How to increase take-up for the Cycle to Work scheme

Is the take-up for your employee benefits scheme low?

Sometimes, we find a great employee benefit that we hope will improve retention and allow the company to make savings, and yet the take-up is decidedly… underwhelming. Employees just do not seem bothered about cycling to work. And with take-up staying low, the business does not make great savings on their National Insurance Contributions.

All is not lost. In this article, we hope to explain the best ways for your HR team to increase take-up for your Cycle to Work scheme to ensure that your staff and your company can feel the impact of this benefit.

So much will depend on the type of company you work for and the nature of your team’s interaction. An educational establishment generally has a workforce that is all onsite at some point during the week, whereas a delivery company operates a remote team. So, we have tried to put together a guide that takes this into account.

Read on for a step-by-step guide to promoting your employee benefit schemes.

1.   Do something noticeable

Everyone’s work life is busy. People have a huge list of jobs to do and not enough time to do them. Different demands holler for our attention, blocking out announcements about work perks. In the busy world of work, advertising your scheme by putting a poster next to the fridge in the kitchenette will probably not get you noticed.

So, to ensure that you generate interest in the scheme, you need to get your team to sit up and take notice. A great way to do this is to give something away for free during a launch event. Although we do not help with launch events at Bravo Benefits, please speak to your Client Success Manager who may be able to help you access marketing materials from our partners, Halfords.

Our first step requires you to decide on a time and place for your launch event. Make sure you get permission from any decision-makers that you need to.

This type of launch event is harder when your team is remote. But you can also give away freebies and host a digital launch event.

Pick a time for your digital launch and use your video conferencing software of choice. Explain that those who attend will have a freebie posted to them at their home address (or emailed to them, depending on the freebie and your budget). This will require you to note who attends the event.

2.   Promote your launch, internally

Then, use whatever internal communication system you have to announce your launch event.

This may be as simple as sending an email to the whole mailing list with a brief description of the scheme and freebie giveaway. If your company has a collaboration and communication platform that it uses as a form of “digital office”, post a description of the new benefit there where everyone will see it. Add a notice to your organisation’s weekly bulletin or newsletter. Make sure you send a message on Smart Hive to prompt employees to attend.

If your business does have any central meeting locations (such as canteens, kitchenettes or staff rooms), you can add posters that promote your launch event.

3.   Explain the benefits

Lots of people will turn up for your freebies. Most of them will not really have taken much in from your advert about the Cycle to Work scheme itself; their focus will have been on the freebie!

So, once you have their attention during the event it is important that you effectively communicate the benefits of the scheme to them. Do this by promoting the key benefits of your scheme clearly. Employees will not buy into the scheme if they do not understand why it will make life easier or better for them.

If your event is taking place in person, circulate and talk to your colleagues about the scheme. In certain circumstances, Halfords – our partners in the Cycle to Work benefit scheme - are able to provide marketing materials for your launch event. They can also do virtual roadshows depending on the size and opportunity. Just speak to your Client Success Manager if this is something you are interested in.

If your event is virtual, use PowerPoint presentations, or if you are really tech-savvy a nicely edited video, to capture their attention. Short is sweet, no-one will thank you for pontificating, so distil the key benefits of the scheme into handy points.Here are the highlights of the scheme:

• Save up to 47% off a new bike and cycling equipment
• Pay for your bike via salary deductions and save tax and National Insurance
• Easy-to-use, simply redeem your voucher at Halfords, Tredz, or if you prefer to shop local, use your voucher at a range of independent stores.

4.   Make it clear where they sign-up

Make sure you communicate clearly how employees are to join the scheme. Employees need to log onto the Smart Hive and go to the Cycle to Work tile where they will find the registration link and employer code they will need to quote to use the scheme.

5.   Give them a takeaway

Most people will not sign-up there and then. It is important that you give them information that they can read in their own time. Make sure you have plenty of flyers at the launch event and put them into people’s hands along with the freebie. People can then take this information home with them to discuss with their loved ones.

If your launch event is virtual, email the attendees a factsheet about the scheme. Make sure you post or send the freebie that you promised once the virtual event is completed.

‍Download our Cycle to Work factsheet here

6.   Follow-up

A day or so after the event, make sure you post another message on Smart Hive to prompt employees to sign up for the scheme. Include photographs from the launch event itself, showing people enjoying themselves and include a description of the main benefits of the scheme. The idea is to generate interest from those who did not come to collect their freebie. You also want to include a brief description of the Cycle to Work scheme in this communication, along with an invitation to find out more. Make sure you are clear about how they can sign-up or who they need to talk to next.

7.   Make it easy-to-use

You do not want extra work, and your team do not either. Busy people are not going to engage with a scheme that adds more hassle to their day. Ensure that your employee benefit schemes are accessible via an easy-to-use online platform or app that reduces the need for administration.

Our Smart Hive platform allows your team to access their employee benefits easily, wherever they are, without the hassle of multiple logins and passwords. Your employees can manage and use their benefits through the app, reducing the amount of administration that is needed internally.

‍Find out more about our Smart Hive app

8.   Onboard new staff

Every company has a different way of onboarding new staff. But to ensure that new folks joining the team have the opportunity to learn about the Cycle to Work scheme, give an information pack about the scheme to new team members.

9. Timetable a refresher

Time flies. So, use a calendar to schedule frequent reminders to re-advertise the Cycle to Work scheme with your staff.

Springtime is an excellent opportunity to remind your colleagues about the benefits, as the warmer weather will be encouraging people to spend time out of doors. Use Smart Hive to advertise your Cycle to Work scheme whenever it is needed.

Let us help you

We hope that this step by step guide will help you to promote your Cycle to Work scheme effectively in your workplace. Our team is also on hand to help you promote your scheme amongst your staff. We want to build you a great employee benefits package that helps you retain great staff and compete to attract the best candidates.