The company I work for recently rolled out a new policy stating that anyone who purchased a fuel friendly automobile (hybrid) would qualify for a $2,000 check for doing their part to fight global warming. Submit the bill of sale for the new auto, get a check for $2,000 in your next pay check.
When I saw the email go out from HR, buying a new hybrid car didn't even cross my mind. Instead, I immediately starting thinking of what kind of bike I could get for $2,000. A SS road bike? A fixie? or sell my current road bike & use the $2k to get something really really nice.
I was confident that if I could prove that I am actually commuting via bike the 20 miles each way a couple days per week, I would have no problem getting my fair share of the cash.
I got my rejection email from HR this morning saying that "cycling" does not qualify for the bonus.
Lame. Some day people will catch on. Cycling to work should be the first thing that qualifies for such a bonus.
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Someone on the TGR forum ran into a similar dilemma. Except in his case, the company was offering cash for recycling but nothing for commuting by bike to work.
When will society learn that zero emissions are better than low emissions, that reuse is better than recycling, or that not consuming is better than consuming a smaller portion?
don't give up. write another letter. then another. not the same letter each time, but another.
roll that boulder up that hill.
Go public. We'll see who bends.
Um...I guess you already have gone public with this blog.
Get more popular, then go public.
I wonder if some of that 2k is coming from a car company. they subsidize the bonus, and get people buying their cars.
Does it need to be a new vehicle purchase? If not, you could buy a used hybrid, submit the bill of sale to collect the $2k and then sell it. A bit of a hassle but for a couple of thousand dollars it might be worth it. Also, don't let your campaign stop at HR. They probably shut you down without consulting anybody on the management team.
request again, and CC the request to the CEO and spell everything out.
mention you'll be taking one less parking space, too.
my company lost its parking garage due to downtown demolition. they're now giving monthly trax passes to anyone who wants one.
I had heard that Omniture was a smart company. All I can say is dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!
pass these articles along to the CEO
http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/magazine/16-06/ff_heresies_09usedcars
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/05/the-ultimate-pr.html
Basically, more carbon is pumped into the atmosphere making a prius than a hummer and buying a used car is way smarter for the environment than buying a new car.
And commuting by bike, well...
crazy... come on not only by biking to work are you reducing fuel emmissions, your actually not even producing any! you should actually get $4000 for that!
thanks guys. I'm going to keep fighting for it (or something, maybe less than $2k but something).
Lower insurance costs due to better health
Less parking
Zero emissions
Better public image (go green)
all great points
Tell them Google does it. Everyone wants to be like Google, right?
At my old job (at Stanford U.) I was getting about $50 a month for bike commuting. They just used the honor system to make sure you weren't sneaking on campus in a car. Awesome.
Rick,
we need to join forces on this one.
Plus you're advertising the company by wearing their jersey. I don't see any OMTR prius' in the parking lot.
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