What does your employer do to encourage you to cycle
Comments
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My employer (one of the big high street banks) has recently started promoting
TRAVELwise Carshare, but there's never been anything cycling related in all the 13 years I've worked for them...
Although we do have secure/covered cycle storage, showers, lockers & somewhere to hang clothes... so I can't really complain0 -
We employ around 800 people, half of whom live within a 5-mile radius of the site. At present I am the only regular commuter (4-5 times a week) and I live 12 miles away. There are a couple of guys who commute a similar distance once or twice a week in the summer months, and there are a couple of other bikes on site occasionally.
There are 10 bike racks on site in a small muddy area behind the bottling hall, and I have access to a shower that's used by me and a couple of guys that run in occasionally. I can dry my kit on the radiators in the shower room/bathroom, but need to be careful as stuff gets nicked.
Like other posters on this thread, you eventually get a kind of cult status - "you must be mad", "wow that's a long commute" (eh?), "bloody hell get that lycra aff before I puke" etc. Doubly so if you have an horrific accident
Oh, and your boss will make endless small "jokes" about running you over on the way home......
Our HR department has just announced we won't be participating in the C2W scheme as the government rules on residual values of bikes are "too complicated to manage" - this from a company that employs a small army of accountants and controls a global business with nearly 2000 employees and a turnover of hundreds of millions per annum.
"Too complicated" ??? oh really?
Bottom line is they don't want to shell out for lockers/showers etc, and believe there are too many chancers that will just abuse the scheme.
I suppose I should be grateful for the (minimal) facilites I have access to - at least I don't have to clean up in the bog with wet wipes
"Get a bicycle. You won't regret it if you live"
Mark Twain0 -
Other than bike racks, nothing at an organisaltional level - no showers, no lockers, no C2W. On the plus, my immediate boss has provided me with a locker in our records room, which doubles as my own private changing room.
Slightly off-topic: how awkward do you feel travelling up in a packed lift in your winter thermals, overshoes, etc, (worse when it's been a wet ride)? I'm sure someone will say 'take the lifts then', but after a 15 mile ride in, I welcome the chance to avoid ascending the stairs in shoes that aren't designed for walking (and my hands are full carrying helmet, lights, etc, which makes carrying my shoes awkward). Lifts, like toilets, are one of those places which seem inherently uncomfortable when shared, but when other people are looking at you as some sort of flourescent sweaty lycra-clad freak, it does seem to take a long time to arrive at your chosen floor!0 -
organisationally- by not paying us enough to be able to afford PT AND be able to eat,
and my boss rides, so i get a chance to completely destroy him on the way home everyday.
its quite a nice incentive.FCN 11. When you hear the buzz of the nobblies, you know youve been scalped.0 -
Am I getting it wrong didn’t the OP ask for ideas?
How about:
Cycle repair lessons from a local company
Basic set of tools kept at work so people can fix any problems they may have with their bikes
Spare set of lights, charging points for lights
An account with a taxi firm so that if you are not well you can still get home (maybe rarely used but would be good as a back up)
Free safety check of bike.
Storage for suits and shoes with subsidised laundry service.0 -
its the staff that have to want to cycle , its still too easy to roll out of bed into the car, or too convenient if the kids need dropping somewhere.
If your a cyclist, then you will do it, if not you wont; regardless to what the employer does.0 -
its the staff that have to want to cycle , its still too easy to roll out of bed into the car, or too convenient if the kids need dropping somewhere.
If your a cyclist, then you will do it, if not you wont; regardless to what the employer does.
This.
I'm the only full time biker in the office. The biggest thing my employer does is to be completely understanding when I occasionally turn up for work broken - I'm an mtber too.
One director is into motorbikes, another lives for skiing, so both understand the fun/danger trade off. Everything else I can work round. They also pay me mileage for meetings etc which nicely covers my poncy coffee bill.0 -
my employer provides R2W scheme, showers and because they can't be arsed to pay for a proper bike store we're allowed to leave bikes all round the office.
I don't think they could do a lot more to be honest and the cycling to work levels are completely seasonal. At the moment out of about 150 people there are maybe 8 riding in regularly. Come summer it will be closer to 20 or so.
As far providing cycling support facilities, I brought in some, lube, old tools and repaired tubes and left them out for people to use and they gradually went missing so at least they were being used. If doing this I suggest someone be appointed keeper-of-the-spares which might discourage non-return / replacement of items.0 -
So, what has your employer done to encourage cycling to work? Nothing.
We have no storage facilities, so I store my bike in the back of my car (OK, quick explanation - I drive to work on Monday morning, and cycle home Monday night. That leaves my car at work if I need it for client visits, meetings. All being well I drive home on Friday night after 8 x 15 mile cycle rides)
I change is a disabled toilet, and use the one facility provided just for me - two extra coat hooks, one which to hang my kit to dry. I supply my own coat hangers.
No shower, no C2W, nothing else.
The one thing I'd like is a place where my kit could be dried out, becaue the disabled toilet has a tiny window and is unheated, so remains cold even in mid summer.
Lycra ManFCN7 - 1 for SPDs = FCN60 -
I work for a small employer of 40 employees, but I'm lucky since I get to work a white collar job in blue collar clothes. Smelling like sweat isn't an issue since we work alone and end up sweating up during the summer days anyways. We have a shower and plenty of secure space to keep bikes, just in case I have to spend the day in the office. But these amenities are purely coincidental, we don't have a cycle to work program.
The most powerful motive force to get people to cycle is culture. Get the cyclists together for lunch. Engage in group rides. Don't smug the fat drivers! A lot of people are intimidated by the Lycra warriors. Being approachable, friendly, and humble will get a lot of people to ask questions about cycling. Be an example. Cycling to work during a snowstorm got a few raised eyebrows, but also created a great conversation peice on proper cycling dress, safety, practibility, reliability, etc.
Recommend your cycling buddies to your superiors when they are looking for new hires. I'm I'm trying to get a cycling buddy of mine hired, hopefully he'll live in the same area as me so we can group ride to work every day. 0 -
One of the benefits of working a a web agency is that I have discovered that server racks are brilliant for drying out wet clothes. I've devised a system of hangers behind each of the server blades where all of the hot ai is pushed out all day.
Dry and toasty clothes every night
Bianchi C2C - Ritte Bosberg - Cervelo R3
Strava0 -
we have a cycle to work scheme, showers and secure parking
i reckon most people would regard that as being the dream situation, as long as you got adequate locker space to store work clothes and a drying room for your cycle clothing
i work for the nhs and weve got reasonably good cycle storage in an enclosed courtyard and the cycle scheme, as long as you work fulltime- which rules me out as i work on a non substantive contract- but i have no showers, locker storage or drying room
i`d love them to do more0 -
The only thing my ex employer did to encourage me to use my bike was to make me redundant :!:Cycling is too nice to waste it on getting to work.0
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C2W, we can choose what shop/scheme to go with, not bothered yet mind. New office is going to have 2 showers and indoor cycle storage with wall racks 8) I've also asked for a decent radiator/drying area which is being considered.
Oh and just found out we have a budget for on site bike servicing a few times a year, need to get that moving again!0
