This new year brings a welcomed spirit of new beginnings and the perfect opportunity to rethink your commute. Will you be returning to the office full-time or a few days a week? Have you considered resuming your pre-pandemic commute? Are you exploring other travel options for getting to work? You should ask yourself these questions, among others, when considering the commute that best meets your needs....

As an initiative of the District Department of Transportation, goDCgo plays an integral part in serving the needs of clients, commuters, and residents in our nation’s capital. For more than 10 years, we’ve been the leading resource for transportation information in Washington, DC, and are always here to support all your commuting needs. During these unprecedented times, there is nothing we care about more than the health and safety of our community. Each day, we’ve been learning more information around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and we want to continue ensuring you that we are taking the necessary actions to protect the health and safety of the audiences we serve....

As the District reopens, many businesses are developing plans to prepare for employees to return to the office. To help us better understand employer needs we conducted a telework survey in the fall of 2020 to enable us to support organizations with solutions and recommendations to effectively make this transition....

A common trend we hear from DC organizations with telework programs is a lack of participation, having less than 20% of employees working remotely. To help DC employers increase participation in their telework program, we’ve compiled a few tips below....

Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, telework has become a popular solution that allows employees to stay safe at home while maintaining business productivity and operations. This type of arrangement allows you to skip the commute to work entirely from home or another alternative worksite. To create an environment that is conducive to productive work, you'll need more than a desktop computer or laptop in order to perform your duties comfortably and efficiently. For the ultimate, ergonomically-friendly space, check out the goDCgo team's favorite telework tools below....

Did you know prioritizing sustainable transportation at your new development can put you on the path to LEED certification? goDCgo gathered information about the transportation-related LEED points and discovered the many ways you can earn points to become LEED Certified™ and rise the ranks as a goDCgo Transportation Ambassador....

As of December 2020, WMATA's multi-year Platform Improvement Project (PIP) hit a milestone by passing the 50% completion mark, with 11 of 20 total stations now completed -- and the project continues to push forward. Beginning Saturday, February 13 to Sunday, May 23, WMATA will perform the next phase of its PIP to repair and reconstruct platforms at two stations on the Blue Line: Addison Road and Arlington Cemetery. As a result, there will be NO Blue Line service. To help you plan accordingly, goDCgo has outlined some of your travel alternatives below. During this time, FREE shuttle bus service will be available. Additional Yellow Line trains will replace Blue Line trains between Franconia-Springfield and Mt Vernon Square. Silver Line trains will continue to pass through but not serve Addison Road while the station is closed to minimize service impacts outside the construction area....

Carver Apartments, a 63-unit building situated in the District’s LeDroit Park neighborhood, has created a car-lite community ready to embrace sustainable transportation. After Carver Apartments opened in 2019, Dominique Danielle, Marketing Manager at Urban Investment Properties (UIP), developed a transit-friendly campaign to attract new residents....

goDCgo is proud to announce the Employer Ambassador Pilot Program. This program will involve a few select employers in the District that are looking to enhance their transportation programs, foster a culture of sustainable commuting, and reduce their carbon footprint. These employers will receive one year of guided support, including a custom sustainable transportation plan to develop or improve their commuter benefits program offering an effective and efficient opportunity for employees to commute to work. With a more holistic approach to providing services to District employers, we hope to make a bigger impact within organizations that will create lasting changes in employee commutes. Points, Perks, and Participation! The new pilot program will be based on a points system that will recognize employers with commuter benefit programs that support employees who choose sustainable commutes. Employers can earn points for workplace features and policies that support alternative commute choices, such as telecommuting, bike racks, dedicated carpool parking, subsidies, or other incentive programs. Points can also be earned by regularly encouraging sustainable commute choices by hosting events, sending newsletters, or participating in goDCgo promotions. Employers can earn additional points by increasing the number of employees who choose sustainable transportation choices and participate in commuter programs. Employers have a fantastic opportunity to level up their individual programs and benefit offerings while competing with the other employers in the pilot program to see who can accumulate the most points! Future of the Ambassador Program Existing Employer Ambassadors not involved in the pilot program can still receive goDCgo complimentary services and level up their designation. Based on the results of the pilot program, goDCgo may choose to implement these changes program-wide. All in all, we’re excited to launch the pilot program to help participating employers get going, earn points, and upgrade their commute programs! Interested in Participating? Spots are limited and it's first come first serve! Contact goDCgo Employer Client Service Manager Rebecca Johnson to express your interest or sign up for an informational webinar to learn more....

With the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many employers were quick to adapt to maintain business continuity by allowing employees to telework on a part- or full-time basis. Organizations that had formal telework policies in place pre-pandemic experienced a pretty smooth transition, while those with no policy or informal policies faced greater operational challenges. Creating a formal telework policy is a great way to keep issues from arising and to offer guidance to managers on how to handle issues when they do arise. What Is a Formal Telework Policy? A formal telework policy is a document that clearly lays out the details about teleworking, including when and for how long employees can telework and guidance for situations that emerge when working remotely. Informal policies are when managers allow telework based on their discretion and typically on a case-by-case basis. With an informal policy, there is no company-wide protocol or guidance. Why Should You Create a Formal Policy? Informal policies are subjective and can seem unfair. When a manager decides one employee is allowed to telework and another isn’t, it can cause confusion, lead to rumors of favoritism, and create animosity in the workplace. More importantly, it creates a looming uncertainty for those who have not been deemed eligible to participate. By taking the time to write down a policy that outlines specific guidance, related policies, and procedures employers create clarity and transparency. But it’s not just the teleworking employees who benefit; a written telework policy provides guidance to managers and supports the organization and its business continuity in emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. With a written policy that addresses common telework issues, managers can also feel confident letting their employees telework since they know what should and will be done if an employee abuses the independence of working remotely. Items Commonly Addressed in Formal Telework Policies...