Building a Corporate Culture of Excellence Through a Better Commuting Experience

Here at Tesla, we pride ourselves on our Knowledge Management Services that help clients solve their information overload challenges. With these services, our clients are able to act with confidence because they have the right information to make the right decision at the right time.

None of these services would be possible without the people on our team. At Tesla we make a point to hire only the best and the brightest from a variety of backgrounds, including employees who have worked for NGOs, military branches, nonprofits, and government organizations.

To attract and retain our talented team members, we’re always looking for new ways to show them how much their work means to us. One way we do this is by offering innovative teleworking and commuting options.

Commuting Sucks. We Make It Suck Less.

Let’s face it. The D.C. metro area is one of the toughest places for commuters. A lot of people around here spend 2 to 3 hours in traffic every day, expanding their vocabulary to include a few choice words that are better left unsaid in this blog. Many commuters are forced to leave for work before the sun rises, not getting home until well after the sun sets. And that’s no fun for anyone.

So we set out to reimagine the commuting experience for our employees, using that as a driving factor to hire and and retain top talent.

For example, our office is conveniently located off Metro’s new Silver Line near the Spring Hill metro station so our colleagues can take public transportation to the office – including many of those who do the “reverse commute” and live in the city and come out to our Tysons Corner office. We also offer flexible work schedules and have some colleagues that start as early as 7 AM so they can get their work done and enjoy their evening work times.

The goal is to make things flexible for our team so they can balance their work and “real life” responsibilities and not feel like they are short-changing either one.

Pushing Telecommuting Out of the Standard Boxes

More and more companies are offering telecommuting as a standard option, which not only improves worker productivity but also takes cars off the road. So we partnered with Telework!VA, a government program that supports employers in reducing commuting trips, to identify the best ways to structure a telework policy.

However, we didn’t want telework at Tesla to be marked by the usual frustrations of conference/Skype calls or poor internet connections for a webex type meeting or a faceless presence on a speakerphone in the middle of a conference room table.

So we acquired a number of Beam telepresence robots, which continue to transform the remote work experience for our employees. These robots make remote collaboration more seamless and natural than ever before by having our remote colleagues literally “roll into” a room and participate in the meeting with a physical presence rather than being a “voice on the phone.” And they’re just plain awesome. Who doesn’t love an office robot?

With remote employees in Maine and Florida, using the robots allows us to retain high-caliber employees. Also, adding the robots to our telework and flexible schedule options helps us improve the work/life balance for employees.

Happy Commuters, Happy Workers

By minimizing the stress that comes with a daily D.C. commute, we’ve been able to increase our employees’ morale. And our flexible telework policy allows our team to spend more time focusing on what matters most: their family, friends and loved ones.

With a healthier work/life balance, we find that our employees are more energized and driven to solve our clients’ information overload challenges.

One of the Country’s Top Commuter Policies

While the happiness of our employees is praise enough, Tesla was also recently designated by Best Workplaces for Commuters as one of the top US employers for commuters in 2018. Our commitment to providing innovative commuting and teleworking benefits is causing others to take notice.

“Tesla Government Inc. is on the cutting edge of a national movement,” said Julie Bond, Program Manager, Best Workplaces for Commuters. “They have listened to their employees’ challenges with traffic congestion and their concerns over reducing emissions. Tesla Government Inc. gives its employees the support they need to get to and from work so they can be at their best. These benefits are good for the company and its employees.”

Awards are only as good as what they represent, and we’re honored that this award represents our dedication to thinking outside the box for new ways to support our employees, making life a little easier for them as they make life easier for our clients!