Cycling could halve workplace sickness and inject £13.7bn annually into British businesses in productivity, new research has revealed.
Absenteeism costs UK employers £258 per day, with the average worker taking 4.5 sick days each year, in contrast to just 2.4 days taken by people who cycle, according to the data compiled by charity Sustrans.
According to the research, 68% of the cyclists surveyed on the National Cycle Network had taken no sick days in the last year.
The charity is calling on the government to recognise the economic value and health benefits of cycling to work by introducing a minimum standard of facilities and support that workplaces should provide for employees commuting by bike.
Sustrans suggested that these facilities should include adequate showers and bike parking, access to bike purchase schemes and support with finding a safe route to work, such as maps and bike buddies.
It added that a government-endorsed ‘cycle to work standard' would give businesses access to advice on how to make their workplace fit for cycling and provide a recognised standard for their success, helping employers to realise the financial benefits of a healthy, active workforce.
Last month the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group called on employers to do more to encourage people to cycle and noted the benefits of cycle to work schemes.
"Employers who encourage cycling can increase their profitability and have employees who take fewer sick days, but too many miss out on these benefits because they don't provide decent facilities and support," explained Sustrans chief executive Malcolm Shephard.
"In separate research conducted by YouGov, 22% of UK adults who commute to work, but not by bike, said they don't cycle to work because their workplace doesn't have the facilities they need.
"Cycle parking and showers in an office should be as common as a printer and a coffee machine and by introducing a ‘cycle to work standard' governments would be taking the first steps to making this a reality," Shephard added.
"Making it safer, easier and more enjoyable for people to get to work by bike would unlock huge economic gains and health benefits for the UK. It's time to make sure all our workplaces are fit for cycling."
