Tom B
Established Member
- Joined
- 27 Jul 2005
- Messages
- 4,602
Many firms have massively increased home working this week, to protect staff and allow things to continue whilst travel is restricted.
Last week at my workplace, a rota was established and most departments had a very few staff in the building (10-20%). The hiccups which presented themselves were primarily where people had not used remote access before and thus needed help getting set up. And a few problems with access to physical papers etc where people had gone home and taken the key etc - nothing insurmountable, and mostly related to the rapid implementation.
I wonder how many companies/organisations will use this as a sort of watershed moment. Supposing they employ 1,000 people, and have to provide premises for them (with associated electricity, maintenance, cleaning etc costs). They may well be able to run their operation with, say, 200 staff permanently based on site plus another 200 desks for the remainder, who primarily work from home but come into the office on an ad-hoc basis.
This may very well reduce congestion (both on the railways and the roads); albeit with some challenges in terms of telephony in rural areas, and in people having adequete accomodation at home to work (especially anybody under 40 or living in London!) - but none insurmountable and there are advantages to the individual, too (less commuting time, money saved, able to have a proper hot meal at lunchtime for cheap, nice walk round the block, flexibility to do things like go to the post office or the shops at lunchtime etc).
Last week at my workplace, a rota was established and most departments had a very few staff in the building (10-20%). The hiccups which presented themselves were primarily where people had not used remote access before and thus needed help getting set up. And a few problems with access to physical papers etc where people had gone home and taken the key etc - nothing insurmountable, and mostly related to the rapid implementation.
I wonder how many companies/organisations will use this as a sort of watershed moment. Supposing they employ 1,000 people, and have to provide premises for them (with associated electricity, maintenance, cleaning etc costs). They may well be able to run their operation with, say, 200 staff permanently based on site plus another 200 desks for the remainder, who primarily work from home but come into the office on an ad-hoc basis.
This may very well reduce congestion (both on the railways and the roads); albeit with some challenges in terms of telephony in rural areas, and in people having adequete accomodation at home to work (especially anybody under 40 or living in London!) - but none insurmountable and there are advantages to the individual, too (less commuting time, money saved, able to have a proper hot meal at lunchtime for cheap, nice walk round the block, flexibility to do things like go to the post office or the shops at lunchtime etc).
