How a cycle to work scheme can benefit SMEs

By Jane Hulme, above, HR Director, Unum UK

Tomorrow is Cycle to Work Day, which inspires staff to modify up their commutes by hopping on a motorbike to cycle to work. Biking has loads of advantages and never only for staff — it’s additionally good for employers and the setting. Be taught extra about why biking is sensible and the way SMEs can profit from introducing a cycle to work scheme, a tax-efficient method for workers to entry a motorbike and related gear through payroll.

Good for workers

Biking is a good cardio exercise with the identical bodily well being advantages of all train, together with:

• Decreasing blood strain
• Managing weight
• Decreasing the chance of significant diseases (similar to coronary heart illness, kind 2 diabetes, and stroke)
• Strengthening muscular tissues.

Morning train (i.e. commuting to work) is especially useful for well being and power ranges, in addition to bettering sleep high quality at evening. Relying on the journey, for these with essentially the most bikeable commutes, it might even cut back time travelling to and from the workplace if there’s heavy site visitors, doubtlessly getting staff residence earlier at evening.

Mentally, biking can increase temper and cut back signs of some psychological well being situations similar to melancholy and nervousness. Like all bodily exercise, biking can even enhance focus, reminiscence and considering skills.

Plus, whereas some types of cardio similar to working, climbing or tennis are high-impact and include an related elevated threat of pressure on joints, biking is low-impact and far kinder to joints.

Good for employers

With biking performing to enhance bodily and psychological well being, in addition to temper and focus, staff who cycle to and from work are more likely to be more healthy and happier. This could enhance office productiveness and creativity, a serious achieve for employers because the UK faces a so-called ‘productiveness puzzle’.

Biking can even increase the immune system, partially as a result of it encourages blood stream right down to the mobile stage and improves sleep. This helps the physique thrust back infections similar to coughs, colds and flu.

Given bodily exercise can even cut back the chance of significant situations that will require break day work, encouraging a morning and night bike trip to and from work might cut back absenteeism and assist staff to stay effectively.

Good for the planet

Pedalling to work means no exhaust fumes or carbon emissions as you’d get from a fossil fuel-powered automotive and even public transport. Air air pollution is linked to poorer well being outcomes; extra biking and fewer driving might assist cut back it.

When it comes to carbon emissions, it may be tough for smaller firms trying to cut back carbon emissions as a part of environmental, social and governance (ESG) attributable to potential price implications. Encouraging staff with commutes which can be most manageable by bike who usually drive to work to modify to biking may also help cut back your organization’s total emissions.

Introducing a cycle to work scheme

Now the advantages of biking, a cycle to work scheme can assist staff to ‘get on their bikes’ and embrace pedal energy. The Authorities launched the cycle to work scheme to encourage biking to scale back emissions and profit from price financial savings to the NHS from a more healthy inhabitants.

The cycle to work scheme relies round wage sacrifice. Staff can choose to surrender a part of their pre-tax wage in change for a profit from their employer. On this case, the profit is hiring a motorbike for lively journey and/or associated gear.

Final yr at Unum, we trebled the obtainable wage sacrifice allowance per worker for our cycle to work scheme. Each worker can now entry as much as £3,000 for a motorbike and security gear, making it simpler to afford electrical, power-assisted bikes. These may be a good way to get began biking to work for many who haven’t cycled for some time and would discover the gap totally below their very own steam daunting.

For SME staff, the choice of a cycle to work scheme can cut back and unfold out the price of shopping for a brand new bike due to its tax-efficiency, doubtlessly encouraging extra biking. By placing biking to work extra in attain, employers are extra seemingly to have the ability to reap the rewards.

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