Full service commercial real estate company Endeavor Real Estate Group joined the Mobility Challenge in 2016 both to take on an active role as a corporate leader and to help improve employee morale and retention.

“It was a request made by our mayor, and we wanted to be good, constructive ‘corporate’ citizens,” says Becky Heston, Principal with Endeavor. “That’s what brought the Mobility Challenge to our attention, but we also recognized that mobility issues do impact employee satisfaction. We think employee satisfaction impacts customer satisfaction, and that’s a huge part of our business.”

The company also wants to do the right thing for the environment, and sees cutting down on the number of idling cars in traffic congestion as a way to succeed with this goal.

After planning sessions with Movability and The Thrival Company, Endeavor came up with a mobility plan that includes several goals. Among them is the development of a mobility concierge program for downtown properties the company manages. Another goal is to try out flex hours and telecommuting for eligible employees.

Endeavor already offered Car2Go benefits and bus passes to employees who chose not to drive, as well as summer compressed schedules, but is now extending an internal questionnaire to employees about mobility options so that the company can fine-tune its offerings.

The company is also rethinking how it pairs employees with properties to which they need to travel. If an employee is based in South Austin, for example, Endeavor will try to give that person responsibilities in that area in order to cut down on time wasted in traffic.

“Because we deal with emergency response we need people to arrive in a timely manner,” Heston says. “It’s a functionality, making sure people can get to work in a timely manner, but employee morale is also something we recognize that can be challenged as it relates to traffic.”

In addition to taking on the Mobility Challenge, Endeavor has joined Movability to get help with implementing its plan and improving the commute offerings for employees.

Are you an employer that is interested in benefiting your business, the community, and your employees by creating policies to support alternative commutes? Contact Kate Harrington to learn more about participating in the Mobility Challenge.