Creating a more bike-friendly workplace can offer numerous benefits, including improved employee health, reduced environmental impact, and a boost in workplace morale. If you are starting from scratch, however, this may feel like a daunting task. Rest assured – it isn’t, and small steps can get you there. We’ve done this short guide to give you an idea of the important steps – some are an investment and essential, others ideal but not an “at all cost” kind of thing, and others are completely free and fun to organise.
Hopefully, this will inspire you to start your bike journey.
Essential and Desirable Facilities
Having the basics is a necessity and a great first step—racks, stands, shelter, anything that would help your employees feel encouraged to bike to work and have a space to put their bikes in safely. The next two suggestions here are more desirable than compulsory. However, if you’re in this game to win it and have the best bike-to-work facilities an office can have, then these two aren’t just suggestions for you but rather essentials.
Bike Parking
Starting with the obvious basics, the linchpin of your cycling infrastructure – the bike racks and shelters. The first thing you need to install is bike storage because anyone biking to your building will want to know their bicycle is securely tucked in somewhere safe. Ideally, safety would be paramount, but coverage is also key. Covered bike storage areas, or indoor ones, are probably the best solution since a roof would keep both your racks and your employee’s bikes sheltered from the rain and harsh sun.
Showers and Changing Rooms
The above safe and protective bike storage is the bare minimum that you’d need to do to be a bike-friendly place. If you want to go a step beyond that and truly impress and win over your employees and create best-in-class bike storage amenities, you should think about upgrading your bike storage area and include showers and changing rooms for employees to freshen up after their commute. One of the main worries people have about taking up cycling to work is that they will arrive in a less-than-presentable state. Showers and properly accessible and well-maintained changing rooms are the way to go here and solve a widespread problem.
Lockers
To complete your changing room area and make it even better and truly comfortable, you should offer lockers for employees. They are ideal for storing their cycling gear and clothes. Just make sure lockers are large enough to accommodate helmets and other equipment and not too tiny to render them useless.
Foster a Bike-Friendly Culture
To create a bike-friendly workplace, you need to provide physical storage and change the culture in your organisation to encourage more employees to embrace cycling.
Promote Cycling Events
One of the best ways to foster a bike-friendly culture is to start with some cycling events. No need to go big and do something wild like organising a business bike race with other companies or a cross-country team-building ride. You can do all of these too, of course, but it’s easiest to start small. Host regular bike-to-work days and organise small group rides to make cycling a more social and enjoyable activity. This will build stronger relationships between employees but also draw out anyone feeling a bit scared to cycle or anyone who isn’t very confident navigating roads alone.
Join a Bike-to-Work Scheme
An excellent way to promote cycling is to melt away any barriers workers may have to cycling. One of the first ones is owning a bike. To take that issue right off the board, you can join a bike-to-work scheme of your choice and let employees buy a bike and gear without having to pay for all the costs. Bike-to-work schemes are very good at encouraging employees to get a bicycle as they spread the cost over a long period and do that without interest. If you join a scheme, promote the initiative through internal communications so everyone hears the message.
Education and Training
What do we mean when we say education and training when it comes to cycling to work? Well, we mean things that will help give employees the skills and confidence to hop on a bike, such as road safety workshops, cycling skills training, and basic bike maintenance and repair.
Another great idea is to think of a way to share useful information—an email bulletin, a board in the communal area, and so on. This information can be on anything from safe cycling routes to the bike-to-work scheme, interesting tips, and information on any upcoming workshops and events so that new people can join in.
Encourage Leadership Support
Lastly, the best way to lead is by example. All these initiatives will truly hit home if you, as the leader, take an active part in them. Leadership support plays a significant role in fostering a bike-friendly culture. When company leaders actively participate in cycling initiatives—such as biking to work themselves or leading company-wide cycling events—it sets a powerful example for the rest of the organisation. Publicising leadership involvement through internal communications or social media can help normalise cycling and inspire more employees to join in. So, don’t skip this step.
Implement Supportive Policies
It is inevitable to make some changes when embracing something new. The extent of these changes will depend on your specific situation, but there is usually some wiggle room for improvements and adjustments.
Flexible Working Hours
One of the first things you can consider is if you can allow flexible start and end times to enable employees to bike at their convenience. This flexibility might also boost morale and generally make workers feel a bit more in control of their own work days.
You can go a step further and offer home office days to reduce the overall need for commuting.
Incentive Programs
Some workplaces also start offering incentives such as “bike-to-work” allowances, subsidies for bike purchases, or rewards for frequent cyclists. To top that off it is always a fun idea to organise regular challenges and competitions like “cyclist of the month” to reward and incentivise people who have cycled to work a lot.
Monitor and Improve
Lastly, now that you’ve done all this hard work, it is time to sit back (but also bike occasionally!) and evaluate what you’ve done. Ask for feedback from cyclists and make improvements—survey employees to find out how they feel about the facilities and the extra cycling support currently provided. Surveys can also help you assess what is stopping more people from cycling and how you could encourage them to get on two wheels.
Becoming a bike-friendly employer not only supports the well-being of your employees but also contributes to a sustainable future. It is also not just about providing the right facilities; it’s about creating a supportive and encouraging culture that makes cycling an appealing option for your employees. By taking small, thoughtful steps—like offering secure bike parking, organising cycling events, and implementing flexible policies—you can significantly impact your workplace. Leadership support and ongoing feedback will ensure your efforts are sustained and continually improved. Ultimately, your commitment to promoting cycling can lead to a healthier, happier, and more motivated workforce while also contributing to a more sustainable future.
