Bike to Work with Allianz

Preparations

Allianz organises the global Allianz World Run, an international running challenge for the company's employees, agents, and customers. Poland has been actively participating in it for several years.

The company's other CSR initiatives were not directly connected to physical activity. That is why we faced the task of creating a competition available to nearly 2,000 people across the country.

We also wanted Allianz employees to replace their usual means of transport with bicycles, contributing to environmental protection and supporting the beneficiaries of the SOS Children's Villages Association.

Allianz has been socially engaged for years, organising and participating in various CSR initiatives. In 2018, we noticed a growing number of employees commuting to work by bike. That is why, together with Activy, we organised a nationwide challenge that combined the promotion of a healthy lifestyle with care for the environment - all in support of a charity goal. What made the Activy team stand out was their genuine commitment to helping our participants. - Paulina Kubicka, challenge coordinator

Challenge progress

The month of competition began with a thorough bike check-up. For one day, Allianz provided a mobile bike service outside its headquarters in Warsaw. This allowed employees to check the technical condition of their bikes and protect themselves by purchasing the right insurance.

The key to the success of the initiative was involving employees at every level, field employees, and agents. To make participation easier, the company provided showers and bicycle parking, while Activy equipped participants with suitable gadgets.

One of our goals was to communicate results regularly through weekly reports published in the internal newsletter, on the intranet, and via email campaigns.

Combining a simple activity with a charity initiative helped engage many employees across the country. Through the Activy app, cyclists collected kilometres on routes from home to work and from work to home.

For every kilometre cycled, Allianz Polska donated funds to the SOS Children's Villages Association. Participants had the chance to win attractive prizes in one of five selected categories.

This way, we recognised the people who covered the most kilometres in one month, but also those who completed the longest single ride. In addition, we rewarded the most consistent participants who cycled every day, and even the early birds for rides just after dawn.

A great idea for encouraging activity while supporting environmental protection. Competition and rankings motivate people to work together for a shared cause, and also help colleagues get to know one another better. - Mateusz, challenge participant

Results

The level of engagement exceeded our expectations. In just one month, as many as 186 participants joined the competition and together cycled nearly 48,000 kilometres.

The "Bike to Work Challenge" cycling programme engaged Allianz employees and associates across the country and helped achieve a meaningful charity goal. Over one month, nearly 200 employees covered almost 48,000 kilometres. The initiative was highly engaging, and almost everyone agreed that they wanted to take part in the next edition.