There are plenty of benefits to cycling that most people are aware of. Cycling is without a doubt the healthiest method of transportation available. It keeps you fit while also helping you reduce your carbon footprint. In recent years, cycling has become increasingly popular, both as a leisure activity and as a means of transportation. More and more people nowadays are choosing to ditch their cars and replace them with these two-wheeled vehicles. Countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark already have strong cycling cultures, with Copenhagen being considered the most bike-friendly city in the world.
So, cycling is good for people’s health and the environment, but did you know that it can also benefit your business? If it’s true that bikes are the future of urban mobility, it’s worth learning how this will impact the business environment. So, let’s take a look at the advantages that cycling can provide for your company and the strategies you should employ to encourage your employees to bike to work.
The benefits of creating a cycle-to-work culture
There are plenty of benefits you can reap if you decide to promote a bike-friendly company culture in your company, as follows.
Better employee retention rate
The younger generations are more socially aware and environmentally conscious than older generations. That is reflected in every aspect of their lives, including their career path. Talented individuals looking for a job tend to gravitate towards businesses that share their values and beliefs. They prefer working for green companies that support sustainable practices like cycling to work. Therefore, a bike-friendly culture can help your business attract young talent and improve employee retention rates.
Increased productivity
Since cycling is good for the mind and body, it comes as no surprise that employees who ride their bikes to work tend to perform better. Studies have also shown that those who commute by bicycle on a regular basis take fewer sick days, which could save companies a lot of money in the long term. So, cycling helps increase productivity levels and reduce business costs.
Improve business reputation
These days, businesses are all about embracing sustainability practices and caring for the environment. A cycling culture definitely aligns with these values and with consumers’ demands and expectations. Customers are more likely to support a company that puts in the effort to protect the environment, and supporting cycling serves as proof of that involvement and commitment.
Ways to encourage employees to cycle to work
Now that you know how valuable a cycling-to-work culture can be for your business, it’s time to find out how you can put things into practice.
Incentives
The easiest way to get your employees on board is to offer them incentives. People are a lot more receptive and open to change when there’s a reward involved. A lot of companies provide gym memberships for their employees to help them stay fit and healthy, so why not use the same approach when it comes to cycling? A small bonus or a refund for those who leave their cars at home and ride their bikes to work instead can motivate your employees to jump on the cycling bandwagon.
Raising awareness
As you may know, lasting change has to come from within. So, even if incentives can get them interested in cycling to work, if you want this approach to last, you have to educate your staff on environmental concerns and the positive impact that cycling can have in reducing the carbon footprint and protecting the planet. Once your employees become aware of these aspects and realize that they can also make a difference, it will be a lot easier to engage them in your company’s sustainability journey.
Build a bike fleet
It’s not always as easy as giving your workers enough reasons to make the switch from driving a car to riding a bicycle. Sometimes, it all comes down to a simple technicality: owning a bike. Not everyone has or can afford to buy a bike to commute to work.
Fortunately, there’s a very simple solution for this problem – creating a bike fleet. This gives employees the possibility to book out a bike from work and use it to commute every day, ensuring a very convenient and cost-effective transportation option. The easier it is for your staff to adopt the bike-to-work scheme, the faster they’ll embrace the change.
Ensure cycling facilities
A lot of employers worry about liability issues when promoting cycling to work. Should one of your employees get hurt in a cycling accident on company premises because you breached your duty of care, they have the right to pursue cycling accident compensation for the damages they’ve suffered.
The good news is you can significantly reduce the risk of cycling accidents at work and avoid these unpleasant scenarios by providing adequate cycling facilities for your employees. That implies creating safe and convenient parking spaces for the bikes, preferably in a location close to the premises and with a properly designed infrastructure.
Install showers and change rooms
Sustainability is important, but so is maintaining a professional appearance in the workplace. People may feel enthusiastic about cycling to work, but they sure don’t want to look like they’ve run a marathon to get there. Even a short bike ride can make employees break into a sweat by the time they arrive, which is not exactly the way they want to present themselves in front of their managers and colleagues.
As an employer, you have the possibility and the responsibility to put these concerns to rest by providing adequate facilities such as showers and changing rooms for your employees. This gives employees the possibility to freshen up after an intense ride and start the day off on the right foot.
Promoting a cycle-to-work culture in your company is going to help your business, your employees, and the environment, so you have more than enough reasons to start the process as soon as possible.
