Employers should know these 7 mobility profiles of their employees

In the competition for the best skilled workers, mobility plays an important role in attracting and retaining employees. For employers, it is an easy way to add a suitable mobility benefit to their benefits package and at the same time to distinguish themselves as an attractive place to work, both for existing and potential employees. For their part, employees are becoming more individualised when it comes to how their needs can be met, and this also applies to their mobility needs.

We highlight seven typical mobility profiles that every employer should recognise in their team and recommend which mobility approach best fits the different employee profiles.

1 The Commuter

Commuters are probably the most common mobility profile in companies. These employees travel regularly between their home and their workplace, and sometimes over long distances. They rely on reliable and efficient transport to get to work on time. Commuters often face challenges such as traffic congestion, high fuel costs and stress. Their main needs are reliability, time savings and cost control.

The commuter does not have only one preferred means of transport. He or she gets into the car or onto the bicycle in the morning, rides to the nearest park-and-ride lot, changes to public transport (e.g. train or underground) and then walks to the office. This means that commuters use a wide range of mobility services. These employees value season tickets for public transport and the possibility to switch flexibly between different mobility options.

Recommendations - How you can support commuters:

  • Flexible working hours: Consider introducing flexible working hours or flexitime to help commuters plan their off-peak journeys.
  • Home office days: Allow your employees to work from home occasionally to minimise commuting stress.
  • Jobticket Plus: Offer your employees a Jobticket (or the Deutschlandticket) as well as a mobility budget with which they can flexibly use other necessary means of transport.
  • Encourage carpooling: Encourage employees who drive to carpool to reduce the cost and stress of commuting. You will also promote a sense of togetherness within the team.
  • Travel allowances or fuel vouchers: Offer financial incentives, such as travel allowances or fuel vouchers, to reduce the cost of regular commuting and reduce the burden on your employees.

2 The Home Office Enthusiast

Home office enthusiasts prefer to work from home. These employees appreciate the flexibility that working at home offers. They deliberately keep the number of days in the office low.


For some employees, home office is essential for various reasons. These include the need to balance work and family, saving long commuting times and creating an individual working environment.

Recommendations - How to promote the home office:

  • Home office policies: Develop clear policies and processes for working from home to ensure productivity and communication.
  • Technical support: Ensure that employees have the necessary technical equipment and IT support to work smoothly from home.
  • Regular check-ins: Hold regular virtual meetings and check-ins to keep home office workers connected and communicating with the office.
  • Mobility budget: Offer employees who work remotely or from home a flexible mobility budget. This way you create an attractive incentive for them to come to the office occasionally.

3 The Mileage Maestro

The mileage collector has a company car and is often on the road. This group of employees uses their company car every day to get to work and for appointments outside the office. During the day, they charge their vehicle or make a quick trip to a petrol station. It is important for them to have access to a large selection of petrol stations or charging stations and to be able to pay there easily and quickly.|

Recommendations - This is how you can support mileage collectors:

  • Subsidies or fuel card: Offer financial incentives such as travel subsidies or a virtual fuel and charging card. On the one hand, to reduce the cost of regular commuting and, on the other, to make it easier for employees to use and pay for refuelling or charging.
  • Flexible working hours: Consider introducing flexible working hours or the possibility of flexitime to help this group of employees plan their off-peak journeys.
  • Home office days: If possible, allow your employees to work from home occasionally to reduce the time spent in the car and the stress associated with it.

4 The Environmentalist

Environmentally conscious employees attach importance to sustainability and environmental compatibility in their mobility decisions. They prefer environmentally and climate-friendly means of transport and avoid using fossil fuels.


Environmentalists want to reduce their ecological footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. This is important to them in their choice of workplace and mobility. They prefer public transport and bicycles to cars whenever possible.


Recommendations - How you can support environmentally conscious employees:

  • Promote public transport: Consider providing travel subsidies for the use of public transport or financial and administrative support for the purchase of tickets or a job ticket.
  • Bicycle-friendly measures: There are a few ways to encourage cycling to work. Set up secure bike parking at the workplace or provide showers and changing rooms. Both companies and employees can save a lot of money with an attractive company bike lease.
  • Flexible mobility budget: A mobility budget is an effective employee benefit to support and promote sustainable mobility in the company. CO2 tracking can also be used to compensate for all CO2 emissions generated via climate protection projects.
  • Promote electric mobility: If this group of employees needs the car, offer charging facilities for electric vehicles or support the purchase of electric vehicles through subsidies.

