have you ever been a victim of "bikeism" at work?

Porgy

MadammeMarie wrote:

Porgy wrote:

I usually get as wet walking to the the tube station in London and waiting for my bus connection at Woolwich as when I cycle - at least cycling offers the chance of drying out again fairly quickly if the sun comes out.

I always HATED getting wet. I got the biggest umbrella for when I'm walking and spent a fortune on rainproof gear for cycling. I'm probably the worst cycling companiion on bad weather...!

I have no wet weather gear whatsoever - the only thing I don't like is when it runs down your face enough to get into your eyes and drips off your nose - horrible.

Apart from that - I don't really mind getting wet on a bike - it's not nice getting wet and then having to sit on a tube/bus while wet though

amnezia

Headhuunter wrote:

Interesting discussion. I work for a headhunting firm within the investment banking sphere and I have the opposite problem. When I joined I was the only person who biked in, then I suggested that we join the bike to work scheme and it just took off and is still expanding. Now there are around 5 other cyclists (out of a company of about 20 or so) which includes 2 of the 3 CEO/founders of the company. This is all well and good but it has put a strain on the single shower cubicle we have at our disposal (although a couple of people shower at a local gym) as well as the limited sweaty bike kit storage facilities. Originally it was just me and one other guy (a runner) who stored wet towels, sweaty gear etc down a corridor in the basement, now there are towels and gear hanging off every possible railing and raidator. We need to move to an office with proper bike parking, 3 or 4 shower cubicles and storage places for kit!

stop ringing me at work!!!

shouldbeinbed

Jay dubbleU wrote:

I work for a company that has over 7000 staff - no changing rooms, no showers, minimal bike space - government of course

+1 all round I was hoping the new B2W sceme would change things, I'm not holding my breath tho, blue doesn't suit me.

gabriel959

teticio wrote:

BentMikey wrote:

Amazed that there's such anti-cycling attitude in Spain. The UK, yes, but Spain?

its surprising, isn't it? what with some of spain's top sportsmen being cyclists.

spain likes cars.

i remember when i first moved here i asked where the local supermarket was and was told it was about 10 minutes in "that direction". after quite a bit longer than that i asked someone else and they gave me the same answer so i asked them if they were sure... they said, "oh, you are WALKING? pffffff".

things are changing but compared to most of europe (especially, uk, netherlands, scandanavia) they are miles behind. my theory is that the transport and system and roads are much newer (thanks to franco holding spain back) so they haven't had time yet to get fed up of the metro and cars and go back to bikes... i was amazed when i was back in london the other day to see so many people cycling. i used to cycle to work when i was working in london and never thought twice about it (until i nearly ended up a road kill) but there were much fewer people cycling in then...

No, it is not surprising. At least in Madrid, probably one of the worst cities in the world for cyclists. I wouldn't be surprised though either if some of your colleagues get their road bikes out of the closet for the weekend and shoot off to the mountains. That is what a lot of people do around there. Public transport is considerably better than in London or anywhere in the UK for that matter so that might make a difference too.

About Spain is divided in 2 though, surprised you haven't found out already, that is why there was a civil war in the late 1930s, spanish citizens are divided in 2, the lefties liberal ones (one servant over here) and the right wing paranoids at the other side with very little in the middle. Your colleagues are probably a majority of recalcitrant right wing silly billies, I can almost picture them...

There have been a few measures to put Spain back to commuting duties but all of them have failed to date and it is going to take a few decades to get the same level of bikes you see here in the UK or other northern countries.

gabriel959

If you go to the North of Spain (Basque Country) or Catalunya you might be surprised though, they commute to work on their bikes like in the Netherlands or the UK and they have got some state of the art facilities. Unsurprisingly all the big Spanish bike brands come from over there (BH, Massi, Orbea...)

teticio

hi gabriel

don't worry, i discovered the "two spains" a long time ago. i've enjoyed the privellage of being from neither of them and so i can wind up both sides.

i recently ran a half marathon in donosti - it was my first time in the basque country - and i noticed they were much more bike friendly. and i only recently discovered that bh was from there.

by the way, i was born in cambridge (on two wheels practically). from your picture you look quite fast.. i wonder (long shot) if you know john warnock? i used to row with him and he seems to be doing very well in cycling these days. i used to live on gwydir st, home to the cambridge blue pub...

Mr Sworld

gabriel959 wrote:

If you go to the North of Spain (Basque Country) or Catalunya you might be surprised though, they commute to work on their bikes like in the Netherlands or the UK and they have got some state of the art facilities. Unsurprisingly all the big Spanish bike brands come from over there (BH, Massi, Orbea...)

Barceona has a great city bike scheme. You have a pre-paid card and there are cycle parks all around the city. You just use the card, take a bike from the rack, use it and then put the bike back in any of the other racks!

Brilliant!

redddraggon

teticio wrote:

from your picture you look quite fast.. i wonder (long shot) if you know john warnock?

