In Premico, it is easy for the staff to make initiatives and thereby influence the company’s operations. In the electronic feedback channel, feedback can also be submitted anonymously. Joonas submitted a suggestion for a cycling benefit through the channel.
Agile implementation of the cycling benefit
In the spring of 2023, we received an initiative for a bicycle benefit. The required work and cost structure for implementation quickly became clear to us, enabling us to seamlessly integrate the benefit into our overall compensation. Our HR and operational manager, Maija Kauppinen, compared and evaluated various providers, conducted negotiations, and ultimately selected GoByBike as a partner. Their service was cost-effective, and all the administrative guidelines required for implementation, from payroll to employee communications, were readily available.
Project Manager Joonas Kanerva was behind the initiative and is now one of the users of the cycling benefit. Joonas says that the partner’s selection includes both traditional bikes and e-bikes. The selection covers several domestic bike and online stores as well as foreign online stores. The agreement allows employees to finance their bikes monthly directly from their salary.
“The bicycle benefit is a concrete example that submitted initiatives are considered and put into practice within the limits of possibility. When the bicycle benefit was finally implemented, the process went smoothly. I got the bike I wanted without a significant one-time investment,” says Joonas.
Joonas is a passionate cyclist and saw the cycling benefit as a great opportunity to upgrade his bike. Joonas mainly commutes by bike, and with the new bike, he has driven more than twice as many kilometres as before. Increased physical activity is also reflected in better recovery from work.
Together for Social Responsibility and Well-being
The cycling benefit is one way to take social responsibility, as it encourages healthy lifestyles while reducing environmental impact. Exercise supports overall well-being, including work well-being.
“I strongly believe that responsibility for one’s well-being cannot be outsourced. I have learned from experience how appropriately sized and suitable exercise promotes recovery from work and reduces stress.
Cycling may suit one person, kayaking another, and personally,I found a new hobby with padel through a sport experiment arranged by my colleague. An employer cannot make a life change on behalf of its employees, but it can offer support and incentives to realize healthy choices,” Kauppinen says.
“At the beginning of the year, many embark on a new life, and everyone seems more open to new winds. Wisdom is not confined to one mind, so take advice and listen to contributors. If considering a bicycle benefit, it’s advisable to allow employees to order bikes in late winter or early spring. Personally, I didn’t have time to join the benefit last year as the bike model I wanted was sold out in the middle of the spring season,” advises Kauppinen.
We encourage other companies to follow our example and listen to employees’ initiatives, especially regarding benefits that support physical activity. In addition to promoting an individual employee’s health, it opens up the possibility of enhancing the overall organizational atmosphere and increasing employees’ sense of meaningfulness.”
For more information:
Maija Kauppinen
Chief People & Operating Officer | CPOO
+358 40 683 7887
LinkedIn
maija.kauppinen@premico.fi