A recent report from the Department for Transport shares interesting insights into how ‘moments of change’ in people’s lives can be used to influence behaviour change towards travel. This is a useful read for businesses looking for opportunities to shape their mobility offering around life and work stages to achieve a better employee experience.
The report identifies periods of flux when people may be more open to change, providing an opportunity to introduce or influence new behaviours. Personal life milestones such as moving house, becoming a parent, or having new caring responsibilities can be a powerful catalyst for positive change. External factors, such as the introduction of low emission zones, new work location or office day policies, may also be a good time to introduce change.
The report provides examples of how, when these shifts occur, people are forced to rethink their daily habits and may be more open to trying a new approach to their journey.
These ‘moments of change’ are opportunities for fleet and transport managers to better align travel policies to support organisational goals while meeting the employee’s need, creating a win-win. It’s also a chance to design mobility around the employee, rather than forcing the employees to fit the system – which to me is a powerful way for businesses to show that they care while increasing adoption of new travel policies.
The report says the three key elements to effective behaviour change are capability, opportunity and motivation.
Capability is an employee’s physical and psychological capacity to engage in a new pattern of behaviour. For example, do they have experience of driving an EV? An employee is unlikely to want to try one without some training, so perhaps an EV engagement workshop would help them make this shift.
Opportunity is the physical and social environment around each person, such as their access to public transport or on-street car clubs. Daily routines like the school run also play a role. Location is also important. Multi-modal travel works well for people who live in well-connected urban areas and less so for those in rural areas.
Motivation is someone’s openness to change. Some people will be keen to try new approaches, others may be more resistant.
Understanding an employee’s capability, opportunity and motivation requires a detailed knowledge of their needs, so it’s important to ask the right questions at the right time.
This could start at the onboarding process when they join a company or when they change roles. What does their typical day look like travelling to work and home? Do they have access to other forms of travel near the office and at home? Would a multi-modal approach with occasional access to a car for certain trips serve them better?
Asking the right questions around mobility at these moments of change can enable organisations to develop flexible policies that support employee work needs which seamlessly integrates into their personal lifestyle – which could lead to greater overall satisfaction.
For example, younger employees may not have a driving licence or may not own a car, so it shouldn’t be assumed that everyone can access mileage reimbursement programmes. Colleagues living in urban areas may not have easy access to parking, so being offered a permanent car may be less convenient.
Not all moments of change need to be significant milestones – even small, fleeting moments can offer opportunities for positive change. For example, if an employee’s usual vehicle is being serviced or repaired, could they be encouraged to trial a lower emission vehicle or on-site shared car club?
By understanding an employee’s capability, opportunity, and motivation and asking the right questions at the right times, organisations can develop flexible travel policies that align with both corporate goals and employee needs. This approach could improve job satisfaction by enabling employees to balance their work and personal commitments more effectively, leading to a more engaged workforce and better managed mobility strategy.
Andy Bland is head of business rental development UK and Ireland for Enterprise Mobility
