Boss Doesn't Want Me to Cycle

Elisa Francesca

Last Tuesday, I went to a meeting with some colleagues at
the Headquarters of the firm where I usually work in the
Training Center. The HQ is in a place about 10 kms from the
Training Center, and very inaccessible by public transport.
The way there involves the first 8 km practically all gently
downhill, then a brutal ascent up a very steep, windey
forest road, then a rather bumpy dirt path. On the way back,
the topology is reversed - steeply downhill at the beginning
and then an upward faux plat all the way home.

I had tried the route by bike three times last summer and
had got the trip out in about an hour and a half. On
Tuesday, I tried a different route for the first time, got
lost once, had to stop at every traffic light to figure out
the continuation, and took 2 hours 30 minutes to cover the
trip out of 9.56 km. On the way back, I walked almost the
whole distance, because even if and where it would have been
easier to cycle, I was too tired to trust my judgement on
the road. Even though her steering was fixed a few weeks
ago, Behemoth is still rather wobbly in low gears and at
slow speeds, especially as fully loaded with company
documents and water bottles she aproaches 30 kgs, so I felt
safer pushing her along the sidewalk. Besides which those
low speeds put terrible pressures on my wrists and I didn't
want them to go into spasm again. As the temperatures were
also well above 30 Celsius I was going slow and drinking
water frequently. The trip back took less time than the trip
out (yes, I do walk faster than I cycle), giving me a round
trip of 4 hours 30 minutes for a total 19.01 km, with 3 km
per hour my most frequent going rate. My heart monitor,
which I took with me, revealed that I was over my aerobic
zone, in threshold or redline, for about half of that time,
and within it for the remaining half with no time under. The
monitor also showed that my max heart rate of 168 was
attained on the trip.

I did the trip out mainly within my lunch break and the trip
back after hours. I fully understand that 4 and a half hours
to cover 19 km could not be integrated cost-effectively into
a work routine.

However, I know the trip out could be a lot faster once I
learn the "script" for the route. I believe it could be
managed in about 1 hour 10 minutes, allowing a half-hour to
ascend the hill at the end on foot (where my heart rate
tends to max out). The same journey by bus has taken me 1
hour 10 minutes so the time is comparable, and the bike
offers much more freedom than the bus which only runs a few
times a day.

But my supervisor is insisting that I am "not safe on the
bike" and that in future I must take a taxi for this trip,
which might install itself as something I need to do every
Tuesday. I REFUSE! Meetings with the Documenation team and
closer liaisons with HQ have come about on my own initiative
entirely and one of my big reasons for doing this was to get
the opportunity to train up to bike commuting on the
journey. If I have to use stinky petrol to go, there isn't
even a point ot it.

The cab trip would cost about 20 Euros one way and I would
have to go through a big rigmarole to claim it on the
company. I would also be stranded out there with no way to
get back (except on foot) unless I could persuade the
company to disburse a further 20 Euros to get me home or beg
a ride from a colleague (and be entirely dependent on other
people's routes and schedules). Not only this is majorly
inconvenient but I can see eyebrows being raised about the
expense and myself being targetted as an unnecessarily
costly employee at a time of company cut-backs (I am the
only Carfree person in the company but the French have even
less understanding of Carfreedom than they do of
Childfreedom). Alternatively, the bosses will try to force
my colleagues to give me lifts but the colleagues will
resent it and I will have to deal with their bad temper. My
impression is that my supervisor dislikes my rapprochement
with HQ and is trying to punish me by playing up transport
difficulties and creating issues where there aren't any. I
also particularly resent the way these motorist assholes go
on about my "safety". Yes, I am terrified of road traffic
which is why I spend so much time on sidewalks. But whereas
early death by road is a possibility, early death by heart
disease and diabetes is a near certainty for me if I retain
the sedentary lifestyle of the IT geek.

So it looks like I have some civil disobedience on the way.
I WILL NOT TAKE THAT CAB!.

EFR Carfree By Choice in Ile de France

Roger Zoul

Some advice: don't talk about stuff at work that you don't need to discuss.

Why does your boss have reason to fear for your safety?
While I can't be sure, it sounds potentially like a
situation you created. I've seen similar (not biking
related) things happen before that were the result of too
much info given at work.

Still, I hope you work it out.

Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote:
:: Last Tuesday, I went to a meeting with some colleagues at
:: the Headquarters of the firm where I usually work in the
:: Training Center. The HQ is in a place about 10 kms from
:: the Training Center, and very inaccessible by public
:: transport. The way there involves the first 8 km
:: practically all gently downhill, then a brutal ascent up
:: a very steep, windey forest road, then a rather bumpy
:: dirt path. On the way back, the topology is reversed -
:: steeply downhill at the beginning and then an upward faux
:: plat all the way home.
::
:: I had tried the route by bike three times last summer and
:: had got the trip out in about an hour and a half. On
:: Tuesday, I tried a different route for the first time,
:: got lost once, had to stop at every traffic light to
:: figure out the continuation, and took 2 hours 30 minutes
:: to cover the trip out of 9.56 km. On the way back, I
:: walked almost the whole distance, because even if and
:: where it would have been easier to cycle, I was too tired
:: to trust my judgement on the road. Even though her
:: steering was fixed a few weeks ago, Behemoth is still
:: rather wobbly in low gears and at slow speeds, especially
:: as fully loaded with company documents and water bottles
:: she aproaches 30 kgs, so I felt safer pushing her along
:: the sidewalk. Besides which those low speeds put terrible
:: pressures on my wrists and I didn't want them to go into
:: spasm again. As the temperatures were also well above 30
:: Celsius I was going slow and drinking water frequently.
:: The trip back took less time than the trip out (yes, I do
:: walk faster than I cycle), giving me a round trip of 4
:: hours 30 minutes for a total 19.01 km, with 3 km per hour
:: my most frequent going rate. My heart monitor, which I
:: took with me, revealed that I was over my aerobic zone,
:: in threshold or redline, for about half of that time, and
:: within it for the remaining half with no time under. The
:: monitor also showed that my max heart rate of 168 was
:: attained on the trip.
::
:: I did the trip out mainly within my lunch break and the
:: trip back after hours. I fully understand that 4 and a
:: half hours to cover 19 km could not be integrated cost-
:: effectively into a work routine.
::
:: However, I know the trip out could be a lot faster once I
:: learn the "script" for the route. I believe it could be
:: managed in about 1 hour 10 minutes, allowing a half-hour
:: to ascend the hill at the end on foot (where my heart
:: rate tends to max out). The same journey by bus has taken
:: me 1 hour 10 minutes so the time is comparable, and the
:: bike offers much more freedom than the bus which only
:: runs a few times a day.
::
:: But my supervisor is insisting that I am "not safe on the
:: bike" and that in future I must take a taxi for this
:: trip, which might install itself as something I need to
:: do every Tuesday. I REFUSE! Meetings with the
:: Documenation team and closer liaisons with HQ have come
:: about on my own initiative entirely and one of my big
:: reasons for doing this was to get the opportunity to
:: train up to bike commuting on the journey. If I have to
:: use stinky petrol to go, there isn't even a point ot it.
::
:: The cab trip would cost about 20 Euros one way and I
:: would have to go through a big rigmarole to claim it on
:: the company. I would also be stranded out there with no
:: way to get back (except on foot) unless I could persuade
:: the company to disburse a further 20 Euros to get me home
:: or beg a ride from a colleague (and be entirely dependent
:: on other people's routes and schedules). Not only this is
:: majorly inconvenient but I can see eyebrows being raised
:: about the expense and myself being targetted as an
:: unnecessarily costly employee at a time of company cut-
:: backs (I am the only Carfree person in the company but
:: the French have even less understanding of Carfreedom
:: than they do of Childfreedom). Alternatively, the bosses
:: will try to force my colleagues to give me lifts but the
:: colleagues will resent it and I will have to deal with
:: their bad temper. My impression is that my supervisor
:: dislikes my rapprochement with HQ and is trying to punish
:: me by playing up transport difficulties and creating
:: issues where there aren't any. I also particularly resent
:: the way these motorist assholes go on about my "safety".
:: Yes, I am terrified of road traffic which is why I spend
:: so much time on sidewalks. But whereas early death by
:: road is a possibility, early death by heart disease and
:: diabetes is a near certainty for me if I retain the
:: sedentary lifestyle of the IT geek.
::
:: So it looks like I have some civil disobedience on the
:: way. I WILL NOT TAKE THAT CAB!.
::
:: EFR Carfree By Choice in Ile de France

David Kerber

In article <40C99B93.DF0F0F90@quadratec-software.com>, Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-
software.com says...

