Employer: How to promote the cycle to work scheme

Once you've registered for Cyclescheme you'll want to promote your exciting new benefit. 

There are three key undertakings here, the first is to ensure you've got the basics covered, the second is to launch the scheme and the third is to create an engaging calendar of activity.

The basics:

You'll want to make sure you've got information about the scheme readily available to employees looking for info. 

We recommend:

• Creating a page on your intranet (usually in your 'Staff benefits' section)
  • You should include an explanation of the scheme, any specific conditions or advice you want to convey to colleagues, your Cyclescheme 'Employer code' and a link to the Cyclescheme website (www.cyclescheme.co.uk)
  • You can download 'copy & paste' webtext (as well as graphics) from your MySchemes account to help with this
• Use Cyclescheme's easy email tool
  • You can easily create and distribute a customised email to promote your scheme to colleagues via your MySchemes account. 

• Popping up some posters around your workplace
  • Keeping posters in key locations reminds colleagues about the benefits that are available to them
  • Great spots are the back of toilet doors, corridors, staff rooms and key entry and exit points
  • You can download a wide range of posters from your MySchemes account

• Making sure you include some info on your scheme in new starters welcome emails or packs
  • Having a great suite of benefits is great for attracting and retaining talent, make sure you shout about the fact you offer extra value to your workforce
• Including information on the scheme in your employee handbook
  • If you have employee onboarding content (like an employee handbook) make sure you dedicate a page to active-travel and the scheme

Launching your scheme:

When the time comes to launching (or relaunch) your scheme there's a natural opportunity to generate additional exposure and get your employees in gear. 

We recommend:

• Undertaking a small communications plan
  • Use emails, Yammer posts, Facebook Workplace posts, Teams groups, posters etc to publicise and celebrate your new scheme. There are e-flyers and 'copy & paste' resources available in your MySchemes account to help with this. You could also syndicate the news via your staff meetings, shopfloor huddles or weekly team catch-ups.

• Running an event 
  • To put a specific focus on the scheme why not pick a day in the annual HR calendar and use it to promote active-travel and Cyclescheme? Events are fantastic because you tend to get a vanguard of early adopters that ask questions and get involved. Once your first cohort of riders has got their bikes, they quickly tend to become champions for cycling and promote the scheme for you! 
  • You can request event support from Cyclescheme via your MySchemes account (MySchemes > Cyclescheme > Events - then select 'Request an event') 

Campaigns:

The fact that your scheme hasn't recently launched shouldn't hold you back from planning specific focuses to promote the scheme and active travel. There's lots of help at hand:

We recommend a 12-month plan that includes:

• Ride to Work Week
  • Usually in March and delivered by the wonderful team at Love to Ride, the week offers you a great chance to get cycling on the map just as the weather improves. 

• Bike Week
  • The UK's longest-running cycling participation and promotion event! Bike Week, now run by Cycling UK with support from Cyclescheme and other cycling organisations, is a stalwart of the cycling calendar. The event tends to take place in June and offers an excellent platform for cycling engagement and promotion.
• Cycle to Work Day
  • The most important date in any HR calendar, Cycle to Work Day offers employers a short, sharp and focussed campaign with real-time distance and participation logging, massive social media impact and an easy to convey message ("...for this one day, try it... we think you'll love it!"). 
  • Cycle to Work Day tends to be held in August - head over to the website to find out more information.
• Cycle September
  • Another Love to Ride initiative supported by Cyclescheme, Cycle September sees businesses pitted against each other in a bid to demonstrate their values and show how far they've come in terms of getting their workforce cycling.  

You can search to see if your workplace is signed up using the search box on Cyclescheme's homepage.

You can invite your employer to register using Cyclescheme's simple invite your employer tool.

You can register as an employer via Cyclescheme's employer section.