Yes to Uber, No to Bikes: A Practical Worker Teaches Their Company a Financial Lesson
“If employees work late, they are given a free dinner and a ride back home.” Who in the world wouldn’t appreciate this kind of company policy?
However, the Original Poster with the username u/CyclingFrenchie realized too late that transportation reimbursements have their restrictions. Even though OP had the best intentions to help his company’s cost-cutting measures and to lower carbon emissions for the environment by using an electric bike when travelling home after working late, he and his companions were told that e-bike rental fees could not be reimbursed.
“It’s faster, much better for the environment, fun, and a great way to decompress after a long [day] of work,” OP wrote on Reddit’s community r/MaliciousCompliance.
Instead, after refusing to reimburse their rental bike expenses, the Human Resources Department instructed OP and the other bikers to take Uber when returning home after overtime.
Viewing the rule as quite ludicrous, OP acquiesced. He stopped renting an e-bike and booked Uber every time he had to come home late from work. However, OP would always choose the most expensive Uber option.
“Next month, my late-night ride expenses increased by almost 5x,” said u/CyclingFrenchie. “Needless to say, they strongly encouraged me to get back on the bike and offered to buy me a subscription if available (unfortunately it’s not).”
The Redditors’ reactions?
“It’s odd that they came back and offered to get you a subscription, lol. Until I saw that, I was going to suggest it could be an insurance issue, as in, they only reimburse for transportation where you aren’t the driver,” wrote one commenter.
“My suspicion is that the employer didn’t want to face the liability of you getting on a bike, having an accident, and then wanting to sue the company because you drove while ‘exhausted,'” another Reddit user opined.
Another person shared their own company experience: “In the case of our small business, it’s because Uber has a minimum spend they need us to hit if we want to keep paying monthly. If everyone used their Uber account, we’d hit it easily every month. But people keep using regular taxi services, so I have to keep convincing Uber not to place us on credit-card-only payment every month. I have to beg staff to use Uber instead of taxis, because we pay extra credit card fees if we use that method of payment. Using Uber saves our company money.”
Meanwhile, a Redditor offered an idea that might help solve the problem and achieve OP’s goal for himself and the environment: “Can you ask them to buy you a bike, rather than a subscription? Even suggest the idea of a company-owned bike that is ‘loaned’ to you for the duration of your employment and you can return for the next employee when you leave.”
To which, OP replied: “Yes! I’m working with them to set up a cycle-to-work scheme, which allows us to pay back a bike over 12 months and deduce that expense from our taxes.”
Happy ending!
