Cycling UK Forum

Hi

I have been an avid supporter of the cycle to work scheme which my employer runs (im on my 5th bike!). I cycle to work and back everyday (all year round) and have done so for 9 years with my current employer. They are looking to refurb the offices and advised all employees they will have to hot desk. This involves employees no longer having desk draws or pedestals. They have advised that all employees will be given a locker to store items, which includes laptops etc... the locker is going to be 35cm by 35cm.

As a cyclist we tend have a bit more kit at work, cycling gear, spare clothes etc..... im not sure where these will be stored anymore. My helmet will just about fit in a 35x35 locker.... its a valuable helmet as I have my action cam mounted on it (worth £300).

Does my employer have any obligation to give me a bit more space to store kit securely as I have enrolled on cycle2work scheme?

Many thanks in advance

don't think you can oblige them to do anything....

have you tried asking them for a second locker?

It'll depend on your particular commute, but...

As a cyclist we tend have a bit more kit at work, cycling gear, spare clothes etc.....

This isn't necessarily the case. When I commute by bike I don't take anything extra. My "cycling gear" is my bike, a cycling cap and an ankle slappy. I cycle and work in the same clothes (aside from the cap and slappy). That's with a relatively leisurely commute and yours may not qualify, but there is a tendency in the UK to use "proper cycling kit" for journeys that really don't justify using it (I used to dress up in lycra shorts to ride across town, but then I... stopped, and the only real difference was I didn't have to change any more).

Pete.

I thought there was some qualifying criteria for employers to fulfil in order to offer Cycle2Work, for example showers etc? I thought it may include a bit of space... or is this just wishful thinking

I don't want to kick up a fuss at work, I just wanted to make them aware if there was anything I was entitled to as a cycle2work subscriber

WebGuy wrote:I thought there was some qualifying criteria for employers to fulfil in order to offer Cycle2Work, for example showers etc? I thought it may include a bit of space... or is this just wishful thinking

Wishful thinking I'm afraid

I'm pretty sure there's nothing beyond the financial process side of it in order to run it. What you're entitled to is a different way of buying a bike.

Pete.

I've had a look at the HMRC info which seems to confirm what Pete is saying: it's a tax break.

You are always allowed to try friendly requests to your employer and as a good employer they should listen. Otherwise, if you understandably "don't want to kick up a fuss" you have little else. Unless there's been a fundamental change in employment law, an employer cannot unilaterally change your conditions of employment and to do so may breach your contract of employment. That's not limited to what's been agreed in writing but includes what I'll describe in non-legal terms as day-to-day carry on. Unfortunately, your remedies are limited and if you conform with the new "carry on" then after a fairly short time you are taken to have agreed to the change in your contract. All you can formally do is write to your employer saying that this change in your contract is unacceptable to you and if they take the "like it or lump it" approach you can claim constructive dismissal, which would be a pyrrhic victory unless you planned to leave anyway. (Check somewhere like Citizens Advice before acting.)

Are you sure there are no hidden hidey holes or voids you can use? I've always tried to be on the best of terms with anybody with a security/ janitorial role although in these days of outsourcing that's probably not so easy. A boiler room is ideal.

hi, thanks for your comprehensive response. The office are going to be refurbed in a few months. They are just informing us on what will happen. I suspect there will be some extra space but its just hard to visualise at the mo. They are a great employer, and they will probably give me some extra space - but I just wanted to check if they needed reminding of anything

Cheers

WebGuy wrote:Hi

I have been an avid supporter of the cycle to work scheme which my employer runs (im on my 5th bike!). I cycle to work and back everyday (all year round) and have done so for 9 years with my current employer. They are looking to refurb the offices and advised all employees they will have to hot desk. This involves employees no longer having desk draws or pedestals. They have advised that all employees will be given a locker to store items, which includes laptops etc... the locker is going to be 35cm by 35cm.

