The benefits of reimbursing private travel by public transport

More and more organizations are choosing to reimburse private travel by public transportation for their employees. Especially now that since this year this reimbursement is tax exempt. What are good reasons to do this? What consequences does it have for your employee satisfaction, attracting new talent and reducing your footprint? Hugo Koops, mobility consultant at NS Zakelijk, talks about this with Natalie Hopman and Rita Fesshaie of the Nationale Postcode Loterij.

About the National Postcode Lottery

The National Postcode Lottery and Friends Lottery are part of the Postcode Lottery Group. An international marketing-driven organization that organizes lotteries without a profit motive. With only one goal: to raise as much money as possible for a better world. Since 1989, they have raised over €14.5 billion. The lotteries are now active in Germany, Great Britain, Sweden and Norway. Some 650 colleagues work in the sustainable office in Amsterdam.

Read more on the website

What is your role at the National Postcode Lottery and how do you travel to the office?

Natalie: “I have been working for 3 years in the HR team at the headquarters of the Postcode Lottery Group of which the National Postcode Lottery is part. My role includes guiding new colleagues through their onboarding and working on our employer branding. I live in Amsterdam and travel to the office in about 20 minutes by metro.” Rita: “All colleagues can always come to me for HR-related questions. I also live in Amsterdam and travel mainly by public transport. I take the metro to the office just like Natalie”.

Can you tell us a bit more about the National Postcode Lottery?

Natalie: “Our vision is simple: a world where strong civil society organizations can make a difference. This is how we work together towards a just, healthy and green world. At least 40% of our lottery proceeds go to these causes. We want to make as much impact as possible: by 2024, the Postcode Lottery Group will have donated a record 969 million euros to charities and cultural partners worldwide. That makes us one of the largest fundraising donors in the world.”

“Many colleagues come to the office almost every day, which is quite unique these days. We form a close-knit club of people who enjoy working together and being with each other.”

Natalie Hopman, HR Operations OfficerPostcode Lottery Group

How do your employees travel and what makes your travel policy unique?

Rita: “We are located close to Station Zuid in Amsterdam. This spot was deliberately chosen so that our office is easy to reach. Most of our employees travel by public transport or bicycle. Every colleague with a contract of at least 24 hours per week receives an NS Business Card. They may use this for commuting, business travel as well as private travel by public transport.” Natalie: “With our bike plan, we encourage colleagues to come to work by bike. In addition, we discourage the use of non-electric cars.”

What characterizes your organizational culture?

Rita: “What I find so special about our organization is the open and people-oriented culture. Everyone here is tremendously driven by our mission. We are a marketing-driven organization but non-profit. You can see that in the energy and commitment of our employees.” Natalie adds: “Many colleagues come to the office almost every day, which is quite unique these days. We form a close-knit club of people who enjoy working together and being together. Our fine office in Amsterdam also helps with that, of course.”

“Every colleague with a contract of at least 24 hours per week receives an NS-Business Card. They may use this for commuting, business travel and private public transport.”

Rita Fesshaie, HR Support OfficerNationale Postcode Loterij

Can you tell us a little more about your sustainability policy?

Rita: “Sustainability is one of our core values, which is reflected in the charities we support to how we ourselves work. We have a special team, Good Operations (GO), that deals with how we as an organization can work as sustainably as possible. Our office has a sustainable BREEAM certification and we are constantly working to reduce our carbon emissions. The emissions we cannot avoid, we fully offset.”

What are your main HR challenges?

Natalie: “That we can continue to attract enough talent to help us achieve our business goals. We are constantly working with our employer branding team to communicate our mission. Our slogan 'Great jobs. Better world.' sums this up nicely. We want new talent to not only find a challenging place to work, but also to feel like they are contributing to a better world. Being a good employer and making an impact go hand in hand with us!”

“We are constantly working with our employer branding team to clearly communicate our mission. Our slogan “Great jobs. Better world.” sums this up nicely.”

Natalie Hopman, HR Operations OfficerPostcode Lottery Group

Why did you choose to reimburse private travel by ov?

Rita: “We want to be an attractive employer and this scheme certainly contributes to that. Moreover, this way we make green travel attractive and a lot easier. This increases our positive impact on the environment. “Natalie adds: ”I also often notice at job interviews that applicants respond positively to this employment condition. It also makes a huge difference to our administration because all travel is allowed. So we don't have to keep track of anything anymore.”

“With the introduction of the NS Business Card, we offer a good travel alternative. This has resulted in less new lease cars being issued.”

Rita Fesshaie, HR Support OfficerNationale Postcode Loterij

Are there specific examples of how your employees benefit from this?

Natalie: “With us, colleagues receive the same VIP CARD that participants in the Friends Lottery receive. With this they can go to museums, theaters, concerts and other fun outings for free or at a discount. They can nicely combine this with the NS-Business Card, with which they can travel to these outings in a sustainable way and also bring their family members with them at a discount. In this way we make it easy for colleagues to go out, experience culture and relax.”

Do you have specific data on the impact of the NS-Business Card on your sustainable impact?

Rita: “With the introduction of the NS-Business Card, we offer a good travel alternative. This has resulted in fewer new lease cars being issued.” Natalie adds: “Thanks to our Good Operations policy, we have reduced our CO₂ emissions by almost 50% over the past 7 years.”

“By reimbursing private trips, employees are more likely to choose the train and leave the car. In this way, you not only reduce the CO₂ emissions of their commute but you also have an influence on making their private travel more sustainable.”

Hugo Koops, MobiliteitsadviseurNS Zakelijk

Want to know more about this topic?

Organizations are increasingly using their mobility policy as an attractive employment condition to attract and retain talent. By reimbursing private travel, as the Nationale Postcode Loterij does, you give your sustainability ambitions an extra push and offer employees a nice extra. This scheme increases the joint impact of employer and employee on a better world. It is also financially attractive for employers. Unlike a salary increase or other perks, they do not have to pay income tax on this travel allowance. So it is a cost-effective way to become attractive as an employer.

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