New figures released show in 2018 UK rail passengers lost 4 million hours of their time due to delays and train cancellations, which is the worst year on record and emphasises the issues that many commuters suffer trying to get into work using public transport.
Dan Boddington, Systems Engineer at StarLeaf, suggests the realities of unreliable public service transportation mean organisations should explore how they can better enable their employees to work more effectively from home or while on the go.
“The news that passengers lost 4 million hours of their time on the UK rail network due to delays probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has travelled by train recently. Despite the comments from rail executives pledging to improve punctuality and tackle delays, enterprises should consider alternative solutions to empower employees to work flexibility whether from home or at a different location.
“When people’s schedules are disrupted trying to reach an office location, it can impact productivity and their ability to communicate effectively with colleagues. Video conferencing solutions are an effective way to help people connect, meet, and share in an instant. However, not all platforms are the same. Some may appear to be easy to use and simple to deploy, but many software platforms ironically can cause delays trying to join a meeting, are unreliable, and do not allow users to have a seamless and quality experience.
“Fortunately, when organisations implement tightly integrated, cloud-based solutions that offer secure video conferencing, voice calling, and instant messaging, then users can enjoy a reliable meeting experience from anywhere and any device. A platform offered by a vendor who can provide the best video service available on the market (known as 99.999% uptime guarantee) gives leaders and users the reassurance that all data transmission is encrypted, and their employees’ credentials are fully protected.
“The ‘always-on’ economy is driving the need for greater efficiencies, including working hours and resources. More people are working with greater agility today and, therefore, it is important that employees are sufficiently equipped with the right technology to overcome these logistical challenges. Work is no longer a place people go, but something they do from anywhere using the right technology. The success of a businesses should not be explicitly governed by the punctuality of the railway network. With a secure video conferencing platform, decision-makers can future-proof enterprise communications, scale their collaboration initiatives, and reach their business destination more effectively,” Boddington concluded.