5 The Globetrotter

The globetrotter spends a lot of time outside the office and is often away on business trips, possibly even abroad. For this reason, the mobility needs of these employees differ slightly from those of the other profiles. These employees need a reliable and efficient way to travel between locations.

For these business travellers, it is important to have a budget in place to flexibly book flights, taxis and hotels or make reservations for meals. These employees want as little red tape as possible - especially when they are travelling - and therefore benefit from a single solution that allows them to do the above, provides a good overview of costs and is easy to use. They need flexible booking options and support with travel matters.


Recommendations - How to effectively support business travellers:

  • Travel policies: Develop clear travel policies and processes to facilitate bookings and control costs.
  • Travel expense reporting: Implement simple accounting systems to simplify the reimbursement of travel expenses.
  • Business travel platforms: Consider using dedicated business travel booking and management platforms to streamline the process.

6 The Individualist

The individualist uses his or her own means of transport. Whether car or (electric) bicycle, these employees require compensation for their mileage. Depending on the day, the individualist gets in their car or on their bicycle - they are not dependent on bus or train schedules. Every month they declare their kilometres so that they can claim back their travel expenses, and they make a point of being able to do this as quickly and easily as possible.


Recommendations - How you can support individualists:

  • Allowances or fuel card: Offer financial incentives such as travel subsidies or a virtual fuel and charging card. On the one hand, to reduce the cost of regular commuting and, on the other, to make it easier for employees to use and pay for refuelling or charging.
  • Bike-friendly measures: There are a few ways to encourage cycling to work. Set up secure bike parking at the workplace or provide showers and changing rooms. Both companies and employees can save a lot of money with an attractive company bike lease.
  • Flexible mobility budget: A mobility budget is an effective employee benefit to promote sustainable mobility in the company and to simplify the settlement of travel costs for employers and employees.
  • Promote electric mobility: If this group of employees needs the car, offer charging facilities for electric vehicles or support the purchase of electric vehicles through subsidies.

7 The Improviser

Improvisers don't want to be tied to a single subscription or mode of transport for their commute. Every day is different, as is the way they travel for business or to and from the office. This flexible type of employee values versatility and adapts their mobility to suit their needs. He can work both in the office and from home and is open to different modes of transport.

These employees use car sharing to visit a client, or they opt for a rental bike if the meeting is nearby. Some days they take the train when they know public transport will be quiet. Flexible employees appreciate the possibility to adapt their mobility according to the requirements of their tasks. They don't want rigid specifications, but they want a versatile mobility offer and appreciate the freedom that different mobility options provide.

Recommendations - How you can support improvisers:

  • Mobile workplace solutions: Provide the technology and resources that enable employees to work effectively from different locations.
  • Flexible transport: Give employees the freedom to choose the mode of transport that best suits their situation. This can include bike leasing, public transport or other options.
  • Individual mobility budgets: Consider introducing mobility budgets that give employees control over their mobility costs and options.

Conclusion

Like traffic, the mobility needs of employees are in a constant state of flux. It is important that companies respond and contribute to this. Employers need to be flexible if they want to attract the right professionals and retain their current employees.

It is not only important to meet the needs of employees, but also to know how their employees move. Last but not least, from 2024, every employer with more than 100 employees will be required to record and report the CO2 emissions of all kilometres travelled by employees in commuting and business trips as part of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. Many employers are not (yet) aware of this - but clear insights into employee mobility behaviour will soon be required. Fortunately, systems such as a mobility budget platform now exist that can easily map this while helping to provide a flexible and tailored mobility package for employees.

Stefan Wendering
Stefan is a freelance writer and editor at NAVIT. Previously, he worked for startups and in the mobility cosmos. He is an expert in urban and sustainable mobility, employee benefits and new work. Besides blog content, he also creates marketing materials, taglines and content for websites and case studies.