How to Encourage Your Staff to Cycle to Work

Julie Starr • November 23, 2020



Cycling to work is a great way to stay fit and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. If your staff are lucky enough to live close enough to cycle to the office then as an employer you should be encouraging this. Commuting actually costs businesses time and money and often cycling is a quicker option than being stuck in traffic or in public transport delays. Offer your team a little incentive to cycle to work instead of driving especially and find new ways to encourage them to get back on their bike.

Don’t forget to look into the right insurance before you send everyone out on bikes in your business. It’s a nice idea, to get everyone cycling to work rather than driving and pumping out more fumes into the environment, but that doesn’t make it simple. You have to make sure that your business consults with the insurers about a potential need for a truck accident lawyer on file. You also want to ensure that you are realistic – not everyone can cycle to work. Not just for the distance away, but their physical health. Make sure that you have some incentives that are similar for those who are physically unable to cycle to work every day!

Organize cycling challenges

For example, you could organize cycling challenges. A little healthy competition between employees is fine now again and it can be really motivating. You can organize cycling challenges to work or outside of work, whichever you decide. This way you’ll create a healthier company culture and more people will jump on the bandwagon. It’s up to you what to offer as a reward for these challenges. You could even get involved yourself and send around your progress as inspiration.

Offer cycling training courses

If some members of your team aren’t quite confident enough cyclists to bike to work then you could offer courses in cycling . You can even do courses for complete beginners, so even for your employees who are new to cycling, they’ll still be able to learn. This might give them the confidence they need to cycle safely. Many people feel they aren’t able to cycle to work because of their fitness level so you could also encourage your colleagues to get into shape as well with various schemes. 

Provide road safety training

If you’re going to push cycling to work you need to ensure you promote safety at all times. Provide road safety training or as a minimum some online resources for your staff to use as guidance. Give them the information they need to know how to prevent any accidents or what to do if they get into any problems on the road. Provide the details for a reliable truck accident lawyer and other important information in the case that they get into an accident.

Offer flexible working hours

In order to encourage your staff to cycle to work offer flexible working hours. If they can begin a little later in the mornings or don’t need to rush to work they’ll be more motivated to cycle. There are also many other benefits of flexible working for both staff and employers. Companies that offer flexible working hours often have more motivated employees. It helps to boost office morale and makes employees feel as though their individual needs are being taken into consideration. 

Provide changing facilities

Another way to encourage more people to cycle to work is by providing the necessary facilities. Commercial properties are required to have bathrooms so ensure these are adequate for your staff to change in. They might want to wash or change their clothes after a long cycling commute. Provide what you can so they feel comfortable. Lockers could also be useful for storing a change of clothes and shoes for cycling.

Install bike racks for staff

If you’re going to provide lockers for your employees’ belongings then you’ll also need to install bike racks for them to lock up their bikes safely. You can buy commercial bike racks online . Ensure you have them positioned somewhere secure and in plain sight, with lights if you’re working during darker hours. If you don’t have anywhere convenient outside to store bikes safely then you could make a space inside. Wall hooks are also a good option if you don’t have enough floor space. If you think outside the box then you should be able to provide the facilities your staff need to cycle to work.

Lead by example

One of the best ways to encourage anyone to do anything is to lead by example. It’s not fair to expect your staff to change their habits of you’re not going to make the effort to yourself. If you want to motivate more people to cycle to work, then you need to get back on your own bike and make a point of cycling to work as often as possible. 

Cycling to work is a great habit for your staff to develop. It’s better for their health and the environment. You’ll also end up with more motivated and energetic employees. Consider a bike scheme or organizing cycling projects and challenges to encourage your staff to cycle to work more often.

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