Employers increasingly funding first-class commutes due to crowded trains

More and more employers are offering first-class train commutes for their staff due to crowded trains and the tight labor market, BNR reports based on figures from mobility provider Shuttel.

“Yes, it increases costs, but it also increases employee satisfaction in times of a very tight labor market. Nobody wants grumpy staff who had to stand for an entire train journey,” Klaas Pieter Roemeling of Shuttel said to the broadcaster.

Having a seat in first class also offers employees the opportunity to work on the train. “Some companies also prefer that you don’t do your work in a crowded compartment. A large consultancy firm thinks it's better from a privacy point of view to travel first class because the chance of people watching is smaller there.”

Shuttel also noticed that employers are trying to entice staff to travel by public transport for sustainability purposes. “It is increasing in various industries. Large corporate organizations, in particular, are very conscious of this, such as insurers and the consultancy sector, but also the government. They have clear objectives regarding sustainability.”

SMEs are lagging behind the larger companies on this front. “Companies employing 100 people are increasingly focused on sustainability, so that breakthrough will eventually come. The large companies only really started electrifying their fleet two years ago; now they are focusing on public transport and further sustainability. That took some time. So we will see the same development in SMEs in a few years’ time.”