General Info
Northwestern Mutual has been a proud partner of Milwaukee County Transit System for many years. For more than 14 years, they have been a champion of the Commuter Value Pass program and have offered this great benefit to their employees. At the peak of employee participation, Northwestern Mutual had over 400 employees participating in the CVP program. Because of Northwestern Mutual’s transition to a hybrid work model over the past few years, the number of participants has dropped slightly, but they are working to increase that number and get it back to 400.
Situation
Due to Northwestern Mutual’s location in downtown Milwaukee, finding convenient parking can be challenging and an added expense for employees. By partnering with MCTS and the CVP program, Northwestern Mutual offers an option for “employees that don’t want to drive, don’t want to deal with traffic, and don’t want their commute extended because of weather,” says Robert Wilks, Assistant Director of Enterprise Security, Transportation, and Parking.
Northwestern Mutual offers a robust ESG (environmental, social, and governance) program with offerings such as EV parking in nearby parking structures, various bike programs, as well as strong partnerships with companies like MCTS. By offering and encouraging employees to utilize the CVP program, and MCTS in general, Northwestern Mutual is doing their part to help the environment.
Implementation
“From the very start with orientation, new employees are given the information about the Commuter Value Pass offerings that we have here at Northwestern Mutual,” says Wilks. MCTS supplies Northwestern Mutual with a link that is then shared with new employees. The employee uses that link to register and sign into the app on their phone. “It is very efficient, very easy to sign up, and very easy to manage.”
The administrative side of the CVP program is also very straight-forward and seamless. Northwestern Mutual receives frequent communication from MCTS whenever there are disruptions to a specific route, rate increases, or changes to the program. These updates and changes are then sent out to all participating employees via various communications channels including Slack, an internal instant messenger program, and Northwestern Mutual’s internal community website.
What makes this case study unique?
Northwestern Mutual has a robust internship program and offers the CVP program specifically for all interns. They feel this is a huge draw for their internship program, providing individuals with a financially and economically friendly way to get to their internship every day.
In addition to the strong support of the CVP program, Northwestern Mutual employees have also been big supporters of MCTS’ Freeway Flyer program over the years. This was a great resource for individuals who preferred to park their cars and work or read on the bus on the way into the office.
Results
“As a large employer in downtown Milwaukee, it is incumbent on us to be able to attract, retain, develop, and advance talent,” says Wilks. “We need that talented, diverse staff to be able to get to our campuses and so CVP, and MCTS, are an important part of that equation in order for us to be successful.”