01/05/2014
By Leon Rudd, Head of SMB Marketing at O2
Although the headlines are full of the disruption caused by tube strikes, there are some steps that any business can take to ensure they’re as prepared as possible to deal with the impact of transport troubles on their workforce.
Here are my top tips on how to stay connected even in difficult circumstances:
1. Make sure the procedure for working during the TFL strikes is made clear to staff. For example, Will you be expecting staff to make enough time to find alternative routes to work or will you be encouraging employees to work flexibly – whether it’s at home, on the bus or even a local coffee shop? If it looks like some of your workforce will be unable to make it in to the office, ensure they have work set aside so they can be productive from wherever they are.
2. Consider changing internal and client face to face meeting to conference calls. This will allow anyone who is having trouble making it to the office to still participate no matter where they are.
3. If you haven't already, consider in future introducing cloud based products such as Microsoft Office 365 or Box, so your workforce can continue collaborating with colleagues on existing documents from wherever they may find themselves.
4. Look to introduce secure email applications on your employee’s mobile devices. This will mean if they are stuck on a bus, or another form of transport, they can continue to keep their colleagues and clients updated. If the time spent travelling isn’t wasted you’re also maximising your productivity before you even get to the office.
5. If you haven’t yet made the switch to 4G, consider upgrading as it will allow employees who are experiencing delays in areas with no WIFI to access emails and files at a much quicker rate. In particular, it’s great for downloading files or watching video clips.
