Good feedback from employers who weathered the storm.  Better driving habits derived from a glass of water.  Best places to work.  It's all here in the latest edition of Merging Lanes!

Fortunate Ones: Best Companies to Work for in GA

Fortune recently released its annual roster of the 100 best employers to work for, featuring three venerable Georgia companies that have been mainstays on the magazine’s list over the past several years.  Alston + Bird (13), Aflac (57) and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (60) have more in common than just their Georgia roots: all three organizations offer commute options programs that help their employees minimize the hassles of getting to and from work.

Lane ends 2,000 feet.

Revisiting “the winter of our discontent”

While many North Georgia employers wrestled with the weeklong deep freeze in mid-January, more positive stories continue to emerge about those who were equipped to make the week somewhat productive.  As these employers note, the capacity to telework brought a decided advantage in the battle versus Mother Nature:

“Having our network accessible by employees from home was the most significant factor in capturing billable hours. Their ability to log in and be productive was huge for us, as we'll have a lot less time to try and make up between now and the end of January.”
-- Ed Cave, President, Veenendaal Cave

“We were able to conduct business for the most part, however, only a few people from the lab were able to work.  The leaders of Metametrix were pleased that we were able to continue to work. People that were not connected to the VPN actually called to get connected.”
-- Linda Thompson, Assistant Director of Human Resources, Metametrix

Vocalocity worked with Midtown Transportation Solutions and The Clean Air Campaign to formalize a telework policy, which, combined with their VoIP technology helped ensure that the company worked efficiently from home. 

NOTE: This Friday from 8am to 9:30am, The Clean Air Campaign will host a special seminar on business continuity at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park.  Interested employers can RSVP for this free event by e-mailing bgraham@cleanaircampaign.org. 
 

Lane ends 1,000 feet.

If you build it, they will come. 

Downtown Atlanta’s future as the nucleus of rail and bus transit came into focus as the Georgia Department of Transportation began conversations with engineering and design firms on plans for a major facility to be located near the Five Points MARTA station.  The project is being billed as one of the largest transit-oriented developments in the country, which would bring new options to commuters and prime location advantages to all types of employers.  

Lane ends 500 feet.

Old school approach to efficient driving gets a new twist.

Ever heard of the old “glass of water” trick, where you place a full glass of water on the dashboard of your car with the goal of driving gently enough not to spill it?  No hard turns.  No aggressive starts or stops.  The benefits to driving this way of course are greater fuel economy and fewer emissions.  And now, there’s an app developed by engineers at Toyota for this old school approach.  Drivers can get performance data on their efforts to identify where there is room for improvement.  And if their carpool partner happens to be feeling a little parched, well …

Merge.