Is your business looking for ways to improve overall wellness and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time? Your workplace should consider becoming more bike friendly, supporting green commuting methods and promoting the overall health of your employees. By adopting bike friendly policies and making it easier for cyclists to commute to work, you can have a major impact on your company’s reputation, retention rates and even productivity.
Creating a Bike Friendly Office
There are many simple ways to make your workplace more convenient for bike riders. Consider offering the following amenities:
- A shower facility. Cyclists may want to freshen up after a long ride to the office, so if at all possible, have a shower room. If your building does not have shower facilities, see if you can negotiate a discount at a nearby fitness center for your avid cyclists.
- A safe place to store bikes. While outdoor bike racks may be suitable for some cyclists, others will prefer more secure storage. Create a safe space within your facility to house bikes during the workday.
- A bike stipend. Some workplaces offer to pay for a health club membership, so why not extend these benefits to include bicycles to encourage more staff to bike to work?
- Keep bike tools on hand. For regular cyclists, having tools on hand for minor repairs will put their mind at ease. Keep spare locks, a tire pump and repair tools at your workplace so riders can get home safely.
- Bike training classes. Have local cycling experts come to your workplace to talk about safe commuting and train cyclists how to maintain and repair their bikes.
Benefits of a Bike Friendly Office for Employers
Encouraging more employees to bike to work can have a big impact on your business. Healthy employees are happier, and the health benefits of cycling can actually help to boost productivity. Studies suggest that exercising before work improves an employee’s productivity by an average of 15%. Additionally, cyclists tend to take fewer sick days and are more punctual when compared to non-cyclists.
Being a bicycle friendly workplace can also result in good PR for your company. By becoming bike-friendly, you are demonstrating to the community and your clients that your business is concerned about the environment as well as employee wellness. Your company will also be part of the solution when it comes to reducing traffic congestion, air pollution and climate change.