Category: Diamond Award for Organizational Leadership WorldMark by Trendwest, Redmond Dave Herrick, Vice President, WorldMark Leslie Hibbard, CTR Program Manager and ETC

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Redmond worksite solves parking crunch with points system; SOV rate dips to 30%

Since 1989, WorldMark – part of Trendwest, Inc., the third-largest vacation ownership organization in the world – has managed vacation properties for its customers in the interest of providing a vacation credit system that allows for maximum vacation flexibility. The same focus has been given to the creation of a successful employee commute trip reduction program, earning it a 2003 Commuter Challenge Diamond Award for Organizational Leadership.

A significant parking shortage and limited transit services along the Redmond Willows Corridor prompted Worldmark to explore the option of leasing offsite parking and running shuttles to the office. However, the cost was prohibitive and locating available parking space in the Willows Corridor proved difficult. Instead, Worldmark applied for RTRIP grant funds from the City of Redmond, combining those funds with its own budget to implement an innovative package of rideshare benefits that helped solve their parking problem.

"We no longer need to lease parking spaces and I feel that our employees are more productive and in a better frame of mind when they arrive to work," said Leslie Hibbard, program manager and employee transportation coordinator, adding that "it is much more pleasant to share your commute with someone."

Worldmark’s commute trip reduction program provides employees with covered bicycle parking, showers and lockers, compressed workweeks and schedule changes to avoid peak commute hours, priority HOV parking, and a guaranteed ride home when an employee needs to leave work for an emergency or work overtime. The program also includes a unique combination of employee incentives for using alternative commute modes. Employees earn two points for every day that they use an alternative commute mode (such as carpooling, riding the bus or working a compressed workweek). Points, valued at $3.50 each, can be used to purchase lunch which is delivered daily, or employees can save their points and use them to "purchase" retail gift cards from a variety of local merchants such as Costco, Safeway, Target and more. Employees also are eligible to win incentive prizes through the business park in which they are located as well as through the Greater Redmond TMA.

Worldmark’s efforts in promoting alternative commute modes to its employees resulted in attracting almost 100 new participants in a matter of eight months. The organization now has an SOV rate of only 30%.

The program’s success is in no small part due to organizational commitment exemplified by management participation in the program. Nine out of the fourteen members of management at the worksite participate in the program, acting as role models for the rest of the employees. "Our management staff is there to support me whenever I ask for help or direction. When I get new ideas or want to try something new, it is very easy to convince management to participate as it benefits them too," said Hibbard.

*Some definitions: An “ETC” is the staff-level employee transportation coordinator responsible for the daily administration of the transportation program. “SOV” stands for single-occupant vehicle, and “CTR” for commute trip reduction. 

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