Half of firms to encourage home working during Olympics

Half of businesses in London will be keen to promote teleworking among their employees during the Olympics in order to remain productive.

This is according to a study by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which revealed key worries from enterprises include potential problems with transport and logistics.

Therefore, many firms may decide it is worthwhile to permit their employees to work from home during the event so they do not face extra hassle on their commute and will continue working efficiently.

While 50 per cent of respondents said they would be encouraging home working, 57 per cent will be adapting their business hours to avoid issues created by the large influx of people into the capital for the Games, which gets underway with the opening ceremony on July 27th.

The CBI also found 46 per cent of companies will be happy to give staff time off so they can attend events, which may help keep employees happy and motivated.

As a result of the disruption caused by the Games, many businesses may need to explore VoIP solutions and other tools that can make it easier for individuals to keep in touch with their office.

In addition to the internet communications services, which could help people get easy and cheap access to colleagues instantly wherever they happen to be working, other technology such as cloud computing could be valuable in assisting people to interact with their business' network from their home.

London director at the CBI Sara Parker said the 2012 Olympics will help showcase the city to the world and help boost the economy.

However, she added: "With only a month to go, the scale of the challenge is becoming clear and some businesses are still nervous about their levels of preparedness."

Therefore, she said those who have not planned for issues such as flexible and remote working need to give this their attention "as a matter of urgency".

"It's crucial that all companies ensure they plan ahead, particularly for the transport and logistical challenges," Ms Parker observed.