Heavy snow batters Britain but many could work from home - comment from Aastra

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As heavy snowstorms hit Britain, large numbers of workers may find that they are unable to safely commute to work today and Tuesday, especially if they live in rural areas. But many commuters could continue to work if their employers introduced flexible working practices that gave them the option to work from home.

Michael Calvert, UK General Manager of Aastra, a leading company focussing on business communication said:

“While the roads may be snowed under, the information superhighway is clear. With such weather conditions predicted it is not surprising that many workers will choose to escape the snow and work from home. Unfortunately though, many companies do not have a communications infrastructure which is flexible enough to allow their workers to be productive wherever they are.  Even if such adverse weather conditions are short lived, the cumulated impact on companies’ performance can be significant.“

“With many workers able to do their job equally well, if not better, from home, it’s a wonder more companies are not encouraging flexible working and equipping staff with the right, readily-available technology that could allow them to work from home  as effectively as at their desks . Companies should identify which jobs can be performed irrespective of location. To address situations where the normal service could be disrupted and have an impact on the customer experience or order intake, equipping staff to work remotely is also an important consideration to take into account for contingency plans. For example, call centre agents can also work remotely with the same level of supervision and tools as in an office environment.”

“Flexible working technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol phones can make it possible for many people to work from home and can even reduce the cost of calls, while making team interaction more effective. When selecting communication solutions, companies should be prioritising those offering a seamless integration of remote staff, as well as mobile workers, and for more efficiency and to be ready to move to flexible working now or in the future.”