Remote working cushions the financial blow of big freeze

Businesses that were prepared to enable staff to work at home will have saved millions during the big freeze, says a leading communications expert.

The cost of the snow disruptions to the UK economy has been estimated at between £600m and £2bn, yet according to telecommunications expert Matt Snelus those businesses that have remote working systems in place will have fared much better.

Managing Director of freshbaked Communications, Matt Snelus, says: “The snow will have caused disruption to many. Retailers will have witnessed lost trade from shoppers staying at home, while businesses will be counting the costs of workers not turning up to work. In theory, businesses should now be better prepared to enable staff to work from home given last February’s snow and the flooding that has caused havoc across the UK. However many SMEs are still not in a good position to cope.

“Many do not have business continuity plans in place or the technologies to allow employees to work remotely.”
With no end in sight for the severe weather as forecasters predict that the cold snap could last the rest of the month, Snelus advises that there is still time to get systems in place to soften the financial blow that the weather is causing. He says: “Business continuity is relevant to businesses of every size, but smaller businesses are more vulnerable to revenue loss and need to ensure that they plan for restricted access to offices. From a communications point of view, it has never been easier to allow employees to work from home or on the road. Whether it is responding to emails on the move or being able to connect to the company’s internal systems sat in your home office, there are now solutions to suit everyone’s requirements.

"This isn't the first and it won't be the last time productivity is impacted due to adverse weather conditions, so businesses should start to look at ways to ensure staff can work from home. With a home broadband connection and remote working facilities, a business can easily continue its operations and avoid any lost revenue.”

A conference designed to help businesses develop remote working strategies will be held on 27th January 2010 at the Twenty Ten Clubhouse of the Celtic Manor Resort. The ‘Work Smarter Conference’, organised by freshbaked Communications in partnership with O2, Blackberry and Timico, will look at the growth of remote working, what technologies are available to enable remote working and how businesses can save money by working more efficiently.  For more information call 02920 491491 or visit www.freshbaked.co.uk