It’s early morning in London. Adrian Boyce checks his backpack for a professional outfit, zips up his Lycra, and clips into his bike pedals. Across the city, Nicole Moores straps on her running vest, tightens her trainers, and heads out for a long training run. What do Adrian and Nicole have in common?
They’ve both just started their commute.
For many of us, commuting is part of the weekly rhythm. It’s a constant, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a chore. The question, for ourselves and the companies we work for, is: how can we make this time more purposeful, enjoyable, and aligned with how we want to live, work and play?
Whether it’s walking, running, biking, or – in some cases – skateboarding, there are countless ways to weave movement into our day. Active commuting helps us reclaim time, move our bodies and do something good for the planet too.
According to the U.K. government’s greenhouse gas conversion factors, an average diesel car emits 208g of carbon dioxide per km. However, when we active commute, we can forgo most of those emissions. Walking, running and cycling aren’t just efficient at getting us from point A to point B, they’re also great for our health and well-being. And when supported by the right infrastructure at the office, they can become easy daily habits rather than a series of logistical challenges.
At our U.K. headquarters in London’s The Met building, Nicole and Adrian are welcomed by an EOT experience designed to support every step of their journey.
A dedicated entrance leads to a staircase with a bike runnel for easy access to the basement. And once inside? Commuters find secure bike storage, hanging lockers for professional clothing, private changing rooms, and thoughtfully designed showers. Towel service is also included, eliminating the need to lug damp towels or pack extra bags.
These aren’t just thoughtful touches. They’re everyday enablers. And they’re intentionally built into the experience of the space.
Whether you walk, run, or cycle, you can arrive refreshed and ready. For us, this wasn’t just a luxury, it was essential. We wanted to create a workplace that meets people where they are and helps them start the day on the right foot (or left, depending on your stride).
Our design process for the U.K. headquarters at the Met began with listening to our teams’ needs. An employee commute survey helped us better understand how people move through the city and what they needed to make their preferred commute not just possible, but seamless.
With that data in hand, we searched for a space that aligned with those needs. The Met stood out immediately.
It required minimal adaption because it was already built with active commuting in mind. There was ample storage for early-morning cyclists, EOT layouts that felt intentional, and a professional aesthetic that didn’t compromise on function. These aren’t just amenities, they’re enablers of the way we choose to live and move.
Fitwel and WELL certifications, along with active transit support, are no longer “nice to haves.” They’re signals of a company’s values. And while smaller cities may feel less pressure, forward-thinking organizations are future-proofing their workplaces everywhere in attempt to get ahead.
An office that makes it enjoyable to get to work is just one more reason for an employee to choose it, day after day.
For those looking to improve their carbon footprints, taking another look at how and where you commute can be nothing short of a gamechanger.
Commuting often falls under Scope 3 emissions – indirect and sometimes hard to measure, but impossible to ignore. Shifting transportation mode matters. Encouraging even a fraction of your teammates to switch from cars to bikes, or from ride-hailing to public transit, can have measurable impact.
Designing appealing spaces, expanding EOT facilities, and aligning offices with transit and walking networks aren’t just good ideas – they're sustainability strategies. The question isn’t just “What do we measure?” It’s “What (or who) can we influence?”
So, where do we go from here?
Every new office project and every morning wake up brings a fresh opportunity to rethink the commute as both an employee value add and sustainable impact driver. A bridge to better health, lower emissions, and a more empowered way of working, with the lace up of a trainer or push of a pedal, moving a step forward, together.
