Worksite Health Promotion

by Nico P. Pronk, Ph.D., FACSM, FAWHP; Beth Chillstrom Simon, B.A.; and Jason Gaikowski, B.A.

Bicycling to Work at Quality Bicycle Products

A Case Example for Active Transportation in the Business and
Industry Sector
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hysical activity is slowly but surely the injury rates and the safer bicycling of Americans who ride to work may
being engineered out of the work becomes (2). Unfortunately, weighing in be increasing (13).
day. During the past five to six at 1% of all trips, bicycling also is the
decades, occupation-related energy expen- least used mode of transportation in the BECOMING A BICYCLE-FRIENDLY
diture has decreased by more than 100 kcal United States (8), although that may be WORKPLACE
per day for workers across the United changing. Employers are interested in pro- Any company has the potential to become
States (1). In the early 1960s, roughly moting physical activity among their a bicycle-friendly organization. To do so,
half of all jobs in the United States required employees as a means to improve health creativity to align supportive action with
moderate-intensity physical activity levels. and manage costs, both direct medical the culture of the organization is important,
Today, less than 20% of all jobs require that care expenditures as well as those related but several factors have been identified
level of activity. Among other reasons, the to productivity losses (5), but also are that provide sound ideas to get started.
introduction of technologies and work tasks connecting the environmental benefits of Such important factors in stimulating the
that require computer use also has brought bicycling to their efforts to promote such adoption of bicycling behavior include im-
about work situations where employees sit behavior among their employees. For ex- proving safety from cars and traffic
for long durations. Indeed, prolonged ample, Entergy Corporation partnered (10,14), financial incentives for cycling
sitting time has become a recognized with the City of New Orleans to extend to work (7,14), supportive trip-end facili-
workplace hazard (6), and it is recognized the city’s bicycle path network, thus making ties (4,14), and cultural supports in the
that prolonged sitting time primarily it a more bicycle-friendly community (12). workplace (4). These factors may show
comes from three sources: television Connecting employee health and well- up in the workplace setting as various
viewing, sitting at work, and time spent being goals to the corporate social responsi- behaviors, policies, and cultural supports.
commuting to work. Whereas workplace bility agenda, a greener community, and Examples are outlined in the Table.
wellness programs traditionally have energy conservation is a powerful means
focused on physical activity promotion to stimulate active commuting to work. QUALITY BICYCLE PRODUCTS: A CASE
during the workday, commuting to work As a result, anecdotal evidence suggests STUDY FOR BICYCLING TO WORK
represents another important opportunity that bicycling to work is supported increas- Relatively few case examples are avail-
to significantly impact the health and well- ingly by employer groups and the number able that describe employers’ efforts to
being of employees. More specifically,
bicycling to work is recognized increasingly
as an effective strategy to improve health,
well-being, and the company’s bottom line.

BICYCLING BENEFITS
Bicycling is a healthy mode of transpor-
tation and can confer substantial health
and economic benefits to individuals
and employers. Its benefits include an
overall increase in physical activity and
a positive impact on obesity rates and
chronic diseases (9). From a safety per-
spective, the more people use bicycling
as their mode of transport, the lower
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Copyright © 2014 American College of Sports Medicine. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Worksite Health Promotion

