What does a return to the office mean for your car park? With the lifting of covid restrictions came many people looking forward to the world returning to normal. For millions of people across the country, a return to how things were isn’t necessarily ideal. Explore more New ways of working… There was a huge adaptation to new ways of working. For many people, these new ways are better and more convenient. However, for others, a return to the office is a welcome sight, a step away from Zoom and Teams meetings and a chance for people to interact face-to-face. For those that have preferred working from home it’s an anxious time, full of concern around rebalancing work and home. Businesses need to strike a balance and look at the opportunities to create ways of working suited to all their employees. This starts in the car park. Taking back control If your car park has been standing quiet or empty for the past couple of years, it could be possible that staff from other businesses or motorists in the area are making use of the space when they shouldn’t be. Potentially using your site to get free parking or as a place to leave a car while they shop or go for a walk. As part of your return to the office, a strong starting point is working out if the car park has been subject to abuse, as ending this misuse of your site and regaining control of your car park means you can accommodate returning staff much more easily. This creates a welcoming and less stressful parking environment for your returning team, helping to get their return to the office started in the right way. Managing the return of staff Your teams might be returning to work at contrasting times and in different capacities, such as hybrid working to staggard start and end times to avoid overcrowding in the office. Permits for your car park allow you to manage when people are on-site and at what times, helping you monitor your parking and plan around when people are in the office. This type of solution would also help provide a level of enforcement and control on your site by enabling you to identify legitimate employees and issue PCNs to other motorists that don’t have a permit and are abusing the spaces in your car park. You should also be taking steps to assess the needs of your staff in advance. Are there any other parking requirements that need to be kept in mind? Is there a need for EV chargers or more accessible bays? If so, you also need to consider ways you keep those dedicated spaces free from abuse to maximise their usefulness to your team. Turning hybrid working to your advantage Hybrid working has been a huge talking point for many businesses. Instead of employees returning to the office full time and back into the world of commuting, traffic congestion and a poorer work/life balance, the compromise is a mixture of days working from home and from the office. For many businesses, their car parks will not be at capacity. For those in prominent locations in towns and cities, this presents an opportunity to transform that extra space into an added revenue stream via pre-booking. By allowing motorists to reserve parking in your surplus spaces, you’re able to turn those spaces that would otherwise stand empty; while people are working from home; into a means to generate parking revenue, perfect if your office or business is situated in an area where parking is often at a premium. Making more of your return to work The return to the office can be an exciting prospect. One that can be made all the better by having the right solutions in place to capitalise on the potential of your car park, leveraging those changes you might need into substantial benefits for your business and your team. Preparing for the return to the office To find out more about our range of parking management solutions and how we can help you transform your car park into a powerful asset, you can learn more below… Prepare for the return to offices →
