear International    |   The Hartford Tropical Sportswear International "Vanpooling has definitely made economic sense and improved associate satisfaction at TSI!" Situation In early 1997, Tropical Sportswear International (TSI) had a very high turnover in employees in its second shift between 3 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. The human resources department decided to ask its employees the reason for the turnover and distributed a survey. They determined that unreliable transportation was the most significant factor. They also talked to associates on the main shift and discovered that if the transportation problem was addressed, main shift employees would consider working the later shift. Human resources calculated its costs of turnover by adding up recruiters' time, out-of-pocket expenses (background checks, drug testing, pre-employment testing), and the time to fill the position and training time. They contacted BACS to get information about the Bay Area Vanpool program and calculated the costs of providing reliable transportation to their employees through vanpooling. BACS also mapped out the distribution of TSI's employees' home sites to see if TSI employees were clustered close enough to make vanpools feasible. The Program TSI determined that the cost of subsidizing vanpools was significantly cheaper than costs associated with turnover. They decided to offer the vanpool program to their second shift employees at a reduced rate of $10 per person, per month, plus gas, which was deducted from the employees' paycheck through a payroll deduction. The usual rate is approximately $65 per month. In most vanpools, the driver collects the money and sends one check into the vanpool company. TSI took over this responsibility. To market the program, BACS and TSI staff spoke to every associate on the shift. Three vanpool groups of nine participants started in September 1997 and one group started in March 1998. Results The four vanpools are still on the road after a year and a half. Nine of the vanpoolers have been in the vans over six months, and an additional six vanpoolers have been vanpooling over one year. TSI is so pleased with the program that they are considering offering it to employees on the main shift. Company Testimonial "When Tropical Sportswear International implemented a second shift, we were faced with the possibility of losing more than 30 excellent associates because of a lack of transportation. By offering this benefit and contributing to the cost, TSI was able to retain those associates. Vanpooling has definitely made economic sense and improved associate satisfaction at TSI!" - Vickie Cortez, former director of human resources Tropical Sportswear International The Hartford "BACS was instrumental in assisting us in resolving our parking issues. They were creative and responded very quickly and took the time to meet with our employees to explain the program." Situation In the Fall of 1998, The Hartford's Tampa office was informed by its building manager that due to the building's parking constraints, the company would have to remove 100 vehicles from their lot within three months. With a workforce of 280 employees, most of whom drove alone to work, this was a drastic situation, and The Hartford contacted Bay Area Commuter Services (BACS). The Program BACS contacted the Westshore Alliance Transportation Management Organization (WATMO) and arranged a preliminary meeting with The Hartford's upper management. The ridesharing agencies gave a presentation about services and incentive options and collected employee home and shift data (The Hartford has nine shifts). BACS compiled the workforce data and created a Zip Code Analysis Map for each shift of employees showing the employees' home locations. These maps demonstrated to management the clustering possibility for forming carpools and vanpools. The Hartford committed resources of $55 and $35 per month per person to subsidize vanpooling and carpooling respectively. Additionally, an Employee Transportation Coordinator was established to coordinate the vanpool and carpool parking spaces, to inform new employees about commute alternatives and to coordinate Guaranteed Ride Home and other services with BACS. BACS & WATMO made presentations explaining commute options to six groups of Hartford employees over a two-day period. As a result, 67 people registered to use a commute alternative, 55 decided to either take the bus, carpool or vanpool and 22 carpools immediately formed. The first vanpool and carpools began just over two months from the initial contact. Benefits The company saved 38 parking spaces and contributed to reducing local and regional air pollution. The Hartford preempted a potential human resources disaster by keeping its employees informed about the parking situation from the beginning. The employees also felt supported by their company as it went to the trouble and expense of subsidizing carpooling and vanpooling costs. Other benefits to the company include an enhanced public image. By endorsing commute options, the company demonstrated its partnership with the community and concern for the environment. Today and Tomorrow As of June 20, 1999, 85 employees of The Hartford are actively in BACS' database, and 81 employees carpool to and from work. The cost to the company of subsidizing its ridesharing employees is approximately $2,800 per month. The Hartford is very proud of its ridesharing program and considers it a success. "BACS was instrumental in assisting us in resolving our parking issues. They were creative and responded very quickly and took the time to meet with our employees to explain the program." - Joe Scott, Tampa Director, The Hartford