TABLE: Selected Examples Employers May Deploy to Actively rolled out a new commuter incentive on
Promote Bicycling to Work January 2014 that deposits $10 (6 to 11
round trips) or $15 (12+ round trips) monthly
Factors Examples
into employee health savings accounts.
• Improving safety from cars and traffic • Company advocates for community-based and This new benefit was implemented with
federal policies that address: the main target of engaging employees
) Designated bicycle lanes who are not commuting often V or at
) Complete streets all V and stimulating a lifestyle change. It
) Legal protections for bicyclists also has incented employees who have not
) Corridors and connections among and between yet opened a health savings account to do
community bicycle path networks so. Having a financial base to cover health
that allow for commuting to work care expenses when they occur leads
• Financial incentives: bicycle commuting • Parking cash-out: Federal tax law allows employers employees toward feeling better about the
reimbursement is part of the qualified to pay employees the cost of having a parking space medical benefits provided to them. In addi-
transportation fringe benefits covered they do not use and avoid paying a tax on this benefit
in section 132 (f) of the Internal tion, a bicycle gear purchase benefit was
Revenue Service code introduced, providing $150 every 3 years
• Employer offers financial support to employees toward the purchase of new in-house products
toward the purchase of a bicycle or bicycle accessories or refurbished/recycled bicycles from local
• Employers may provide reimbursement for reasonable bike shops (benefiting employee health
expenses incurred by employees related to their and well-being, environmental initiatives,
commuting to work (reimbursement of up to $20/month)
and supporting QBP’s customers).
• Financial incentive provided for every day the
employee commutes to work
Trip-End Facilities
• Supportive trip-end facilities • Indoor bicycle parking
QBP has built a large indoor bicycle storage
• Showers and locker rooms
facility to support the program (Figure 1).
• Free use of bike repair shop on the company premises
Male and female locker rooms and shower
• Cultural supports • Coworkers who actively commute to work facilities, including towel service, are avail-
• Company bicycle club able for those who want to store clothes and
• Free emergency rides home freshen up after the commute. An on-site
• Access to a company-owned pool of bicycles to bicycle repair shop, well stocked with re-
be used for short trips, errands, or recreation pair tools, is available for employee use.
(e.g., activity break)
In addition, QBP promotes and celebrates
monthly bike-to-work days, social bike
stimulate bicycling to work as part of their day an employee did so. For each day an rides, paid bike leave, pro deals, demo
overall workplace safety, health, and well- employee bicycles to work, $3.00 is bike fleet checkout, bike repair classes,
being program. Quality Bicycle Products credited into a QBP commuter credit ac- cycle-cross training and on-site dirt tracks,
(QBP) is a medium-sized manufacturer and count that may be used to purchase QBP cycle-cross, and snow courses.
major distributor of bicycles and bicycle products for personal use (internal QBP
parts located in Minneapolis, MN. Founded product discounts). Employees enrolled Cultural Supports
in 1981, QBP has built a strong bicycle- in the medical plan who complete a health QBP has a focus on supporting environmen-
friendly workplace culture and has closely risk appraisal receive lower deductibles/ tally sound initiatives including building
aligned both its corporate health and well- co-pays the following year compared architecture being LEED (Leadership
being program and its corporate social re- with those who do not ($250 increase for in Energy and Environmental Design)
sponsibility efforts to its business goals and employee-only coverage and $500 for certified, outdoor community space, and
objectives (11). As a result, QBP has empha- family coverage). This benefit is adminis- a paid community volunteer time and
sized bicycling to work as a specific strategy tered by the health plan and provides good volunteer match program. The presence
to optimize worker health and well-being. insight for the company at a population of the trip-end facilities, the financial
QBP has done so using a variety of initiatives. level to identify areas in which employees incentives, the overall employee health
are interested in making changes to their and well-being program, and the leader-
Financial Incentives current lifestyles. To complement the high ship displayed by both employees and
To stimulate bicycling to work, QBP deductable health plan that more than executives to stimulate local and national
implemented a financial reward for every 90% of employees are enrolled in, QBP growth in bicycling across school-aged
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 between 2009 and 2013. The relative
participation increased less because of
the total number of employees increas-
ing from 425 to 623 during those same
years. The average annual percentage of
commuters during these 5 years was
57.6%. Employees received a financial
payment for the days they commuted by
bicycle, which meant that QBP paid a
total sum to bicycle commuters that ranged
from almost $37,000 in 2009 to as high
as $51,000 in 2012. As a result, it is reason-
able to conclude that the program was
successful from the beginning and continued
to grow within the context of the overall
Figure 1. QBP’s indoor storage facility to support employee bicycling to work. workplace health program.
In addition, based on a review of
and adult populations create a strong culture integrated worker health and safety, the com- QBP’s Human Resources Department
of health in the company. pany has partnered with its health plan records, the company reported an over-
(HealthPartners), the HealthPartners Institute all reduction of health care premiums
Improving Safety From Cars for Education and Research, and the Harvard of 4.4% between 2007 and 2011. This
and Traffic School of Public Health to investigate the is in stark contrast to the average in-
Many QBP executives are engaged in feasibility of an integrated worker health pro- crease of 24.6% in per member per
local and national advocacy efforts to tection and promotion approach patterned month costs for companies across the
support infrastructure changes that sup- after the Total Worker Healthi program country during this same period. It
port safe bicycling. Some of these efforts introduced by the National Institute of seems that this program focused on
relate to issues that fall under transporta- Occupational Health and Safety. bicycling to work, within a company
tion policy and recreational resources, that builds bicycles and bicycle parts,
whereas others relate to leading nonprofit RESULTS has been able to leverage intrinsic
coalitions to increase bicycle use by school- Company records were reviewed to identify motivations and interests of its employees.
aged children through road racing programs, the number of employees who bicycled to The program is designed to fit within the
among others. work and the overall amounts of incentive existing culture of the company; aligns
paid out during the past 5 years. Figure 2 closely with its mission, products, and
Becoming an Employer of Choice presents the absolute increase in the services; and enjoys leadership support
All of the bicycling-focused supports are number of employees bicycling to work and visibility.
couched within a larger strategy of safety,
health, and well-being for employees. The
overall workplace health program includes
such traditional resources as medical and
dental benefits, access to 401(k) savings
programs, college savings accounts,
employee assistance programs, referral
bonus, profit-sharing bonus, mentorship
program, and tuition reimbursement. In
addition, novel workplace benefits are
offered such as balance balls, massage
service, yoga, and snow shoeing events,
among others. With specific reference to Figure 2. Absolute and relative number of commuters by year.

