It’s not always easy to run a rideshare program. Employees can be stubborn about driving alone. Management often doesn't understand what you do. Budgets are typically tight. Yet with all the obstacles you face, you can go to work every day loving your job. Here’s how:

1. Play to your strengths. 

  Are you the creative type?  A social butterfly?  Do you always have to have the latest technological gadgets? "People who do what they love tend to be better at what they do...because they love it!" says Candy Deemer, author of Dancing on the Glass Ceiling. That can apply whether promoting ridesharing is your dream job or just something you inherited among other duties at work. 
  Deemer suggests you make a list of things that bring you joy, no matter how unrelated to commuting they may seem to be.  Then think about your job—is there a way to incorporate the things on your list? "There’s nothing that will make a 'people person' more miserable than sitting in a room all day working on a computer. They have to get out there and shake hands," adds Deemer. "The more you can mesh your job and your personality and passions, the happier you’ll be."
  If you’re a "techie," how about developing a rideshare web site, or spearheading a change from conducting your paper survey to electronic? Create a great rideshare billboard if you love art.  Make one-on-one phone calls or plan a party if you’re the outgoing type. 

2. Get connected. 

  Studies show that the vast majority of employee transportation coordinators (ETCs) do the job on their own at their work site—which means you may lack the opportunity for on-the-job friendships that can evolve naturally from working with others on a project. To meet other ETCs, attend a network meeting in your area, sign up for a workshop or join a professional organization such as the Association for Commuter Transportation. You can also link up with other ETCs on facebook or other social networking sites.

3. Toot your own horn. 

  Feeling underappreciated is a top reason for job dissatisfaction, but you often won’t get the kudos you deserve unless you bring your accomplishments to the attention of your supervisors. Did you meet average vehicle ridership goals?  Start a new vanpool? It’s not bragging to let people know...think of it as keeping them in the loop.

4. Create your own projects. 

  Your reaction to this may be, "Are you crazy?  I'm already overworked!" But truth is, you're far more likely to give yourself an interesting task than management is—and if you don’t, your job as an ETC could just be paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork.  When you create a project—like starting up a shuttle between a transit station and your work site for example—you not only get to do work that you value, but you help others see the value in your work, too.  Which brings us to...

5. Remind yourself of the importance of what you do.

  As an ETC, you’re not just building widgets when you go to work. You’re helping employees avoid the stress and expense of driving alone, and you’re contributing to cleaner air and a better way of life in Southern California. 
  How can you not love that?