...

> So it looks like I have some civil disobedience on the
> way. I WILL NOT TAKE THAT CAB!.
>
> EFR Carfree By Choice in Ile de France

Well said! I hope you can come to a reasonable conclusion.

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).

David Hansen

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:46:27 +0200 someone who may be Elisa
Francesca Roselli <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com>
wrote this:-

>But my supervisor is insisting that I am "not safe on
>the bike"

Does your supervisor have a religious view that it is not
safe to ride a bike, or are they amenable to reason?

>I also particularly resent the way these motorist assholes
>go on about my "safety".

"Safety" is often trotted out when the real reason is
different.

>Yes, I am terrified of road traffic which is why I spend so
>much time on sidewalks.

There are ways of cycling that remove much of the terror for
many people.

>But whereas early death by road is a possibility, early
>death by heart disease and diabetes is a near certainty for
>me if I retain the sedentary lifestyle of the IT geek.

Phrased differently this might be a good argument to use.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number
F566DA0E I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK
government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

David Kerber

In article <bpbjc0t3e2l2lkp83jklkuvb4vp0qrto7d@4ax.com>,
SENDdavidNOhSPAM@spidacom.co.uk says...

...

> >But whereas early death by road is a possibility,
> >early death by heart disease and diabetes is a near
> >certainty for me if I retain the sedentary lifestyle
> >of the IT geek.
>
> Phrased differently this might be a good argument to use.

Or even with the same phrasing (just translated into French,
of course).

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in
the newsgroups if possible).

-Lsqnot Respond

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 08:20:37 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
<rogerzoul2@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Some advice: don't talk about stuff at work that you don't
>need to discuss.

A motto that has seen me well in life; "it's easier to
ask forgiveness then to ask permission". Following this
line means you avoid the corporate kneejerk "No" to any
unusual request.

>Why does your boss have reason to fear for your safety?
>While I can't be sure, it sounds potentially like a
>situation you created. I've seen similar (not biking
>related) things happen before that were the result of too
>much info given at work.
>
>Still, I hope you work it out.

David Hansen

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 09:21:21 -0400 someone who may be David Kerber
<ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote this:-

>In article <bpbjc0t3e2l2lkp83jklkuvb4vp0qrto7d@4ax.com>,
>SENDdavidNOhSPAM@spidacom.co.uk says...
>
>...
>
>> >But whereas early death by road is a possibility,
>> >early death by heart disease and diabetes is a near
>> >certainty for me if I retain the sedentary lifestyle
>> >of the IT geek.
>>
>> Phrased differently this might be a good argument to use.
>
>Or even with the same phrasing (just translated into
>French, of course).

I would end the sentence with, "if I have a sedentary
lifestyle."

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number
F566DA0E I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK
government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

Gawnsoft

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:46:27 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
<Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote (more
or less): ...
> my supervisor is insisting that I am "not safe on the
> bike" and that in future I must take a taxi for this
> trip, ...

This should be a refutable statement. If you can find no
stats specific to France, ther eare stats available showing
what exposure to var=ious forms of traffic lead to an
expectation of fatality for the UK.

Cycling is, perhaps counter-intuitively to your boss, safer
than other forms.

Can someone else point Elisa to a place where the stats are
published?

--
Cheers, Euan Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122 Smalltalk
links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk)
http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

Peter Clinch

[Not Responding] wrote:

> A motto that has seen me well in life; "it's easier to ask
> forgiveness then to ask permission".

hmmmm. See http://www.dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/dilbert-
20040531.html

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
p.j.clinch@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

John Everett

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:46:27 +0200, Elisa Francesca Roselli
<Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-software.com> wrote:

>Meetings with the Documenation team and closer liaisons
>with HQ have come about on my own initiative entirely and
>one of my big reasons for doing this was to get the
>opportunity to train up to bike commuting on the journey.
>If I have to use stinky petrol to go, there isn't even a
>point ot it.