As a cyclist we tend have a bit more kit at work, cycling gear, spare clothes etc..... im not sure where these will be stored anymore. My helmet will just about fit in a 35x35 locker.... its a valuable helmet as I have my action cam mounted on it (worth £300).

Does my employer have any obligation to give me a bit more space to store kit securely as I have enrolled on cycle2work scheme?

Many thanks in advance

Why don't you trust your workmates not to pinch your stuff?

No its not so much about security, its probably more about tidiness and having my regular area to put stuff. I normally have my desk draws to put stuff in and leave over night.... but these will no longer be available.

We have hot desks at work, with a small locker to keep your work stuff in. Cyclists are allowed an extra larger locker to keep our kit in, but I could just about manage with the smaller one, which is the same size as the OPs will be. I keep towel, wash kit, shoes and trousers at work. I take underwear and a clean shirt each day. My helmet is locked to my bike in the basement. If not, then I would keep it on or under my desk for the day, or on top of the bank of lockers. After showering, towel and clothes are hung out to dry on a specially provided coat rack. Cyclists have their own coat rack/rail as someone complained that they didn't want our wet stuff near their coat!

My towel and kit will usually have air dried by the end of the working day, so towel gets put away in the locker and kit gets put back on for the ride home.

Facilities do vary from office to office. I have a colleague in another office, who drapes his wet towel over the back of his chair. My wife's office has a tumble drier that you can dry your wet kit in.

Despite hot desking, most people tend to sit in the same place each day, but you are not allowed to personalise your desk or leave anything out on the desktop overnight other than the keyboard, mouse, power lead and monitor.

WebGuy wrote:Hi

I have been an avid supporter of the cycle to work scheme which my employer runs (im on my 5th bike!)
..

Five bikes in nine years, are they bad quality? Or do you keep changing for fun, because it is cheap?

What is the third dimension of the locker, 35*35*?

Hot desking seems a bad idea, I have my own space and a small library in my drawer

You might be able to sell them on providing a bit more (larger lockers, a drying area, or even a couple of wardrobes, or something?) for those who want to use active travel, such as walking, jogging, cycling, or want to take exercise at lunch time. It is to their benefit, as they get healthier workers.

There may be other reasons that a few people want or need larger lockers or other storage, such as keeping a suit jacket for meetings with external companies, keeping a change of clothes or spare shoes at work.

My negotiating strategy in such circumstances is to ask for the moon, on the basis that we will end up somewhere in between. It will likely help, if you can get others on your side. Not necessarily just cyclists, but other people who have any reason to want a bit more space.

And it's worth pointing out that it will be much cheaper to do it during refurbishment, than later.

Hot Desking :

I thankfully don't have to do it, but at our Nerve Centre they do, and have done for a couple of years.
I believe there are actually less desks than People (which is what Hot Desking is mostly about) which is usually mitigated by Leave/Shift work hours / People going out and about to do their work.
But I did hear stories about folk coming into work earlier by increment to "claim" a desk (we work Flexitime) , and in one notable case I understand somebody pitched up for work , coat on back of chair, briefcase on desk. Kitchen/Coffee/Comfort Break or whatever, returns to find Coat and Briefcase folded and in the corner and someone else sitting there.
I understand it came to fisticuffs and both parties were suspended. Don't know the outcome.

A place I worked 20 years ago had hotdesking, enough desks for about 75% of staff. We had rollaway drawer units to put in a storeroom each night, necessary for storing paperwork etc. They also provided a limited number of full height lockers for people to hang motorcycle clobber or cycling kit. Unfortunately it was hard to get a key for these (I had one) because they were taken by people who needed to store their umbrella safely. It might be worth asking your company to substitute some full height lockers to be allocated to those who need them.

My office has a mixture of 'plug-n-play' and fixed desks, because we have quite a few people who work in more than one location. But we also have wardrobes in the office areas for coats, umbrellas and spare shoes, and people can get either small or large lockers. In addition, there is a drying room by the showers, and most people put their cycling / running kit in there.