Et netera Brings Home Another Prize: Bicycle-Friendly Employer of the Year

The campaign’s name suggests that is was designed to support using a bicycle for transportation. Any employer from the private, non-profit, or government sectors could enter a team of at least two people that competed in the number of “green” kilometers ridden to work on their bicycles between April 29 and May 29. The best teams, individuals, and companies were then awarded at the end of the contest.

As part of this inaugural event held under the auspices of Auto*Mat - The Initiative for a Safe, Healthy, and Living Prague 1,025 participants in 274 teams from 181 companies and institutions rode more than 318,000 kilometers, enough to circle the globe eight times. In leaving their cars at home for their trip to work, they saved 35 tons of carbon emissions, which affect climate change; and more than CZK 1.5 million was saved in costs for gas, tolls, and amortization.

Et netera won a special award for its complex approach to employees that ride their bicycles to work. Some of the reasons for this award include:

• Providing and operating a bicycle garage for the company’s employees and clients;
• Employees have changing rooms, showers, and areas used for drying clothes available;
• Et netera bought a special city bike for visiting clients;
• The company supports its employees taking part in various sporting events (accommodations, transportation, entrance fees, etc.), including the Prague International Marathon, Přes dva kopce, Doksyman, and the IT Triathlon;
• Providing employees with cycling wear and equipment such as sports sunglasses, windbreakers, etc.;
• The annual company weekend, which is not a cycling weekend per se, but a group of 10 – 20 people always travel to the off-site location on their bikes.

“Here at Et netera, we don’t believe in motivational programs that say: ‘if you’re good, you’ll get a lollipop.’ People either want to ride or they don’t. We can offer the right conditions and show how great it is to ride to work. The decision is then up to each individual,” Et netera Managing Director Martin Černohorský said. “We support our employees taking part in sports in general. People who are active throughout their lives are a bit better prepared for life than many other people,” Černohorský, who himself has completed an Ironman triathlon, said.

“Triathlon has gained a good deal of popularity in the company and at one point, we had four ironmen in the office at once. In the summer, some 10 or 15 of us go for a run in the Stromovka park during our lunch break. We set aside money for sports from our marketing budget. Even your typical gaunt IT guy gets involved. Right now, we’re getting ready for this year’s IT Triathlon, where we usually have about 15 of our people. When you consider that some 15 more people from the company come to the Račice course to support our participants, we always have the biggest group at the event. Active people have more endurance, perform better, and are not as sick in the winter.”

“A special thanks for this award goes to our colleague Jiří Štěpán, who started supporting the idea of riding to work through his own example years ago. He is the spiritual father of riding to work at Et netera,” Černohorský added.