VOL. 18/ NO. 5 ACSM’s HEALTH & FITNESS JOURNALA 51

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Worksite Health Promotion

Nico P. Pronk, Ph.D.,

INTERPRETATION [cited 2013 Dec 12];7(6):A127. Available
from: http//www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/ FACSM, FAWHP, is
This case study shows that QBP has adopted nov/09_0193.htm. v i c e p re s i d e n t f o r
some of the most important predictive
5. Pronk NP. The problem with too much Health Management
factors related to successfully increasing sitting: a workplace conundrum. ACSM’s and chief science offi-
the adoption of bicycling to work as identi- Health Fitness J. 2011;15(1):41Y3.
cer at HealthPartners
fied through research (4,7,10,14). These 6. Pronk NP. Physical activity promotion in in Minneapolis, senior
factors included improving safety from business and industry: evidence, context, and
recommendations for a national plan. J Phys research investigator at the HealthPartners
cars and traffic (10,14), financial incentives
Act Health. 2009;6(Suppl 2):S220Y35. Institute for Education and Research, and
for cycling to work (7,14), supportive
7. Pronk NP, Kottke TE. Physical activity adjunct professor of Social and Behavioral
trip-end facilities (4,14), cultural supports
promotion as a strategic corporate priority Sciences at the Harvard University School
in the workplace (4), and connecting work- to improve worker health and business of Public Health. He is the editor of
place health programs to the company’s performance. Prev Med. 2009;49:316Y21.
ACSM’s Worksite Health Handbook,
business goals and objectives. As a result, 8. Pucher J, Buehler R, Bassett D, Dannenberg A. 2nd Edition, and an associate editor for
more than half of the employee population Walking and cycling to health: recent
evidence from city, state, and international ACSM’s Health & Fitness JournalA.
is engaged actively in the commuting to
comparisons. Am J Public Health. 2010;100:
work program, and this result was sustained 391Y414. Beth Chillstrom Simon,
during the course of 5 years. Ongoing eval-
9. Pucher J, Dill J, Handy S. Infrastructure, B.A., is benefits spe-
uation and continued focus on how to im- programs, and policies to increase bicycling: cialist at Quality Bicy-
prove provide a means for sustainability an international review. Prev Med. 2013;50:
S106Y25. cle Products (QBP)
and growth of the program.
with a background in
The QBP bicycling to work program 10. Sallis JF, Conway TL, Dillon LI, et al.
Environmental and demographic correlates intercultural relations
also represents a case example that may
of bicycling. Prev Med. 2013;57:456Y60. and social work. Her
serve other companies in enhancing phys-
11. St. Anthony N. After 40 years, bike passion for bicycling and total health and
ical activity among their employees. Re- entrepreneur is still on a roll. Star Tribune, well-being aligns with the QBP philosophy
cently, the National Physical Activity May 12, 2013 [cited 2013 Dec 16].
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different sectors to support this national
12. Third Annual NOLA Bike to Work Day
long skills and are relevant to employees,
effort (3). This QBP case study would fit
Presented by Entergy and Bike Easy. their families, and the company.
the ‘‘business and industry’’ as well as the
Entergy press release [cited 2014 Apr 17].
‘‘transportation’’ sectors in terms of their Available from: http://www.entergy.com/
expressed strategies and tactics to reach the news_room/newsrelease.aspx?N- Jason Gaikowski, B.A.,
National Physical Activity Plan goals. R_ID=2893. serves as Quality Bi-
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Kimberly-Clark, Sprint as 800,000 hit the road.
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Disclosure: The authors declare no intelligent infrastructure policy to address im-
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