Travel Planning at a FTSE 100 Head Office: Next Plc
As one of the country’s most successful retailers Next Plc are well aware of the many transportation issues which challenge their ability to effectively achieve their strategic objectives … staff travel to work, staff travel for work, visitors travel, goods travel … all of which has an impact on not only Next Plc as an organisation, but also its staff, its customers, the environment, and the communities in which it works.
“TPS have at all times offered Next Plc a professional and complete service, meeting all of our expectations and developing a travel plan strategy that has delivered real benefits to our organisation.”A company travel plan is a strategy for managing the overall travel generated by an organisation. Typically combining a range of measures to support walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing these strategies are increasingly being used to address a range of business issues, from high demand on car park spaces, right through to problems of staff recruitment and retention.
In support of planning applications for more staff car parking NEXT invited TPS to thoroughly examine travel conditions and habits at its Head Office site in Enderby, and from that to develop a customised travel plan.
The wider implications and benefits of that travel plan have since been recognised, and TPS are now retained to assist Next in the ongoing process of implementing and managing the travel plan and the measures contained within it.
Rather than being anti car, the Next travel plan aims to provide the 3000 Head Office staff with all of the facilities, tools and information they need to make an informed choice for their method of travel. Since its introduction this strategy has so far resulted in a 7% reduction in the number of staff travelling to work alone in the car each day.
Travel Plan Development
In order to comply with conditions of planning approval for the development of additional staff car parking TPS developed, negotiated and agreed upon a travel plan strategy for the Next head office site which focussed upon a need to reduce the percentage of staff that travel to work alone by car.
Travel Plan Marketing
Having developed the head office travel plan strategy TPS were retained by Next to implement the measures contained within it.
Due to the number of staff employed across separate buildings and departments it was identified at an early stage in this implementation process that in order for any measures to prove a success a high profile communications strategy would be required.
TPS worked with Next to develop a marketing campaign that would raise awareness of both the travel plan and the measures contained within it. Containing tools including a ‘travel plan brand’, travel plan website, head office travel guides, branded notice boards and e-shots, this marketing campaign proved key to the travel plan implementation process.
Travel Plan Monitoring
A staff travel survey is both an essential foundation for a travel plan and an essential element in the ongoing process of managing that plan. It allows a travel plan coordinator to monitor both how staff are travelling, and to gauge opinions on what new measures may encourage further sustainable travel.
TPS continue to carry out an annual staff travel survey of all head office staff, on the back of which a comprehensive report is produced highlighting the current travel patterns, and making suggestions on where future attention should be focussed.
