Working from home minimises the number of trips that employees make to the office, but it doesn’t necessarily reduce traffic congestion, as they travel more for other purposes, such as visiting family and friends or going to places where they can relax and recharge physically and mentally. If sustainability is the planet’s future, remote jobs aren’t the answer, meaning you should try to get workers back in the office. Taking away company cars isn’t an effective way to reduce your carbon footprint, so you must change people’s commuting behaviour with intrinsic motivation and financial incentives.
Encouraging cycling helps solve urban traffic problems, reduces your organisational impact on the local and broader environment, and offers some pretty neat tax incentives. Being a cycle-friendly employer has many pluses. Countless European entrepreneurs have already reduced greenhouse gas emissions with practical action plans and measures, so what are you waiting for?
Encouraging Cycling to Work Benefits Both You and Your Employees
The UK has a transport decarbonisation challenge, which demands a steep change in the breadth and scale of ambition, meaning we have a duty to act right now to reduce CO2 emissions. To meet the climate plan deadline, we need more employees riding a bike for commuting and business travel. Electric vehicles alone won’t solve the climate crisis. This is precisely why more and more businesses are promoting cycling as a mode of transportation, adjusting the current conditions and improving the facilities to support the experience.
Supporting commuting by bike is good news for staff members, but it has enormous benefits for employers, too, such as:
- The more often people cycle to work (and the longer the distance travelled), the fewer days off they take. Physically healthy employees take fewer sick days. Riding an electric bike can protect from stroke, heart attack, depression, certain cancers, obesity, diabetes, and arthritis.
- Cycling improves stamina and endurance levels, leading to more energy in other areas, like work (and home). Cyclists are less prone to stress.
- Riding a bike is a low-cost, high-yield solution to commuting, so it’s better for the wallet and a lot less harmful to the planet. If you want to become a socially responsible employer, convince the people in your organisation to cycle to work.
Back in 2017, organisations from Denmark, Austria, the UK, Germany, Slovenia, Malta, Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Romania, Italy, and the Netherlands laid the foundation for the Cycle-Friendly Employer Consortium. If you want to become more cycling-friendly, you can obtain a nationally recognised award and access a development grant fund.
There Are Many Ways in Which an Employer Can Become Cycle-Friendly
You can make a difference. A pro-cycling attitude can enhance your reputation with employees, which is more important than philanthropy, job creation, or environmental concerns. Workers are the backbone of any successful organisation, the driving force behind any process, innovation, and success that a company can have. Here are some strategies you can resort to if you want to encourage people to leave their cars behind:
Create A Cycling Culture Within Your Company
Culture change is of the essence when it comes to convincing team members to get on their bikes and capitalise on the health, well-being, and environmental benefits of cycling. The effects of climate change are apparent, and we have the power to change everything. Have on-site showers with changing rooms and secure lockers to allow riders to clear off the commute and get ready for work. It’ll also benefit people who jog, go to the gym, or exercise during their lunch breaks. Consider providing information like maps or cycling routes so people can find the best trails and appoint a bicycle coordinator.
Have A Selection of Office Bikes Available
Many of your employees have been thinking about ditching four wheels for some time now but have no motivation whatsoever. Give your people access to a wide array of bikes to defray the costs of ownership, along with equipment like helmets, puncture repair kits, and a pump. Companies can buy bikes and safety equipment for directors and other staff members, including electrically assisted pedal bikes. Upway is the biggest European marketplace for reconditioned e-bikes, offering flexibility with electric mobility. Buying a bike will be considered a capital expenditure that qualifies for the Annual Investment Allowance.
Organise Bike-To-Work Days or Team Cycling Challenges
Create friendly competitions and events for improved employee engagement. A bike-to-work day, for instance, promotes the bike as an option for commuting to work, so be a spokesmodel for the active transportation lifestyle and be proud of your efforts. Less confident workers will become more optimistic, approaching cycling with a positive mindset since they’re not alone. Whether covering many miles on two wheels, beating personal records, or exploring the city by bike, a bike-to-work day is an excellent idea.
Organise an active challenge to promote cycling as a daily transport mode for everyone. Decide where A and B are going to be – will you start at home, your company’s office, or a landmark nearby? Punctuate the route with rest stops, whether it’s a morning espresso or an overnight hotel stop, because the body needs time to rebuild after the muscles literally break down. There’s good reason to be hopeful because people of all ages love cycling and understand its benefits, many of them riding the bike for leisure, at weekends, or outside the city.
Offer Safe, Secure, And Convenient Cycle Parking Facilities
Imagine the following situation: your employees have started cycling and see its potential for getting around, but they find it impossible to remember where they parked their bikes, especially in crowded places. If you want to raise the profile of cycling-to-work, offer the people in your organisation a safe place to store their bikes, in other words, have the infrastructure to accommodate cyclists. It requires little in terms of investment, but you’ll get a reasonable ROI. To get people riding, give them peace of mind their bikes will be there waiting.
The Takeaway
Promoting cycling as a viable commuting option within your organisation is a win-win strategy, but when the time comes to implement actions, it’s paramount to get off to a good start.