You think Gabriel is Miguel Indurain?

teticio

oops.... stoopid me. i didn't recognise him with those goggles and helmet. (tbh, i wouldn't haven recognised him had i seen him in the supermarket either). i forgot this was a commuter thread not a super fast racing dude thread.

gabriel959

teticio wrote:

oops.... stoopid me. i didn't recognise him with those goggles and helmet. (tbh, i wouldn't haven recognised him had i seen him in the supermarket either). i forgot this was a commuter thread not a super fast racing dude thread.

Thanks for the compliment nonetheless!!!

Do you know about "la Masa Critica"?

teticio

la masa crítica... critical mass... it rings a bell but what is the context? (i suppose the answer is no, i don't)

gabriel959

It is an informal event that happens once a month (or at least used to!) and a lot of cyclists in all kinds of bikes go around Madrid city centre.

http://www.masacritica.es/masacritica.html

You should go there and meet some fellow cyclists!!

Flasheart

Well we finally have some progress.
It looks like there may be a C2W scheme on the horizon at work. It's only taken 2 years of sitting in meetings every quarter.
I seem to remember suggesting it at the first one I attended but nobody paid any attention.
Suddenly it was a brainstorm because one of the head honcho's Mrs's has it at her work.
Working for a Local Authority really sucks at times*



*Mon-Fri :roll:

Mr Sworld

Flasheart wrote:

Working for a Local Authority really sucks at times*

Wow, the LA I work for took it up almost immediately (we even have our own BUG bulletin board on the council intranet!).

Is yours Conservative run?

teticio

gabriel959 wrote:

It is an informal event that happens once a month (or at least used to!) and a lot of cyclists in all kinds of bikes go around Madrid city centre.

http://www.masacritica.es/masacritica.html

You should go there and meet some fellow cyclists!!

wow... this looks great, thanks for the tip!!! will check it out

Bassjunkieuk

I've never really been told that I can't cycle to work although I have had a few instances where I've been recommended off it. In my role I work as basically a contractor providing cover for our on-site IT support guys. The last instance I can remember was when heading for an interview with a new site we would start to cover for in which case arriving sweaty wasn't really an option so it was PT that day!

Most of the other times people seem interested in the fact that I ride in and then surprised when I tell them where I ride in from (not that far out from central London really, but when people get trains/tube/bus I think they tend to get a warped view on distances.......)

I thoroughly enjoy being amongst the cycling minority and I'm rather smug about the fact that I get an hour of exercise and sheer fun either side of my work day :-)

tav1969

IMO Spain (Madrid) can be a strange place to live and work, a lot of people are set in their ways. There are a lot of cool people too of course. I lived there for 2 years, and regularly got funny looks for not wanting to drive my car while drunk (!). A lot of talking behind backs goes on, whereas everyone SEEMS really friendly to your face. There are a lot of politics in the workplace. One year I got no bonus as I hadn't done any overtime, regardless of my actual work output which was on a par with my Spanish colleagues who took a far more relaxed approach to time spent in the office.

Swings and roundabouts though, it is a very nice place to live, food is amazing, public transport is dirt cheap etc. The older generation are very much into outward appearance though - mustn't let the side down, but by all means be nasty and spiteful under your breath. Or maybe that's just my MIL....

tomb353

If your employer tenders for public sector work then they may need ISO 14001 certification in order to avoid being penalised in the tender process. When this cropped up at my work I found it really helped the perception of my cycling by management as overnight I went from being a weirdo to being a one man "green travel policy".

beverick

A few years ago my boss at the time said I shouldn't come to work on the bile because it gave a poor impression of someone on an apparently senior grade.

I said I'd stop coming in on the bike if he swapped his then 12 year old Fiesta for a care commensurate with the direct report to a director.

Bob

gabriel959

tav1969 wrote:

IMO Spain (Madrid) can be a strange place to live and work, a lot of people are set in their ways. There are a lot of cool people too of course. I lived there for 2 years, and regularly got funny looks for not wanting to drive my car while drunk (!). A lot of talking behind backs goes on, whereas everyone SEEMS really friendly to your face. There are a lot of politics in the workplace. One year I got no bonus as I hadn't done any overtime, regardless of my actual work output which was on a par with my Spanish colleagues who took a far more relaxed approach to time spent in the office.

Swings and roundabouts though, it is a very nice place to live, food is amazing, public transport is dirt cheap etc. The older generation are very much into outward appearance though - mustn't let the side down, but by all means be nasty and spiteful under your breath. Or maybe that's just my MIL....

More politics than here?!?!?! I think mate most of the things you say in your post could apply to the UK (except the dirt cheap public transport!)

Onan

cjw wrote:

Thought I'd add this for info (rather than simply a yes they do no they don't debate)...

http://www.chamberhr.co.uk/hrmain.asp?file=0g3rp7ww06ph

"It is suggested that a regular series of chats is held, just to emphasise that it is a high priority on your own list of concerns. Explain that you have their best interests in mind and work to eliminate the odours. Sadly if this conciliatory route fails, and other employees continue to complain about the odours, you may have to consider disciplinary action.
"

Wait, you can sack people for smelling bad?

