Free scooters to smooth the commute
Whether it's in-office yoga or free entertainment, technology companies are well known for luring millennial employees with playful perks.
To remain competitive, Blade — a Manhattan-based aviation business known as the “Uber for helicopters” — is offering employees a new perk to help them commute: shareable electric scooters.
The devices won't be available to employees for another week or so, but Simon Mclaren, Blade's director of communications, says recruits have already raved about the possibility of zipping to work. Mclaren says the e-scooter fleet will be an experimental pilot programme.
“To be competitive for tech talent in New York City, helping people get to work is a huge asset,” Mclaren says.
He says congestion meant that many of Blade's 30 or so New York employees were struggling to get to work on time and increasingly requesting to work from their homes.
Though numerous technology companies offer remote work as a perk, Mclaren says Blade's work culture benefits from physically working together. “We have to have collaboration and camaraderie,” he says. “We can have literally hundreds of missions in a single weekend, and slacking someone when you're dealing with live logistical issues isn't a substitute for face-to-face interactions.”
Several New York City lawmakers are pushing to make e-scooters legal for large dockless companies like Bird and Lime to operate, but the fleets remain illegal for now. Mclaren says Blade is keeping close tabs on city policy and will shut down their fleet if the city requires them to. Blade's scooters will be shareable and free to use, and available only to company employees who use an app that was developed in-house. Employees will be able to take the devices home overnight and return them to the office the next day to be recharged.
Blade employees will be required to wear a helmet, and the company also recommends knee pads.
“In aviation, you have to have a culture of safety. We're treating employees the same as passengers — testing equipment and figuring out which equipment is right for the mission.”