7 November 2007

With traffic the way it is, employers need to think smart
...what about a digitally wired bus to ferry staff to and from work?...

With Gauteng rapidly heading towards traffic gridlocks, many workers from Pretoria who work in Johannesburg and the surrounding districts spend at least four hours in the traffic each day. But one forward-thinking banking group is pioneering a new concept that sees it ferry its employees from Pretoria to its headquarters in Sandton.

The difference here is that the bus used to transport the employees is equipped with the latest 3G equipment, including laptops, allowing employees to work en-route, as well as being able to access the bank’s server in Sandton.

Karen Geldenhuys, managing director of Pretoria-based IT recruitment agency, Abacus Recruitment, said this “heralds a new trend for employers and workers” - and is a way for employers to retain skilled staff members.

“With traffic jams the way they are, many employees spend two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon getting to and from work. Besides being unproductive, this situation creates a lot of stress for employees. Because there is such a skills shortage – certainly in the IT industry – an increasing number of Pretoria-based workers are opting to look for employment closer to home in an effort to relieve stress levels, which have an impact on family lives, and on their health. This is not just true of people in Pretoria, it is true of any worker who has to travel long distances. Those that can afford to resign and find new employment – closer to home – are naturally the ones opting for this route. In many instances these are skilled workers, and companies can ill-afford to lose skilled workers.

“Forward-thinking companies – like Nedbank – are becoming more creative in order to retain skilled staff, as well as ensuring that overall productivity is not negatively affected due to downtime caused by traffic jams. This is arguably the way forward and those companies who can afford to provide transport – kitted out with the latest incommunications – are arguably increasing going to look at this as an option. It is a win-win situation: the employer gains more productivity from its staff members, and employees’ stress levels are significantly reduced.

“Being ferried to and from work by itself will relieve stress. But if a worker has a large workload and is able to work while traveling, he or she is going to score several hours – which will significantly reduce workload stress as well. It will enable them to perform even better in the workplace. They will also be far happier in their jobs, thus creating an extremely healthy work environment.”