From an employee idea to five months of real cycling competition

At Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the cycling contest lasted five months and started as an employee initiative. It was the first project of its kind in the company, so an easy-to-use app and our technical support at every stage turned out to be especially helpful.

More than half of the company's employees took part in the programme, riding a total of over 17,000 km, which balances the monthly work of 6,560 trees compared with driving to work by car.

Preparations

Together with URW, we decided to introduce a simple contest that would fit the company's CSR strategy and get employees more active.

Until then, the company's sports activities had focused on two teams, running and volleyball, and the main part of the Work Greener strategy was subsidising public transport tickets and introducing solutions in the offices that reduce the negative impact on the environment.

The challenge came from the employees themselves, who suggested running a cycling contest in the company.

Thanks to a roll-up and promotional posters in the offices, as well as smooth internal communication, it wasn't only keen cyclists who joined the contest. We wanted everyone to have an equal chance of winning, so points were awarded in different categories, especially rewarding the choice of a bike over a car for the commute.

So we proposed a suitable reward system for the players. URW got access to a ready-made app and a dedicated website, as well as support with writing the rules and with prize logistics.

The challenge

Together we designed a five-month contest split into monthly editions, so we could reward active participants and give everyone extra motivation. Employee interest stayed high the whole time.

We added a weighted prize draw to the way winners were chosen, so players received prizes regardless of their ranking position or cycling experience.

We're glad to see how involved our colleagues were in the initiative. The app turned out to be simple and user-friendly. It was the first initiative of its kind, and we hope for more editions - Katarzyna Majewska, challenge coordinator

Results

Employees really got into the project, but the competition itself wasn't the most important part. Participants saw other benefits of cycling to work every day: better health and doing something for the environment.

The app, its features and ease of use motivated them and helped them build a healthy cycling habit. More than half of the rides in the project were commutes to the office, and all players agreed they want to take part in the next edition!

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