European employers paying employees to bike to work. Really????

Maybe one day that will happen here?   Article link here

hrreporter.com

Jun 21, 2011
European employers paying employees to bike to work
Some firms also providing, maintaining bicycles
By Robert-Jan Bartunek
(Reuters) — Getting paid for going to work may sound too good to be true, but it's part of an increasingly popular scheme for commuters across Europe. 

Employers in Belgium, the Netherlands and other European countries are rewarding staff if they come to work on a bicycle, paying them for every kilometer they cycle, all in an effort to promote environmentalism, not to mention a healthier lifestyle.

 

In Belgium, cycling commuters are being paid 20 euro cents(US$0.29) per kilometer, whereas those in the Netherlands can earn 15 cents and participants in Britain up to 20 pence (US$0.32) per mile — all of it tax-free.


In Belgium, a popular cycling nation and home to five-time Tour de France and Giro D'Italia winner Eddie Merckx, finance ministry figures show more than 270,000 people took part in the scheme last year, up from 140,000 in 2006.


Last year, that meant the Belgian tax man paid out 43 million euros (US$62) to those who bill for cycling to work.


"Higher oil prices and environmental awareness contribute to having more cyclists on the road," said Dieter Snauwaert, co-ordinator of the bike-to-work scheme of the Flemish cyclists' union in Belgium.


One of the most successful corporate proponents has been Belgian discount supermarket chain Colruyt, which launched the policy four years ago and now has 2,100 participants.


Colruyt provides employees who live up to seven km away from work with a bicycle and takes care of maintenance.


Company spokesman Victor De Meester said apart from employees being healthier there were also other advantages.


"The more people cycle to work the fewer parking spaces you have to offer. It's not so easy, especially in urban areas, to expand parking spaces," he said.


Colruyt, which has more than 22,000 employees, is now looking to target those who live further away than seven km by offering electric bicycles to make it easier to negotiate larger distances.


"Our target is 400 participants by 2015 but given the response we have had so far this may be too low a number," De Meester said.


Colruyt's belief employees who cycle to work are healthier than their colleagues who don't is backed up by research from Dutch organization TNO.


The researcher found over the course of one year, cycling employees on average lose one working day less due to illness than employees who commute by other means.


If the number of workers who cycle to work increased by one per cent, Dutch employers would save a total of 27 million euros per year, TNO said.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brian on June 21, 2011 at 3:12pm

Wish my company would offer something like this.  My boss would probably laugh in my face at the mention of it.  Most people think I'm crazy to ride to work (19mi each way).  I'll have to live on the personal reward that I get on each ride. ;-)

 

B

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on June 22, 2011 at 4:00am
How do we push this movement in US?
Permalink Reply by John Wirtz on June 22, 2011 at 4:07am

Christopher Burke Engineering in Rosemont pays $0.75 per mile to bike commuters.

http://www.cbbel.com/pdf/biketowork-CBBEL_Biking.pdf

Permalink Reply by igz on June 22, 2011 at 4:12am
i know there is a tax rebate of some sort here, just not sure how it works.
Permalink Reply by Charlotte Frei on June 22, 2011 at 4:18am
iggi- part of the stimulus package was a bicycle commuter tax. Either employees get a tax rebate for biking, or employers pay lower payroll taxes if they encourage bike commuters. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/11/AR2...
Permalink Reply by Bike Bloke on June 22, 2011 at 6:43am
This is a very enlightened policy. It makes sense re the health benefits to both employers and employees in the same way that smoking and obesity are discouraged in some companies with higher health insurance premiums (or lower for people with a more healthy lifestyle).
Permalink Reply by milesperhour on June 23, 2011 at 3:40pm

My company's headquarters is located on a large campus, which requires employees to frequently take shuttle buses between buildings.  They recently launched a (free) bike share program on campus for all employees to use, which I think is pretty ingenious. They give everyone a free helmet, which they are required to wear. Users also have access to their bike stats (distance, time, mph, calories burned, etc) and can view other users' stats for a little friendly competition.  Prizes are also awarded to employees who log the most miles on a monthly basis.

It's an extremely progressive company, paying employees $4 every day that they don't drive to work alone.  If you ride in a carpool, walk, bike, or take public transport, then you are eligible. 

Permalink Reply by Eric on June 23, 2011 at 4:32pm

Since this topic was started, I've talked to my north suburban company about it because we have quite a few bikers including human resource people which can only be good.

 

So far I've gotten positive feedback and will update when and if anything gets approved, Of course I don't see why it wouldn't?

 

 

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