Managing Employee Parking Compliance at Hospitals

Is your hospital parking facility like the Wild West? Patients and visitors madly search for spaces to visit their loved ones. Outpatients try to park quickly to get to their appointments on time. Doctors and nurses need to arrive on time for their shifts as they go round and round to find an empty spot. Add technicians, vendors, maintenance crews, and administrative staff to the crazy mix of vehicles fighting for spaces, and safety becomes a serious concern. Employee parking management is essential!

Managing employee parking compliance at healthcare facilities can be tricky. This article details some crucial factors to optimize your facility and achieve a seamless parking operation. Learn about the issues and important considerations for fixing your parking problems. 

FC Valet has more than 25 years of expertise in hospital parking management services. We understand our healthcare clients’ challenges and provide comprehensive services, including shuttle bus, patient transportation, concierge, and valet services. 

How to Manage Employee Parking Compliance

How do you keep hospital staff and vendors from parking in spaces meant for patients and visitors? Establishing employee parking requirements and strictly enforcing compliance is one thing, but what if they have few options? It takes strategic planning for improved efficiency and a more orderly facility. 

A healthcare parking management company can help you bring the chaos under control with:

Designated Employee Parking Areas

Assign and clearly mark employee parking areas. These spots should be convenient for your staff but separate from patient and visitor spaces. Consider the traffic flow and provide signage to direct employee traffic. If possible, veer them off early to reduce the congestion at the entrance. 

Parking Permits

Issue employee parking permits with clear color-coding or zone-based restrictions. Regularly monitor these permits and enforce penalties for violations. Having designated parking will reduce stress and encourage staff not to use patient/visitor spots.

Access Control

Create designated parking zones for employees and install gated systems or barriers that require employee permits or badges to access. Distinct zones keep employees out of patient/visitor areas and patients and visitors out of employee areas for a smoother operation and fewer complaints.

Signage and Communication

Differentiate patient/visitor and employee parking with prominent signage throughout the facility. Regularly remind hospital employees why leaving closer spots for patients and visitors is vital.

Incentives for Remote Parking

Provide staff with incentives like shuttle services or employee discounts for parking in more remote areas. Mention the benefits of walking and how patient satisfaction will make their jobs easier. These methods will help free up space closer to the hospital for patients and visitors.

Regular Monitoring and Enforcement

Ensure security personnel or parking staff regularly monitor parking areas. Issue warnings or fines for employees who park in restricted spaces.

Carpool, Public Transportation or Ride-Share Programs

Encourage employees to carpool or use ride-share programs, which could reduce the need for additional parking spots. Set up and promote these programs, or provide incentives for public transportation or bicycling to make it easier for staff to get involved. 

Use of Technology

Consider using parking management software to track and control who parks where. License plate recognition technology can help streamline enforcement.

Employee Parking Policy

Create a formal policy that outlines where employees should park and the consequences of parking in patient and visitor spaces. Communicate this clearly to all staff and include parking regulations in their employee manual.

Less parking stress leads to patient and visitor satisfaction and happier employees. A comprehensive employee parking management plan can improve your facility, leading to customer satisfaction and a boost in profits.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you solve parking problems for employees? 

Help alleviate parking stress by creating employee parking zones and enforcing them with parking permits and access control. Consider setting up a remote lot for employees and using convenient shuttle buses.  

What legal considerations are there for employee parking at hospitals? 

Parking lot managers must consider the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when implementing rules for employee parking at hospitals. The ADA-accessible parking guidelines require specially designed spaces for those with disabilities, including staff. The buses must also meet accessibility requirements if your hospital uses a remote lot and shuttle buses. 

What role does technology play in managing and tracking employee parking compliance effectively? 

The latest tech can help you to manage and track compliance. License plate recognition (LPR) scans plates, identifies vehicles without valid permits, and alerts personnel. Parking management software can manage permits, track vehicles, and issue reports on parking usage.  

FC Valet: Your Healthcare Parking Management Experts

Let us help you find solutions to your employee parking challenges. We partner with our clients on the logistics of creating an efficient parking system that works for everyone who relies on it. We provide valuable resources to parking facility managers, from maintenance and safety walk-throughs to shuttle bus and valet services as required.

At FC Valet, we go above and beyond. We don’t just manage hospital and healthcare parking facilities; we address real issues and are committed to creating a better and more helpful system for employees and patients. Reach out to our parking facility management team today to see how we can help improve your parking systems.