If the luxury of jeans and T-shirts once a week isn't decadent enough for your jaded workforce, there's a new, much more compelling perk: transportation help. Upon hearing its 1,100 employees were suffering from escalating gas prices, Zimmerman Advertising decided to offer free train tickets with a shuttle from the station to the office, and organized carpools.
The agency partnered with an area organization that matches up carpoolers with others who live and work nearby, while also offering six annual free taxi vouchers should the designated driver have car trouble or other emergencies. It then teamed up with a second carpooling organization that creates carpools only among Zimmerman employees. The executive team also decided to pay for monthly passes on South Florida's Tri-Rail commuter train system for any associate who wants to leave the car at home. The agency provides a shuttle to and from the train station to its corporate headquarters that is available on the half hour for three-and-a-half hours in the morning and again in the afternoon.
As of press time, 45 employees had signed up, and the overall feedback was positive, even among those not using the services.