The days are getting shorter, the weather colder and the roads wetter. And yet there are heroes within your organization who proudly drape a fluorescent jacket over their shoulders every day, strap on waterproof rain boots and hop on their bikes to work.
They get home faster, have moved more, emitted lessCO2 and already cleared 9sqm on the roads. Winners.
Are you looking to expand the k-way peloton within your organization in the coming months? Have you thought about bike leasing?
Too complex? Nope, we'll just cycle(sorry, we really use that one a lot) you through the three steps.
Step 1: Determine the main pillars of the bicycle lease plan: who, how and when
The success of bicycle leasing is not solely due to its green credentials. Bike leasing through the employer is also financially beneficial. If you offer the bike through gross payroll exchange, as an employer you can provide a cost-neutral incentive While the employee saves up to 60%. Win-win. But unfortunately, gross pay exchange is not always possible, especially when employees are paid on a pay scale.
So Action 1 is to knock on your social secretary's door and see if you can facilitate a salary swap for (some of) your employees:
- Who: Analyze whether a gross pay swap is possible for employees. Then decide to whom you will make the bike plan accessible and whether other conditions are desirable (e.g., seniority).
- How: Decide through which pay component (monthly salary, bonus, year-end bonus, etc.) you want to implement the payroll exchange for bicycle leasing and make arrangements around payroll processing with your social secretary.
- When: decide when you want to launch bike leasing and whether you want to enable orders on a permanent basis or only occasionally. Are there particular events you want to use to launch the plan?
Step 2: Create a cycling policy
Good agreements make good colleagues. A bicycle policy summarizes the main rights and obligations of employees under bicycle leasing. Tips & Tricks:
- Incorporate step 1 into the cycling policy: who, how, when
- Offer: can all bikes be chosen or only some suggested bikes?
- Good householder/householder principle: thou shalt not treat the bicycle badly!
- Use for commuting: bicycle leasing enjoys some (para)fiscal advantages but there is something in return. Actually using the bicycle for commuting is one of the employee's obligations. At least 20% of all commuting trips.
- The highway code is there to respect them and fines are for one's wallet.
- Early termination of the bike lease (due to the employee leaving the bike) is possible, but then the employee must buy or return the bike and an administrative fee applies.
Tip:
- Joule can help you create cycling policies. We even have a blog dedicated to it!
Step 3: Install a cycling culture
Step 1 & 2 passed well? Fine. Then all you have to do is activate the bike plan. And activating bike plans is in Joule's DNA.
Some tips:
- Inform: take the time to explain the bike plan and bike policy. Joule organizes info sessions (online or offline).
- Use Joule's tools: they make it easy for employees to go out on their own.
- Activate: get people on bikes. The fastest way to get excited is to jump on the bike yourself. Joule is happy to organize some test days.
- Engage: involve your employees in the design of the bike plan and the activities around it. Feel free to appoint some ambassadors.
- Do it again: reactivate your bike plan regularly. You'll have early adaptors, as well as slower car friends who, through repetition, will go all the way.
We got your back (and bike)!
Perhaps we forgot one more step at the start of the process. Contact Joule. A little shameless self-advertising, true. But we are happy to walk you through it and guide you through every choice. Whether you're an SME or SA, private or public.
Feel free to contact one of our employees. Then we will be happy to explain it over a coffee and 2 biscuits
More inspiration:
- Read the blog about installing bike culture or check out colleague Nicolas' video below!
