How can i encourage my employer to promote cycling

[Freewheeler]

And why shouldn't we encourage someone on the dole to cycle?

Reminds me of something Tebbit said in the '80s

 

[Perry]

let his tyres down one night and be on hand to lend him your bike !

Very good!

It may be worth asking how many employees would ride to work. If not, what would encourage them to do so?

 

[Perry]

we have showers with fluffy towels, lockers and a bike purchase loan scheme. quote]

Lucky git!

 

[BentMikey]

And why shouldn't we encourage someone on the dole to cycle?

There's no need to twist my words. In this topic, that is out of spec. Stick to the topic please, as we are trying to encourage a particular set of employees to cycle, and can show that against common perception, cycling tends to support their positive self-image to those "in the know".

 

[martynjc1977]

Thanks for the feedback guys, After having a chat with a co-worker he was surprised to find out how much money i save by not driving in every shift, and other savings i make by not having a gym membership ect, around £180 per month. knowing the local workers wont be saving this amount as the mileage is far lower but in the current climate every little saved is a bonus. So this info is going in. as well as routs and mileage in from the various villages and local market town. Also putting the info together for my employer to look at starting a cycle to work scheme and put a staff survey together to see what the uptake would be. Crossed fingers lol.

 

[doyler78]

There's no need to twist my words. In this topic, that is out of spec. Stick to the topic please, as we are trying to encourage a particular set of employees to cycle, and can show that against common perception, cycling tends to support their positive self-image to those "in the know".

sorry I must have missed something I thought it was me responding to your off topic remarks. Oh that's right it was

I can read thanks. I am aware that we are talking about encouraging employees to cycle to work however it was you who made deeply disparaging remarks about the unemployed therefore you can expect that you will get challenged on it

You do make very good points however I just didn't like the bits I pointed out.

Let's not go down the route of encouraging the "typical cyclist" to cycle. Let's try and get everyone cycling.

 

[BentMikey]

Yup, there's a desk over there you can rest that chip on your shoulder on. Sorry, but you completely misinterpreted my comments because of it, and took the debate off topic.

 

[simon l& and a half]

Sustainability. Some companies like to put their sustainability policy on the website - and cycling beats recycling paper any day of the week. Other than that, I think the first reply sums it up....

 

[doyler78]

Yup, there's a desk over there you can rest that chip on your shoulder on. Sorry, but you completely misinterpreted my comments because of it, and took the debate off topic.

A chip on my shoulder because I dared to give a view on how your comments could be interpreted. If your comments can be misinterpreted then it isn't a point well made and you should consider how you could better put your argument across rather than resorting to a silly throwaway comments.

 

[BentMikey]

You're the one who went wild and OT on this: "Most cyclists tend to be higher earners than the national average." Simply factual, and quite relevant to the OP.

If this was a topic about promoting cycling to a different group of people, then you might have a point that it's not the best face to put forwards. You've also apparently jumped to the conclusion that I don't like under-privileged or environmentalist-type cyclists, when in fact I was simply commenting on the general public perception of cyclists, how it's incorrect and that presenting the reality could be used to improve motivation for cycling at the OP's employer.

Chip on your shoulder? I think so going by your way OTT reaction.

 

[Brains]

Lucky git!

True, but it comes down to avery astute company that wants to retain staff.

The minor outlay to provide services at this level is paid back manyfold

 

[doyler78]

You're the one who went wild and OT on this: "Most cyclists tend to be higher earners than the national average." Simply factual, and quite relevant to the OP.

If this was a topic about promoting cycling to a different group of people, then you might have a point that it's not the best face to put forwards. You've also apparently jumped to the conclusion that I don't like under-privileged or environmentalist-type cyclists, when in fact I was simply commenting on the general public perception of cyclists, how it's incorrect and that presenting the reality could be used to improve motivation for cycling at the OP's employer.

Chip on your shoulder? I think so going by your way OTT reaction.

Yes I found that comment about high wage earners irrelevant. Why has the wage anyone in the organisation has got to do about a guy wanting to put together a pack to give general information about what the benefits of cycling are. I can understand from a targetting point view that it might be worth knowing however my point was that if only ever target those that typically cycle then we just get more of the same. That doesn't help any of us. We have to broaden cyclings appeal and why shouldn't someone in work putting a pack together not want to do that?

It is you that keeps going on about a particular set of employees not the OP. He just said that he wants to put a pack together to help encourage more cyclists. Nowhere does he say that he wants to target only the typical cyclist. He may well do but that's not stated anywhere and just an assumption that you have made.

Your dole comment I found just downright patronising and insulting and I'm afraid your attempt at humour with it just didn't cut it with me. Sorry that's just the way I felt about it.

I never, so far as I am aware and really can't be bothered to check, mentioned anything about you having a problem with environmentalist riders.

I still fail to understand the chip on the shoulder remark. Can you explain what chip you think I might be carrying because it seems to me that it would be impossible for me to have a chip on my shoulder over the issue. What is the chip? You might think that my response was too harsh however harsh doesn't mean chip those are completely different concepts.

 

[domd1979]

Have to say I'm not the only one that finds average income utterly irrelevant to promoting cycling in the workplace.

Couple of scenarios spring to mind... If the organisation employs lots of people on minimum wage, how are they going to react to the statement when they know full well that's what they're going to continue to get paid. Similarly in the average organisation, someone isn't going to get a pay rise simply because they take up cycling (though they may benefit from a few extra quid in their pocket through not spending it on fuel).

If we want cycling to be taken up more widely, and if that is successful, then I'd expect to see that income skew go away. Taking up cycling doesn't get you a pay rise. All the higher average income tells you is about the population who cycle now, not the population we want cycling now and in the future.

 

[BentMikey]

Here's why I mentioned it - the OP does want to encourage a specific set of employees. The title reads "How can I encourage my employer to promote cycling", and the topic goes on to specifically talk about his place of work and getting employees of his company to cycle to work. No assumption by me there.

It seems that for whatever reason, the general public think of cyclists as too poor to own a car, and or weirdo environmentalists. Note Martyn's comment "without sounding like a green nut or a cycling preacher", for example.

To turn that around by showing what cyclists are really like as a demographic in the UK, seems to me like a way of making potential new cyclists at Martyn's place of work more likely to cycle. Some of them will feel much happier about any perceived status issues, given that the whole company has been told how cyclists are generally higher income. There is a huge amount of status and self worth tied up in car ownership, and it has a powerful effect. I can't see the harm in using that to help promote cycling. Hopefully you'll now see the purpose and direction behind what was to me a serious point, and to you a "silly throwaway comment".

It's obvious now that you've misread and misunderstood both me and the OP, and I also think the direction of your misunderstanding has been driven by your personal bias, i.e. chip on your shoulder. I'm not offended, btw, and I'm sorry if you were. I hope you'll realise now that was never my intention.

 

[BentMikey]

As for the points about promoting cycling to other demographics, sure, that's laudable, and this wouldn't always be appropriate there. However, we are talking about one specific employer here, so the probability is that it will be very appropriate given that we're talking about people in employment. That's for Martyn to decide, because we don't know enough about what might work at his company.