What is sharing parking spaces? – Definition
The sharing parking spaces within a company refers to an organisation in which parking spaces are no longer allocated on a fixed basis to one employee, but are shared between several employees, according to their actual needs & defined sharing rules.
Unlike a permanent allocation by name, shared parking is based on a dynamic allocation of parking spaces, adjusted to actual presence on site and occasional needs.
The aim of this model is to improve the actual occupancy rate of the car park, reduce unused spaces and support changes in working patterns, particularly the spread of teleworking, part-time working and hybrid working.
For example, if an employee is absent several days a week, his or her space can be redistributed to another employee without affecting the working conditions of either of them.
Pooling can be total or partial, with some companies choosing to keep named places for specific profiles (directors, senior managers, etc.) while pooling the others.
In practice, how does it work?
The practical implementation of shared parking is most often based on the use of company car park management applications, such as Sharvy.
These tools allow employees to reserve a parking space in advance for a specific day, according to their attendance schedule. They can also check the occupancy rate of the car park in real time, making it easier to take quick decisions when necessary (e.g. favouring car-pooling or public transport over the car if the company car park is full).
These applications can also automate the reallocation of named spaces that are temporarily unoccupied.
For example, if certain employees, such as directors and senior managers, retain a designated space, the system can release their space when they report an absence (leave, business travel, teleworking) and make it available to other employees for the days concerned.
This system is based on transparency, flexibility and user accountability.
It also presupposes centralised or semi-automated management, enabling the company to adapt the system to internal constraints (variable working hours, types of contract, hierarchies), while ensuring fair access to parking resources.
What are the advantages of sharing parking spaces for your company?
Sharing parking spaces offers your company a solution to a common problem : car parks that are partially empty on some days and full on others.
By adapting the number of spaces to the real needs of your employees, your company avoids devoting costly surface areas to irregular use. As a result, it can postpone or even cancel plans to expand or rent additional spaces.
But beyond the financial aspect, this approach also makes it possible to establish a form of fairness in access to parking. In many organisations, some employees have a named parking space that they occupy only a few days a week, while others have to park far from the site, or arrive early just to hope to find a free space.
Sharing parking spaces makes it possible to achieve a more balanced distribution, where everyone can benefit from a space according to the days they are present and their constraints.
It also sends out a strong signal in terms of responsible resource management. Pooling parking spaces shows that your company is seeking to reconcile efficiency and sobriety, without systematically resorting to expansion solutions. This approach is consistent with the objectives of ecological transition, often expressed in CSR policies.
Finally, it fosters a climate of trust and collaboration, by implementing a parking policy that is adapted to the realities of today’s workplace.