"For any smart decision-making, carefully monitor local practices"

Smart Mobility is not just a trendy buzzword. It describes a phenomena we must all get to grips with if we are to solve many of the issues we face in society, business and the environment. These issues include traffic congestion and pollution, valuable space taken up in real-estate by vehicles that are stationary 94% of the time and the environmental impact of fossil-fuelled transportation.

We’re shifting away from car ownership to usership and from company cars to mobility policies and budgets. Making the transition seamlessly, cost-effectively and without disruption takes expertise. One such expert is Lisa Grunditz, Associate Director, Rewards Data Intelligence, Global Company Car Benefits, EMEA for WTW. Lisa has been a compensation specialist for more than 15 years, supporting organisations with data driven decisions. We caught up with Lisa to ask questions about her life as a smart mobility expert:

Who are you, what is your role, why are you involved in smart mobility, what is your key motto?

Lisa Grunditz, Associate Director and Lead for WTW’s Company Car Benefits Survey. This international survey reflects data submitted by companies with operations in 77 countries in three key regions: 1) Asia Pacific, 2) Europe, Middle East and Africa, and 3) Latin America.

We ask organisations to provide us with data on their company car policies and positions. The survey also covers taxation highlights. By collecting and collating this data, we support employers’ efforts to build best-in-class company car policies and practices to support their employee benefits offerings. Our motto is: Getting compensation right is hard. We make it easy.

What do you advise organisations starting with smart and alternative mobility?

Introducing new programs and practices reflects both a financial and cultural investment, so it’s important to get your offerings right. The foundation for any smart decision-making is to carefully monitor local practices, your own business needs as well as employee preferences. There are many resources in the marketplace to inform your decisions, but it’s critical to consider the depth and breadth of the data you use, in addition to the human element behind that data. I would advise organisations that are new to company car benefits (or any other programs) to ensure they have a strong partner who understands the local market’s nuances, has experience with organisations like yours and can help inform the data with a human touch.

What do you advise the next generation of mobility managers?

So much has happened in the world since 2019, I think we all have learned to not presume what tomorrow will bring. This makes it important to keep an eye on how companies’ strategies should evolve in relation to what’s happening on a broader scale. For example, the pandemic and an increased focus on the climate crisis have put working patterns and sustainability high on the list of considerations in organisations that already have mobility programs in place. It is important to regularly lift your head and consider how factors outside of mobility may impact your programs and practices so that your organisation stays ahead of the curve and remains relevant to current and future employees. Again, having a strong partner can make this exercise much easier and helps you make decisions that are defensible to your leadership team.

What do you advise your younger self?

Ask questions. Again, so many employee benefits policies and practices take a great financial investment. And when you’re thinking about providing vehicles in combination with other mobility solutions to employees, that could arguably mean an even bigger investment. I would advise my younger self to not be shy about understanding where the organisation’s benefits budgets are going and what the cost-benefit of that investment is. It can be easy to just assume that the information you gather is credible, but simple Google searches or even for-fee data doesn’t always provide the data and intelligence that will support decisions. Ask, ask, ask. Where does the data come from? When was it last collected? What is the process for cleaning and presenting the data as final? How well equipped is the provider to answer more in-depth questions?

What are your daily mantras?  

Never assume. Ask questions. Stay informed. Be aware.

For more insights and information sharing on Smart Mobility....

Disrupting the car – The SMI (Smart Mobility Institute) gives you insight into new mobility solutions for short, medium and long travel distances
Convention Centre Dublin (CCD)
16 November from 10:00-15:30

Don’t miss this SMI session to explore opportunities for offering your employees corporate mobility solutions! 
Sign up here to secure your place.

The SMI session is aimed at corporate decision-makers in mobility and is included as part of your Fleet Europe ticket. Places at this unique forum are limited to just 50 attendees and these will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.