After remote employee is forced to start workdays from the office, they decide to commute on bike, resulting in only two hours of active work a day: ‘I was paid to cycle around'

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jan 15, 2026 1:00 PM EST

When you decide to start incorporating daily exercise, one of the biggest challenges you face is finding the time for it.

Between the commute to work, a full-time job, quality time with your family, and hangouts with friends, who can find the time to actually work out every day? It's hard to bring yourself to wake up an hour early to squeeze in a workout first thing in the morning, and it's even harder to do it after a whole day at work. So, before you know it, your New Year's resolutions are a distant dream, and the gym is long-forgotten. Better luck next year, right?

Well, there is one solution that can be helpful to some people, if they are brave enough to make it work. All you have to do is turn your commute to and from work into your daily workout. Think about it, instead of taking the bus or driving your car, you can walk to work, or even better, cycle on a bike. As long as your job is not hundreds of miles away from where you live, if you put enough effort into it, you can turn the time you waste stuck in traffic into an actual exercise. That way, you don't have to find time for a workout in your already full schedule, and your commute becomes a lot more beneficial.

In the case of the employee in the story below, not only did they exercise by riding their bikes to work every day, but they actually got paid to do it as well.

Initially, this employee was hired as a remote worker because most of their job demanded they move around town. However, a change in management led to a new policy that requires every employee to work from the base office, no exceptions. This led the employee to start cycling to the office in the morning, get an hour of work done there, then bike to the next location they are needed at, return to the base office for lunch, and then get another hour of work done before having to head out yet again.

Overall, all this commuting caused this employee to get only two hours of work out of a full workday, and they kept this up for the entire summer. At some point, management realized that the job was taking a lot more time than before and confronted the employee about it. Luckily, the employee was more than ready to stand up for themselves.

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  • Businessman Riding a Bike to Work
    via AzmanJaka

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Ok, I will cycle around all day instead of working

    I worked for my local council doing work within the catchment zone of a river. The council office is not near where my work is and I only occasionally needed to go in, which was a lovely bike journey, but mainly worked remotely.
    via exteacherisbored
  • Importantly when applying for my job I was told I would not be able to access work vans for the role and the role was remote with occasional days in the office.
    via exteacherisbored
  • It's in my contract that I cannot access work vans but also there was nothing stating that I needed my own vehicle for work.
    via exteacherisbored
  • There was a change in the council and those in charge are ideologically against work from home as everyone is better in the office.
    via exteacherisbored
  • I was informed I would need to check in at the main office everyday. I arranged a meeting and emailed to explain my role and that most of my work wasn't near the office, that I could only do what they wanted if I had a van but didn't think one was available.
    via exteacherisbored
  • Meeting was turned down and the policy stated that all staff must start their shift in their base office.
    via exteacherisbored
  • This was during summer and so I took the opportunity to do what I was told.
    via exteacherisbored
  • Office was a lovely 16 miles bike ride from my home/area of work and I would usually take about an hour and 15 to do it.
    via exteacherisbored
  • Bike Commuter in Suit Going to Work
    via Valeriia Boiko

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • So head into the office, find a desk and do the morning admin. Then back on my bike and back on the road to a site, would do an hour or so of work and have lunch and work for an hour or so more before cycling back to the office and then turning around.
    via exteacherisbored
  • I was pretty fit but the 60+ miles a day was hard at first but it didn't take too long to get comfy with it (flatish).
    via exteacherisbored
  • Did take the bus a few times but due to locations requires 2 buses each way (one west that took an hour because it went to every little village on the way, then change and a quicker bus directly north) but that was slower than the bike ride.
    via exteacherisbored
  • Took a couple months but eventually I got asked why I was completing so little work, a lot of accusations were thrown around but based on my contract, communication where I pointed everything out and direct orders from the top of the organization being followed I was found to have simply done what I was asked and then quietly told I could consider my base to be the sites I worked out.
    via exteacherisbored
  • Was great being paid to cycle around in the summer
    via exteacherisbored
  • booch I'm honestly surprised they didn't tell you that start/end of day travel time was not considered "work hours". That's what happened to me when the company was at moved my office 2 hours away (well, 1-2, depending on traffic).
    via booch
  • exteacherisbored Original Poster's Reply The commute in wasn't work hours, just a normal commute it was only cycling once at work I got paid for. Previously I would often start work at the sites (unless | had admin but to do) so what they really did was add travel time that didn't exist before
    via exteacherisbored
  • lunafysh69 You must have been fit as hell after that summer! Respect to my fellow cyclist!
    via lunafysh69
  • exteacherisbored Original Poster's Reply Sadly lost now, didn't realise quite how fit I was till after I left and didn't commute by bike
    via exteacherisbored
  • bsb_hardik Classic we know better than you hence follow the rule as we are (not an MBA this time) voted for this!
    via bsb_hardik
  • jimr1603 I hope you expensed milage on your bike
    via jimr1603
  • Rich4477 A company I worked for in the past made pet food and hired students to ride bikes around the neighborhood checking for smells. The students loved it. Riding bikes all summer for a decent wage.
    via Rich4477
  • BeauRiley5543 Anddd that's how it should be done, bravo
    via BeauRiley5543

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