What if someone has really severe hyperhydrosis? Or gum disease? Or any number of things, really.

Seems like a minefield of potential legal pitfalls to me, advising managers to take disciplinary action against smelly folk.

It's smellist for a start.

fnegroni

I only lasted 3 months working at VISA in Paddington.

Full of wankers, if you ask me (and not just me). They even came up with the 'dress down every *other* Friday' just to have a go at people who forgot what Friday it was...

I now have a family, a great work-life balance, I pollute the least amount possible, take care of myself, my wife and son, and wake up every morning at ease with who I am and happy to cycle to work and do my job.

I don't work in banking.
I don't have much money.

But I have a life and lots of fun!

Someone said 'money is the root of all evil'. If no one ever did, I do now.

Porgy

tomb353 wrote:

If your employer tenders for public sector work then they may need ISO 14001 certification in order to avoid being penalised in the tender process. When this cropped up at my work I found it really helped the perception of my cycling by management as overnight I went from being a weirdo to being a one man "green travel policy".

Funnily enough when I was offered the job of managing our ISO14001 commitments 3 years ago two things in particular got mentioned that apparently mad eme qualified - the fact that I cycle everywhere at work and the fact that I ate organic food for my lunch. some managers may have been aware of my previous environmental activism.

but in the end it all boiled down to - we know we have to keep our ISO14001 certificate but none of us want to get involved and we're too tight to hire in a consultant - let's gve it to the long-haired weirdo who rides a bike and eats odd food.

It was, however, my dream job. 8)

Old Pedaller

[quote

Wait, you can sack people for smelling bad ....................[/quote]

Reminds me of the time a group of us went for a week long induction course for a new intake and the head of HR no less gave a talk about the difficulties of the job, citing a situation where someone's breath was so bad people would not travel in a car with him and how would we handle that? A west coaster (ie sense of humour applied to practical effect) piped up that the HR situation would not arise because the guy's workmates would just say "Hey pal you're honkin'". Head of HR's jaw literally came very close to touching the floor.

Big Wib

on a related topic, its very difficult to get showers put into an office building once its completed. I know coz we spend hours trying to work out how to do it this year. gave up in the end and continued to use the one in the office across the road

EricaR

Haha - I'm all too familiar with being the 'only cyclist in the village'.

Last place I worked at had no facilities (but it was only 3 miles downhill, so not too smelly) and everyone drove, because you could make some money on mileage to meetings...

Cue every stereo type from enviro-activist to fitness freak to vegetarian (?!!!)

Most colleagues were nice, but I swear a few had been storing up a few anti cycling arguments and clarkson quotes for years, and were dying to find someone to have the conversation with. Had anyone else had this experience?

Never been told I couldn't cycle anywhere, even to meetings. I cant believe that's happened to someone in this post. Its like not their business at all!! Crazy.

bradford

fnegroni wrote:

I only lasted 3 months working at VISA in Paddington.

Full of wankers, if you ask me (and not just me). They even came up with the 'dress down every *other* Friday' just to have a go at people who forgot what Friday it was...

I now have a family, a great work-life balance, I pollute the least amount possible, take care of myself, my wife and son, and wake up every morning at ease with who I am and happy to cycle to work and do my job.

I don't work in banking.
I don't have much money.

But I have a life and lots of fun!

Someone said 'money is the root of all evil'. If no one ever did, I do now.

The brother in law is a Banker :oops: But he is very short And likes the X Factor Has taken a pay cut recently And dresses quite scruffy of late! Carpet Slippers Please!! :P Dress down was every day for him! Shabby Chic i guess

Flasheart

Every day (I kid you not) I hear the rest of the office bleat on and on about no-where to park in our depot. I just sit back and feel smug (and keep out of it) 8)
Three of them live not much further from work that I do AND they own bikes.
Before they got their licenses, they used to cycle in to work ...pathetic really.

El Diego

People at my work are generally supportive of the cyclists, although I suspect a lot of them assume my transport choices aren't really a choice at all. Many people I speak to assume that I cycle because I can't afford a car and look at me dubiously when I insist that I enjoy it.

tav1969

gabriel959 wrote:

More politics than here?!?!?! I think mate most of the things you say in your post could apply to the UK (except the dirt cheap public transport!)

Maybe in the banking sector, but I'm in non-customer-facing telecoms! T-shirt and jeans territory (OK, chinos and polo in Madrid). Attitudes are just slightly behind the times there I think, in general. Hardly surprising for a country which has come such a long way in such a short-time I suppose. My MIL wouldn't dare tell her friends that her daughter was living in sin, for example.

Of course there is just as much sub-culture there as anywhere else, but when it comes to being employed, in the main you are expected to very much toe the line.