Partner Article

What does the Olympics mean to your business?

If you’re in the East of London it probably means a month of travel disruption. If you’re outside of London you perhaps don’t really care so much. Yet this event in July/August will have a national impact and unless you pro-actively think about and plan for it now, you might be left on the back foot reacting to events when something unforeseen happens. Even if you’re not in London, perhaps one of your suppliers is or someone you supply to is. An incident which impacts them could then impact on you too.

Let’s consider the travel and transport issues which are highly likely to occur. Transport For London (TfL) is giving advice which, in a nutshell, suggests that if you normally commute to the Olympic areas of London then it would be wise for you to investigate working from alternative sites if you can. This is a sensible suggestion as the number of additional passengers expected to be using public transport at the peak times is approximately 800,000. If you’ve ever travelled on London’s public transport at peak hours I’m sure you can imagine the impact of this additional number of passengers.

Security is obviously a major concern with the Olympics being the focus of the world’s media. Again there is useful information for businesses and individuals being provided by the Home Office and by local authorities. Follow this link for the latest guidance: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/counter-terrorism/olympics/london-2012-public-booklet

So what can you do now? Plan, Prepare, be Proactive.
If you’re in London, ask your staff how they commute to work. Map out their journeys and compare that with the information available from TfL. If key staff are travelling on the routes which are forecast to be busy, then look into alternative working arrangements.

Can your staff work from an alternative site? Is your IT capable of supporting remote working?

If you’re not in London, take a look at your critical suppliers and customers. Maybe they’re in London and will be directly impacted.

Above all, don’t be complacent and think that “it won’t have any impact on me”.

If you’re not sure where to begin - call our Olympic Line on0845 867 2012and speak to one of our experts for their advice.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Admiral PR .