Bad weather has stopped employees making it to work
Tue, 23 Feb 2010
One in seven employees has failed to make it in to work this winter due to the heavy snowfall experienced across the UK.
This is the major finding of a new Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and ICM report, which highlights that just 51 per cent of companies were prepared for severe weather disruption.
According to the research, 40 per cent of firms also saw a disruption to business services and goods due to snow-covered roads, 18 per cent lost access to their premises and 11 per cent had to close completely.
Just 42 per cent had flexible working policies in place to ensure business continuity, with 30 per cent offering reduced working hours to help employees combat the poor weather.
Commenting on the findings, John Wright, national chairman of the FSB, said small businesses have been "particularly hard-hit" by a harsh winter.
He added: "Small firms have shown that they are resilient and resourceful by putting plans in place and offering flexible working hours and remote working, but we need to be better prepared with more salt for roads to prevent staff from missing days of work and bringing the country to a standstill.
"The FSB believes that local authorities have not learnt from last year's bad weather quickly enough."
Earlier this week, Rob Lovell, chief executive officer at ThinkGrid, claimed that many small businesses are overlooking business continuity planning due to cost considerations.
Posted by Jenny Arthur
How Microsoft can help
Windows Mobile helps you and your employees stay in touch with colleagues, customers, and important information when away from the office.
Learn more about Windows Mobile today >
More
Mobile Working for Small Business News
View all articles
|
|
