IKEA To Employees – Here’s A Bike For Christmas

IKEA America says they're doing something novel for employees this season: Giving each one of them a shiny new mountain bike.

Why did the corporation decide to give their employees bicycles? "Because when it comes to sustainable transport, a bicycle is a great option," the company's press release reads. "And when it comes to healthy living, riding a bike is one of the best cardio forms of exercise."

CNN followed up with a more in-depth look at the story:

All 12,400 U.S. IKEA employees walked away from work this week with a silver mountain bike, a gift the company says is a big thank you to workers for a great year.

"This is our way of saying 'thanks IKEA co-workers for being strongly committed to working together,' " Mike Ward, IKEA U.S. president, said in a statement.

IKEA's release also lays out the benefits of owning a bicycle. Among them:

• On average, commuting 10 miles a day by bike in 30 minutes, instead of driving a car burns 110,250 calories (keeping off 30 pounds of fat each year). (Sources: Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, RailstoTrails.org, Fitsugar.com, Adultbicycling.com

• Cycling just 20 miles a week can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%. (Sources: Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, RailstoTrails.org, Fitsugar.com, Adultbicycling.com

What would you do if you got a large gift from your employer? Would you keep it, sell it or re-gift it? Comment below.