Post by seacid on Jul 17, 2007 17:06:45 GMT 8
Company pays employees to keep car, Metropass at home
It's a rare company that pays a bonus just for showing up, but for
employees at Top Drawer Creative Inc. that's part of the package - so
long as they show up riding a bicycle.
"We actually pay them to ride," said Howard Chang, Top Drawer's
president and chief creative officer. "It's $2 a day if you ride your
bike, and it's added onto your payroll. We've managed to get about 40
per cent of our employees riding to work."
Chang, an avid cyclist himself, is on the forefront of what city
transportation officials hope is a growing trend among employers -
making it as easy as can be for their employees to leave the car and
the Metropass at home, and cycle to work.
In 2005, the advertising agency, located just east of the Don River,
got special recognition as the best overall business in the Bicycle
Friendly Business Awards.
But Chang started the commuting program three years earlier with no
prodding from the city or anyone else.
"This program started three years ago when I decided I was going to
come up with some kind of a program and create a structure within the
company," Chang said. "So we built a couple of showers, an internal
lockup for the bikes in our studio so people can keep their bikes
inside, a work-stand with tools and we helped staff learn how to fix
flats so when they're riding they won't worry about having to hail a
cab. And also, we encouraged them to take the CanBike program that's
offered through the city."
It may seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but Chang insisted
the benefits are manifold.
"I think what comes out of it is a great attitude," Chang said. "When
people ride to work they usually come in pretty pumped and energized.
They start their day off with quite a bit of energy. The ones who have
a commute that's longer than 20 minutes home say it's a great stress
reliever to get on the bike and ride and get it out of their system.
And we have a 24-hour mountain bike team that competes once a year."
Not everyone on staff is that hardcore, of course, and if employees
who live in Richmond Hill or Brampton don't want to saddle up for a
50-kilometre-plus ride each way, Chang doesn't hold it against them.
But he tries to lead by example.
"Ironically, I only live six kilometers away, but I always ride a 25
(kilometre) commuting route, so I commute 50 kilometres a day," he
said. "I ride up to Sunnybrook Park and back. I do a nice
decompression and can leave my work behind."
For other firms that want to follow his example, Chang offered a few tips.
"The most important thing is having showers, change facilities and a
safe place to lock up bikes, ideally an indoor store room so they
don't have to think about their bikes, so they know it's safe from
rain and damage and theft," he said.
And other incentives don't hurt.
"In our case, we decided to pay people, but you can also earn days off
for X number of days you ride," he said. "Money talks. As one staff
member said to me, with the money I save on the TTC and the money I
get paid I can basically buy myself a new bike every quarter. It
doesn't sound like a lot of money, but you're making $7 and change a
day. After 70 or 80 days, you've made $500."
Basically, he said, cycling to work sells itself.
"Ultimately what keeps them riding is people enjoy it, if it's not too
daunting a ride," he said. "And I strongly encourage that the company
recommend that people do a take a safety program; it's essential for
people to have that if they're riding in the city."
Article Available at:
www.insidetoronto.ca/news/News/Beach/article/29111
It's a rare company that pays a bonus just for showing up, but for
employees at Top Drawer Creative Inc. that's part of the package - so
long as they show up riding a bicycle.
"We actually pay them to ride," said Howard Chang, Top Drawer's
president and chief creative officer. "It's $2 a day if you ride your
bike, and it's added onto your payroll. We've managed to get about 40
per cent of our employees riding to work."
Chang, an avid cyclist himself, is on the forefront of what city
transportation officials hope is a growing trend among employers -
making it as easy as can be for their employees to leave the car and
the Metropass at home, and cycle to work.
In 2005, the advertising agency, located just east of the Don River,
got special recognition as the best overall business in the Bicycle
Friendly Business Awards.
But Chang started the commuting program three years earlier with no
prodding from the city or anyone else.
"This program started three years ago when I decided I was going to
come up with some kind of a program and create a structure within the
company," Chang said. "So we built a couple of showers, an internal
lockup for the bikes in our studio so people can keep their bikes
inside, a work-stand with tools and we helped staff learn how to fix
flats so when they're riding they won't worry about having to hail a
cab. And also, we encouraged them to take the CanBike program that's
offered through the city."
It may seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but Chang insisted
the benefits are manifold.
"I think what comes out of it is a great attitude," Chang said. "When
people ride to work they usually come in pretty pumped and energized.
They start their day off with quite a bit of energy. The ones who have
a commute that's longer than 20 minutes home say it's a great stress
reliever to get on the bike and ride and get it out of their system.
And we have a 24-hour mountain bike team that competes once a year."
Not everyone on staff is that hardcore, of course, and if employees
who live in Richmond Hill or Brampton don't want to saddle up for a
50-kilometre-plus ride each way, Chang doesn't hold it against them.
But he tries to lead by example.
"Ironically, I only live six kilometers away, but I always ride a 25
(kilometre) commuting route, so I commute 50 kilometres a day," he
said. "I ride up to Sunnybrook Park and back. I do a nice
decompression and can leave my work behind."
For other firms that want to follow his example, Chang offered a few tips.
"The most important thing is having showers, change facilities and a
safe place to lock up bikes, ideally an indoor store room so they
don't have to think about their bikes, so they know it's safe from
rain and damage and theft," he said.
And other incentives don't hurt.
"In our case, we decided to pay people, but you can also earn days off
for X number of days you ride," he said. "Money talks. As one staff
member said to me, with the money I save on the TTC and the money I
get paid I can basically buy myself a new bike every quarter. It
doesn't sound like a lot of money, but you're making $7 and change a
day. After 70 or 80 days, you've made $500."
Basically, he said, cycling to work sells itself.
"Ultimately what keeps them riding is people enjoy it, if it's not too
daunting a ride," he said. "And I strongly encourage that the company
recommend that people do a take a safety program; it's essential for
people to have that if they're riding in the city."
Article Available at:
www.insidetoronto.ca/news/News/Beach/article/29111