Encouraging Eco-Friendly Commuting and Video Collaboration
To minimize the environmental impacts of commuting, Travelers offers programs that allow employees to pay for transit expenses with pre-tax dollars. At our Hartford, Connecticut, office, we estimate that prior to the pandemic, up to 20% of Travelers employees primarily commuted using public transportation. We also offer parking incentives for carpoolers and operate a vanpool with free parking at the pickup location. In early 2020, we began a pilot program to provide electric vehicle charging stations for employees at our Hartford campus. With the successful pilot program now complete, Travelers is installing electric vehicle charging stations at all owned locations in the Hartford market; we expect this project to be completed in 2023.
We are also an advocate of bicycling to work. As part of our Bike to Work program, we provide bike racks and free parking for bicycles as well as showers and lockers in some locations.
We continue investing in remote collaboration tools like video-enabled conference rooms to reduce nonessential business travel. Some of our recently renovated offices include sharable desk space, which offers flexibility to work remotely, as appropriate.
Environmental Benefits
- By promoting and supporting the use of public transportation and ridesharing, Travelers directly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from employee commuting.
- Video collaboration helps to reduce nonessential business travel – business travel is one of our primary sources of Scope 3 GHG emissions.
Travelers Benefits
- Commuting programs are an integral employee benefit in some of our locations; they play a role in employee attraction and retention.
- Eliminating nonessential business travel helps to lower our operating costs.