Posted on October 31, 2016 by Susan Mullin

What D.C.’s Nasty Traffic Means For Your Next Hire (and What You Can Do About It)

Those of us who live in the D.C. Metro area know commuting takes frustration to a new level—traffic is a nightmare, public transportation is less than ideal, and the traditional rush “hour” expands beyond the norms of most major cities. In fact, D.C. has some of the highest percentage of the country’s mega-commuters—people who travel more than 90 minutes a day, with 27 percent of people spending two hours a day commuting, according to the Census Bureau. And all of this can limit your hiring options.

For organizations interested in hiring entry or mid-level Millennial marketing and communications workers—many of whom live either in D.C. or the very close-in suburbs—an outside-the-Beltway address almost certainly counts against you. And even if candidates are willing to overlook spending an hour in the car or on Metro, that kind of commute can wear on them in the long-term, making them more likely to quit.

This is why TorchLight, one of the D.C. area’s top marketing and communications recruiters, asks all prospective candidates about their commute tolerance and capacity—we want to ensure that your next hire is a good fit for your company and that they won’t feel burned out from commuting within six months in the job.

So aside from moving, what can you do to make an out-of-the-way location more attractive?

• Offer a flexible schedule: Allowing employees to shift their hours to earlier or later in the day can mitigate headaches.
• Consider Teleworking: Most organizations require employees to pass milestones before they become eligible to work from home. If you’ve got a great potential hire who is wary of the commute, consider shortening this timeframe to less than six months.
• Opt for a satellite office in D.C.: Co-working spaces offer could offer your employees the opportunity to work together without making the trek to your office most days, reserving their heavy commutes for major meetings or events.
• Offer benefits that help outweigh the commuting time: More vacation, opportunities to travel, volunteer, or trainings to grow their skill set are all appealing to millennials.

Commuting capacity is just one aspect that TorchLight considers when finding the right candidates for marketing and communications positions in the D.C. area.

---

Looking for experienced marketing recruiters to meet your search, staffing and job search needs? We’re here to help!

Posted in , Hiring Managers, Hiring Trends, Recruitment