Encouraging staff in Belfast to cycle to work for Bike Week

By James Palser

A person riding a bike to work

As offices open up across Belfast this summer, Bike Week is the perfect way to support your employees to change the way they commute

The move to working from home has affected many people since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, changing our way of life and ways of working, with many offices and businesses closing their doors entirely.

Now is the time to start thinking about what the ‘new normal’ will look like. Active travel saw a huge uplift during the pandemic, and as businesses and organisations start to plan the return to work, it's the perfect time to support your staff to cycle to work.

Many people have safety concerns about public transport and there is a real danger traffic levels will soar as the nation returns to their workplaces.

Cycling to work is also a fantastic solution, un-clogging our streets, easing pressure on transport networks and building valuable exercise into our daily routine. It also provides crucial headspace to de-stress and unwind before and after work.

Bike Week, delivered by Cycling UK, the UK’s biggest awareness raising week for cycling and runs 30 May - 5 June 2021. As part of Bike Week we are challenging as many people as possible to go cycling for seven days in a row using #7daysofcycling – all rides count, including a cycle to work.

For those who take part there is a chance to win some great prizes when they log their ride on the Bike Week site.

The theme of Bike Week this year is health and wellbeing and we'll be celebrating all the amazing ways cycling makes us feel better: physically, mentally and emotionally. Get involved and encourage your staff to take a leap and give cycling a try. There are lots of fantastic reasons why:

Healthier employees are happier, more productive and less likely to take time off sick
Promoting Bike Week is a great way to engage with staff and show them that you care about their wellbeing
Employees value working for companies that offer health-related perks, including cycle to work schemes.
A commitment to cycle commuting reflects well on you as a forward-thinking business.

For beginners for Bike Week, Cycling UK are also offering free online cycle commuter workshops to give people the skills and confidence they need to give it a go. Share with your staff.

You can also direct them to 20 reasons to cycle to work so they can learn more about the life-changing benefits of cycling to work.

To encourage and support staff to cycle, how about hosting a bike breakfast? Or reward your staff with an hour off to go for a ride during Bike Week.

For employers

We will be hosting a live session on LinkedIn 'How to attract employees back to work by bike' at 11am on Thursday 3 June. This discussion will give tips and practical examples of how workplaces can become cycle-friendly as well as highlight the benefits to organisations.

As a conversational discussion, the session will ensure workplace bosses are aware of what they can do to support more staff to cycle and showcase the support Cycling UK can provide. Email us if you would like to send us a question.

We’re also launching an innovative cycling programme for businesses in the Linen Quarter, Belfast. Funded by the BID, seven businesses will receive funding to support them to become accredited Cycle Friendly Employers, an international benchmark to prove how cycle friendly your business is. Email us to receive details of this funding.

There is also a series of engagement events happening in the Linen Quarter across the summer to help commuters find out more about cycling, to learn new skills through training courses and through Dr Bike sessions to ensure bikes are in tip top condition for the commute. Details of these events will be released soon.