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When Netami Stuart accepted a job last March as a designer for PMA Landscape Architects Ltd. in Toronto, the deal clincher wasn't the salary, benefits package or vacation days.

Rather, it was the company's subscription to a car-sharing program that gives members -- and their employees -- access to a fleet of rental vehicles around the city.

Instead of driving to work every day and using her car to go to clients, Ms. Stuart figured she could cycle to her employer's downtown office and then jump into a rental car when needed. And she finally could get rid of her own car -- a hand-me-down costing about $5,000 a year in fuel and maintenance.

"When I was doing the [job] interview, I was happier to take a far more flexible approach in my salary negotiations because I would have 5,000 extra dollars in my pocket from not having to own and drive a car," says Ms. Stuart, an avid cyclist.

Employers take note: Human resources and commuter options experts say that a combination of factors -- including gas prices that have topped a dollar a litre, greater demand for work-life balance and growing concern for the environment -- is making employees clamour for less costly, more convenient and Earth-friendlier ways of getting to work.

Nearly 85 per cent of respondents to a recent on-line survey by Monster Worldwide Inc. said that eye-popping prices at the gas pumps have affected their willingness to commute to work. And 44 per cent of respondents to a 2003 survey by Ottawa-based think tank Canadian Policy Research Networks said the length of their commute influenced their decision on where they currently worked. Nearly 90 per cent said commute times would influence future job choices.

In the heated competition for talent, experts say more companies are distinguishing themselves as "employers of choice" by offering ways to ease the commute for their employees.

They're doing this through a variety of approaches, including teleworking, transit subsidies, carpooling, car-share programs and "distributed working," which lets employees work in an office closer to home.

"There's a war on talent out there," says Dave Mowat, chief executive officer of Vancouver-based Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, which offers employees the works when it comes to commuting options. "As employers, we need to take advantage of everything we've got to attract and retain talent."

Saleem Sattar, environmental protection manager at Transport Canada, says he's seeing more employers that want to help reduce employees' commuting times and costs. In 2004, Transport Canada rolled out "commuter options" seminars that teach companies how to set up programs. So far, Mr. Sattar says, more than 80 companies have attended.

Bob Fortier, president of InnoVisions Canada, an Ottawa-based consulting firm that helps companies set up telework and flex-work programs, says he has seen demand for his company's services triple in the past two years. He attributes this spike largely to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which he says made many companies realize telecommuting can minimize business interruptions during an emergency.

But most employers have implemented telework programs because workers demand flexibility, adds Mr. Fortier, president of the Canadian Telework Association.

To respond to this need for flexibility, some companies have begun to offer distributed work spaces -- also referred to as flex spaces --- for employees who work at home or in the field.

At BCE Inc., for instance, remote employees can log on to a company website and reserve a desk or meeting room at a BCE office closest to them, says Marc Duchesne, director of corporate responsibility and environment.

There are other ways companies can give employees a hand with the work commute, says Rita Koutsodimos, a project co-ordinator for Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST), a Vancouver-based non-profit organization that promotes environmentally friendly transportation.

Carpooling is one such way, and, by all accounts, it is catching on.

Vancouver Island-based Trans Canada Carpool.ca, for instance, sets up on-line carpool-matching services for companies, universities and local governments.

Organizations pay a subscription fee that gives them and their users access to a database of carpoolers in their area.

The site now has more than 9,000 active registrants across Canada, up from 360 at the end of 2000, when it went live, says director Anne Marie Thornton.

To make carpooling even more appealing, some companies -- Vancity is one example --offer discounted parking for cars with multiple occupants, Ms. Thornton says. Others give carpoolers preferred parking spots.

Employees at Nortel Networks Corp. get a shorter walk to the front door when they share a ride with fellow workers.

In fact, says John Sauve, who oversees Brampton, Ont.-based Nortel's commuter options program, all underground parking spots in the company's Ottawa location are reserved for carpoolers -- a reward especially appreciated during the winter months.

For employees who drive or take transit to work but would like to use a cheaper and more environmentally friendly mode of transportation during the work day, some companies provide loaner bicycles.

Mr. Duchesne says BCE has about 25 bikes in Toronto and Montreal that employees can "check out" just as they would a library book.

BCE has logged more than 1,000 check-outs since its bike-lending program was launched in 2003, he says. "There's actually a backlog in terms of reservations."

At Vancity, employees can also borrow a company bicycle for business or pleasure during the work day. Or if they've got to make a business trip during the day, they can hop into one of two company-owned smart cars.

That's not all. Vancity is also among employers who provide amenities such as secure indoor bike racks and showers for employees who prefer to get to work on their own steam -- they bike, rollerblade, run, walk or even ski.

It has also enrolled in an "employer pass" program, run by the regional transit authority, which gives employees a 15-per-cent discount on the cost of a monthly transit pass.

The discount, funded by the regional government, is available to Vancouver-area companies with 25 or more employees who commit to taking public transit for a full year.

Employers buy the discounted passes from the transit authority, then sell them to employees.

John Beaudoin, manager of transportation demand management for the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority, says about 13,000 workers from more than 200 companies are subscribed to the program.

"We've seen the program double in the last two-and-a-half years," he says.

And for employees who may be reluctant to leave the car at home in case an emergency, such as a child getting sick at school, forces them to leave work in a hurry, Vancity will soon launch a "guaranteed ride home" program. It will make sure employees get home promptly -- either by taxi or another employee giving them a lift -- during an emergency, Mr. Mowat says.

The company's efforts to encourage employees to leave their cars at home is paying off, Mr. Mowat says. More than half of Vancity staff get to work other than by driving alone in their car.

Meanwhile, other employers simply hand their employees cold, hard cash to subsidize travel costs. At G.A.P. Adventures Inc., a Toronto company that specializes in eco-friendly tours, employees who take public transit to work get $25 a month, says spokeswoman Kira Zack.

And at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler Hotel in Whistler, B.C., employees who live in some neighbouring communities get a transportation allowance of $7.25 a day that can be used to pay for gas or bus fare.

"It's tough to find people to work," says Michelle Graham, the hotel's HR director. "We use the allowance as part of our hiring and retention strategy."

While there are many reasons employees choose to accept and stay in a job, employers can't ignore the impact of commuting on the decision, Ms. Koutsodimos says.

"It shows you care about your employees when you offer them better commuting options," she says. "It's just another benefit employers can provide that can really set them apart."

Ease employees' commute

Find out if your city has a transit discount program. In some cities, employers can sign up for programs that give their employees discounts off transit passes. Call your local government or transit agency to find out if it runs such a program.

Give them an allowance. In place of a transit discount program, give employees a transportation allowance. This way, there's a financial incentive for everyone, not just those who take mass transit. And employees who really need to drive get a little help with their gas bill.

Encourage carpooling. Depending on the size of your company, you could set up an informal carpooling program or sign up with a service that will set up a carpooling database for your company.

Make it easy. Find out what obstacles stand in the way of employees taking alternative commuting modes and eliminate them. For instance, if employees are worried about their expensive mountain bikes getting stolen, provide secure bike racks indoors. If long jogs or bike rides mean employees must start their workday on a sweaty note, build a shower or subsidize memberships to a nearby gym where they can freshen up before reporting for work.

Provide a guaranteed ride home. Create a "commuting insurance" plan that will ensure employees who choose alternative transportation modes can get home quickly in case of an emergency. This could mean having cash or taxi vouchers always at the ready, or designating people who can drive a fellow employee home at a moment's notice.

Set an example. Don't talk the talk, then drive in to work in your SUV. Culture change starts at the top, so all managers need to look at how they can get to work in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.

Marjo Johne