After RTT (Reduction of Working Time), a new type of compensatory paid leave, TTR (Responsible Travel Time) is beginning to emerge. Offered by some companies, these encourage employees to opt for sustainable modes of transport during their exceptional trips.
In France, Ubiq, a subsidiary of Nexity, is one of the first companies to have launched this type of leave. Since January 2023, its employees have been able to benefit from two days per year, divisible into half-days, to go on vacation or weekends using sustainable transport such as the train, bicycle, carpooling or bus. The success was immediate, pushing other organizations such as CapGemini or La Fresque du Climat to follow the trend.
Objective: to offer employees more time to prefer slower modes of travel, but also more eco-friendly. Because while it is difficult to bet on long trips when you only have a few days of vacation at provision, choosing a less polluting mode of transport is likely to drastically reduce our annual carbon footprint. According to the Datagir website, managed by the Agency for Ecological Transition (Ademe), the train emits on average 200 times less greenhouse gas than the plane for a journey in France or Europe.
What is it exactly?
The TTR is simple: your company offers you additional days off if you choose an ecological means of transport for your personal travel. Unlike RTT which are linked to your working time, TTR rewards your commitment to the environment. Take the train instead of the plane to go on vacation? You gain a day off. The main rule is that the journey must last more than six hours. This leave is then added to your usual rest days.
How to take advantage of your TTRs?
To take advantage of these TTRs, it is necessary to justify your journey with an invoice or proof of payment. For the moment, the initiatives carried out occasionally in the territory seem promising, but they remain poorly supervised, and above all not mandatory. The fact remains that if vacations are not yet included in the environmental commitments of employers in through the European CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), they could become so if the Member States of the European Union decide to address the issue.
In the United Kingdom, the 10:10 foundation launched the Climate Perks program in 2019, which encourages companies to offer two additional days of leave per year to travel responsibly. This program already has 128 member organizations, including law firms, architects, consultancy groups, government organizations and NGOs. In France, a survey conducted by Harris Interactive in 2022 shows that more than eight out of ten employees expect their companies to prioritize their social and environmental actions.
The good news is that on paper, almost everyone can benefit from TTR. Whether you have a permanent contract, an internship or a work-study program, you are eligible. However, each company is free to set its own rules: some require a minimum commute of six hours, others only accept certain modes of transport.
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