Would you be motivated to cycle to work if your company paid you to do it? Employees at a New Zealand advertising agency have been given that option. Travelling to work by bike will earn them NZ$ 5 (about €3) a day. If they continue biking for more than six months, the figure rises to NZ$ 10 a day.
Company owner Tim Chesney believes that the incentive will make employees more productive. “I’m a really keen cyclist [and] cash is clearly the most obvious incentive,” Chesney told Stuff.co.nz. “I know for myself I show up feeling a lot more energized. My blood is already flowing.”
Employee Elliot Gilmore says cycling to work is better than joining a gym. “I get to ride through Hagley Park and see people feeding the ducks, reading books and stuff, which is quite different to just waiting for the lights to change while driving.”
Chesney’s company, Make Collective, is located in Christchurch. According to the city council, Christchurch has more cyclists than any other city in New Zealand.