I may be an avid cyclist, but I'm also a former executive
with a Fortune 500 company. The above says it all. Seems to
me the only point of the meetings is to give you an
opportunity to get in some cycling. If that's the case
cancel the meeting! You should have no expectation that your
company will pay for time spent on your bike.

jeverett3<AT>earthlink<DOT>net
http://home.earthlink.net/~jeverett3

Mark Thompson

>> my supervisor is insisting that I am "not safe on the
>> bike" and that in future I must take a taxi for this
>> trip, ...
>
> This should be a refutable statement. If you can find no
> stats specific to France, ther eare stats available
> showing what exposure to var=ious forms of traffic lead to
> an expectation of fatality for the UK.
>
> Cycling is, perhaps counter-intuitively to your boss,
> safer than other forms.
>
> Can someone else point Elisa to a place where the stats
> are published?

For the UK: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/ssdataset-
.asp?vlnk=7250&Pos=&ColRank= 1&Rank=272

short(ish) link to the same thing:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?D69F13988

Click on excel option to get nicely formatted table, the
general option thingy to get ugly, unformatted version.

Ben A Gozar

From your supervisor's point of view, having you with what
are considered important company documents on a bicycle with
an admittantly questionable ride in high temperatures is not
the safest way to get around. Especially when you take the
very high (30C?) high temperature and low gears into
consideration? What if you were to become injured or suffer
from a heat related trauma?

If making your living isn't worth making a stand about the
cab, I would negotiate cab fare compensation with my
supervisor. If it is important for the company that you
make this meeting and take a cab in between for
health/safety reasons, then the company should willingly
and happily pay for it.

I have seen coworkers make stands on the many trivial
issues, and some have lost jobs (and lifestyle) over it.
While their ego may have felt justified and satisfied,
losing their income and not being able to match it with
another income even close to the one they gave up, was not
worth listening to their ego imo. You should really yhink
about whether taking a cab or not is more important than
what you are doing for a living. If it is so be it, you can
go to sleep with a happy soul.

Please keep in mind too, that we offer up advice off our
cuff at times as there is nothing at stake for us in the
advice we give. jmho

Roger Zoul

David Hansen wrote:
:: On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 13:46:27 +0200 someone who may be
:: Elisa Francesca Roselli <Elisa.Francesca.Roselli@quadratec-
:: software.com> wrote this:-
::
::: But my supervisor is insisting that I am "not safe on
::: the bike"
::
:: Does your supervisor have a religious view that it is not
:: safe to ride a bike, or are they amenable to reason?
::
::: I also particularly resent the way these motorist
::: assholes go on about my "safety".
::
:: "Safety" is often trotted out when the real reason is
:: different.
::
::: Yes, I am terrified of road traffic which is why I spend
::: so much time on sidewalks.
::
:: There are ways of cycling that remove much of the terror
:: for many people.
::
::: But whereas early death by road is a possibility,
::: early death by heart disease and diabetes is a near
::: certainty for me if I retain the sedentary lifestyle
::: of the IT geek.
::
:: Phrased differently this might be a good argument to use.

I wish....the problem is that Elisa is doing this for work,
and if there is a preception (no matter where it came from)
that cycling along a given route is unsafe, then the
employer must act in both the best interest of the employee
and the company. One can easily argument that one can
address a sedentary lifestyle outside of work hours. Of
course, bossman can't stop her from riding durning lunch or
to/fro work. But bossman might have something to say about
riding during work hours.

Pat Lamb

Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote:
> The cab trip would cost about 20 Euros one way and I would
> have to go through a big rigmarole to claim it on the
> company. I would also be stranded out there with no way to
> get back (except on foot) unless I could persuade the
> company to disburse a further 20 Euros to get me home or
> beg a ride from a colleague (and be entirely dependent on
> other people's routes and schedules). Not only this is
> majorly inconvenient but I can see eyebrows being raised
> about the expense and myself being targetted as an
> unnecessarily costly employee at a time of company cut-
> backs (I am the only Carfree person in the company but the
> French have even less understanding of Carfreedom than
> they do of Childfreedom).

I'd suggest a sneakier approach than outright refusal. Go
ahead and take a cab both ways next week. File a
reimbursement claim (I assume said boss has to sign it,
right?). Don't push it, put it in the system and let it go.

If you haven't been reimbursed by the following week, ride
your bike, because you haven't been reimbursed for last
week's cab rides, and continue until you get the check. With
luck, you'll have a couple of safe weeks under your tires
before the check comes back, and nobody will care any more.

Pat