.jpg){kind=avatar}
Young professionals are increasingly interested in working for employers who are environmentally responsible. They want to know that their company is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint and reduce its impact on the planet. They are also interested in companies that are committed to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). This includes having a positive impact on their community. More and more young people enter the workforce. Unsurprisingly, environmental and social responsibility are important factors in their decision-making process. This shift in values could have a major impact on the way businesses operate in the future.
These concerns are present among Easi employees and prospective employees. This is why we've put CSR and the environment at the heart of our mobility policy.
Mobility is critical...
Easi offers consulting services and builds IT infrastructure for a myriad of companies. The level of service we offer also sometimes involves emergency interventions. Also, with Belgium being small, our employees come from all over the country. To make our headquarters accessible, we've located them outside any big city. For these reasons, we need our employees to be able to get anywhere without having to rely on public transportation.
Remote work has been widespread throughout the company since 2020. But even then, mobility already was critical to our business. We also need to consider that a lot of our employees have families and hobbies. As such, they need a vehicle that suit their personal needs.
...but so is the environment
Environmental concerns are growing from inside and outside the company. Our government understands that as well and is pressing companies to go green.
By 2026, all company cars are expected to be carbon-neutral. Challenge happily accepted! More electricity or less gas? Why not both! We've adapted our policy to allow employees to get the most satisfaction. Because they get to choose the mobility model that suits them best. They get a budget and build the mobility plan that they like. The higher they are in the hierarchy, the bigger the budget.
Going electric
One of the obvious answers to limiting our carbon footprint is, of course, electric cars. Electric cars produce zero emissions. In terms of direct emissions, they are infinitely better for the environment than gas-powered cars. We know they're more expensive, so we've upped our budgets. By as much as 40% for electric vehicles. By 30% for hybrid ones. It's a steep increase, but change always requires an effort.
On the other hand, they're more efficient than gas-powered cars. This means that they use less energy and cost less to operate. For example, electric cars have no engine oil to change. Also, their brakes last longer because they regenerate energy that would be lost in traditional braking systems.
Not always optimal?
The main issue with electric cars is the speed and availability of charging stations. Switching to electric cars means that employees need to be able to charge their cars at home. It also means that our sites need to provide enough charging stations. For our consultants, it means that our clients also need to provide charging stations.
Another issue is the speed at which cars charge today compared to the autonomy of an electric vehicle. Our employees use the cars we provide them for their daily lives. That can sometimes include long drives. It can be a limiting factor with current batteries. This is why we have set up another option.
Downsizing
If going electric is not an option for some people, they can still reduce their carbon footprint. Employees can now choose to order a smaller car than what we usually offer. Not every employee spends much time on the road. Some even come to the office by bike!
Going for a smaller and more economical vehicle allows the employee to:
- Reduce their carbon footprint
- Use the rest of their budget for mobility-related spending
For example, that budget can be used to buy an electric bike, rent a car abroad, or pay for parking.
On top of this, employees will now use their cars for 5 years instead of 4 before ordering a new vehicle. This will decrease the pace at which we order new vehicles and the pollution that goes with it. It will also compensate for the higher costs.
One step in the right direction
Making a change in our mobility policy was an absolute necessity. It's not always easy to embrace such a change in a hyper-competitive modern world. On the other hand, the government is passing policies that make cleaner vehicles mandatory. This puts most mid-sized and large companies on an equal footing. The transition might be harder on smaller businesses. That being said, electricity-powered vehicles will keep getting more affordable.
In any case, Easi has no excuse to not start transitioning today. And we're all in!
