February 2009 saw some of the worst snow South East England had seen in decades.  With transport systems thrown into chaos, around half the business in London were working at only 50% capacity.* According to the Finacial Times, the ‘snow day’ on the first Monday of February 2009 may have cost the country around £1bn.

 

Considering the recent state of the economy, the last thing the country needed over the last few weeks was even more of this weather! With thousands of people unable to get to work, our businesses once again suffered at the hands of the climate. In the first few weeks of 2010 we suffered the worst snow fall for 3 decades and, according to insurance company RSA, it could have cost the economy a staggering £690million a day, and up to £14.5billion in total!

 

The harsh weather conditions made it impossible for some of us to travel – Public transport was cancelled in many rural areas, and many roads were far too dangerous to drive on. Add to this the School closures, leaving children at home and their parents needing to stay home with them, it’s estimated a whopping 44% of workers had to stay home on the first day alone!

 

The answer, I think, is relatively simple. With all the new technology available, working from home, or wherever you happen to be, isn’t just a dream any more, it’s a reality which could save your company from failing. There are loads of ways you can do this, using software programs like ‘log me in’, Hosted Desktop Solutions like Workplacelive.com or Terminal server solutions for the larger companies that want to do it all in house. With these, your employees can log in to their desktop from anywhere with an internet connection, giving them full access to their documents, folders and programs from any location.

 

If all this seems a bit much, then perhaps just the ability to access your emails from anywhere would help; even email straight through to your phone?

 

All these solutions are quick and easy to use and will save you time and increase productivity, even when it’s not snowing outside!

 

This ‘Cloud Computing’ technology is growing ever more popular, and is changing the way people think about work. Because everyone can work off the same system, people are able to work with live data, letting them continue with their normal day to day tasks seamlessly without having to brave the treacherous conditions.

 

If you would like to find out more about how technology can help you though these weather battered times please get in touch, by email info@workplacelive.com or call 01883 333156.

 

*Survey by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry