Somerset County Council has launched a cycle-to-work scheme, working with social enterprise Green Commute Initiative and employee benefits provider My Staff Shop. The scheme aims to improve the health and wellbeing of staff, while having a positive effect on the environment.
The council employs more than 10,000 employees, and the scheme is offered to all staff.
Today (17 July 2018), the Green Commute Initiative has introduced its Corporate GCI portal, which auto-fills much of the application form for staff, and allows scheme managers to set parameters, such as maximum order value. Scheme managers can also approve applications and check their progress via the portal.
Employees can take part in the scheme as long as the salary reduction does not take them below minimum wage, and as long as their HR department approves their participation.
The scheme is offered on the My Staff Shop portal, which is advertised internally. Green Commute Initiative also provided electronic copies of promotional literature for the council to share with staff.
The Green Commute Initiative worked with My Staff Shop to put together a framework agreement to provide Somerset County Council with a new staff benefits platform. This framework agreement is now widely used within the public sector.
The Green Commute Initiative is FCA-authorised and regulated, and is the only cycle-to-work scheme in the UK that offers bikes over the traditional £1,000 limit.
The scheme participants can also choose E-bikes, which provide battery-powered assistance when needed, such as for hills and distance.
Rob Howes, founder and managing director of Green Commute Initiative, said: “We use state of-of-the-art electronic document signing to avoid unnecessary delays, and aim for bikes to be collected by employees within 24 hours of individual agreements being signed. We feel that this, coupled with our over £1,000 offering, gives our customers the best possible service."
