RIDE Solutions Provides Telework Support to Area Businesses
Employers seeking to implement emergency telework programs can tap into support and resources from the regional Commuter Assistance Program.
MEDIA ADVISORY – For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeremy Holmes, Program Director – jholmes@rvarc.org – (540) 342-9393
Roanoke, VA., March 17, 2020 – As the business community in central and southwest Virginia work to reduce the spread of COVID-19, many employers who have never considered telework are looking for ways to quickly implement remote working options. As the region’s Commuter Assistance Program, RIDE Solutions is working to help employers understand their opportunities and implement programs to keep their employees, customers, and families safe.
“Continuity of operations is critical in times like these,” says RIDE Solutions Director Jeremy Holmes. “But more important is the health and well-being of our employees and our community. Fortunately, businesses wanting to be responsible leaders in the region don’t have to tackle this problem alone. RIDE Solutions, in addition to our capacity to support carpooling, bike commuting, and transit, can also help businesses ramp up telework programs.”
Telework can be an effective strategy to promote social distancing, a key recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control to limit the potential spread of COVID-19. And while not every kind of job qualifies for telework, RIDE Solutions emphasizes that creating remote work opportunities for those employees who can work from home still reduces the number of people at a worksite and, thus, the opportunity to transmit the coronavirus.
“What we’re focusing on right now is speed,” says Holmes. “We want to provide businesses recommendations on tools and policies that can get employees out of the office and productive as quickly as possible, and ways for employers to evaluate the telework program once implemented to fine-tune it as it develops.”
RIDE Solutions has created a short video of five recommendations for teleworking in a crisis, and list of telework resources and news at ridesolutions.org/telework. This list will be updated as new tools become available. RIDE Solutions also directs businesses to the teleworkva.org website, a statewide resource with a range of e-learning modules and evaluation tools that can help businesses build and monitor their telework program quickly.
“As your regional Commuter Assistance Program, we are here to help,” adds Holmes. “We encourage employers to reach out to us to get connected to a local program coordinator. We’ll do everything we can to help link businesses to the tools that are the best fit for their needs.” Businesses interested in telework support can contact RIDE Solutions at info@ridesolutions.org or at 1-866-424-3334.
RIDE Solutions is a commuter services program operated by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission in cooperation with the New River Valley Planning District Commission, the Central Virginia Planning District Commission, and the West Piedmont Planning District Commission. It provides multimodal trip planning services for citizens and employers throughout Central and Southwest Virginia
