Congestion cost UK economy £31 billion which results in £960 per person with British drivers spending an average of 32 hours a year stuck in jams during peak periods, the study shows. Department for Transport (DfT) figures show there were a record 320.5bn miles travelled in 2016, up 1.2% on the previous year.
By the time an average Brit retires they will have spent a huge £135,871 on commuting to and from work for an approximate 400 days spent travelling.
Inrix chief economist Graham Cookson said, “The cost of this congestion is staggering, stripping the economy of billions, impacting businesses and costing consumers dearly.”
He added, “To tackle this problem, we must consider bold options such as remote working, wider use of road user charging and investment in big data to create more effective and intelligent transportation systems”.
THE SOLUTION
Adopting a cloud computing approach to IT can allow businesses to offer their employees more economical strategies to work. By working from home for just two days a week for a year, an average UK employee can save 50 hours commuting time and £450.
Cloud computing equips workers with the tools they need to access files and applications from any Wi-Fi connected location. This accessibility allows employees to log on from any device at any location to have full availability to their exact work desktop.
Even the likes of MacBooks and tablets can access the hosted desktop facility and have full use of Office 365 applications – making any device compatible for remote working.
In addition to completely cutting out the commute, workers could also opt for flexible working hours which allows them to choose the working hours in line with the demands of their lifestyle. 66% of employees opting for remote working said the greatest benefit of home working was the improvement in work/personal life balance.
TECHNOLOGY MAKES COMMUTING MORE PRODUCTIVE
A method for reducing congestion is the encouragement of the use of public transport. The combination of connectivity and portability that comes with today’s technology means that at least some of the time spent travelling can be exploited.
Although mobile devices theoretically make it possible to work on the go, this is often limited to email; many firms don’t have an IT infrastructure that supports full remote access to all their business apps and data. True mobile working – the kind that eliminates the commute altogether – demands an IT infrastructure that provides 100% of your office-based capabilities from wherever you or your staff want or need to work.
By adopting a cloud computing strategy within your workplace, you can take full advantage of working on the go, even if this is on the train, at home or at the client’s office. Simply use Wi-Fi connectivity and your cloud credentials to gain full access to your work desktop.
FAILURE TO ADOPT MAY BE A DISADVANTAGE
It is evident that companies with a workforce that is more productive for more hours will have positive results. Add this to cutting out the commute and there’s a strong argument for removing the need to attend a physical office every working day.
Over 40% of UK jobs are compatible with working from home but only 35% of organisations have a work from home policy. Increasing the number of home workers can cut costs by £3 billion a year for UK employees and save over 3 million tonnes of carbon.
Those businesses willing to innovate may find out it is one of the smartest things they could do. For more information about remote working and how to implement the cloud into your business, do not hesitate to contact us.
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