Another Blow for Britain's Long-Suffering Travellers as Planes are Grounded by Volcanic Ash by:Charlotte Mooney
As a huge plume of volcanic dust continues to drift high above the clouds here in Britain
, an unprecedented 'no fly' embargo has been imposed. Today the skies are eerily empty and quiet; never before in this country have we experienced such a total ban on flights. NATS, the air traffic control authority, made the decision on Thursday April 15th. The volcanic cloud poses a double whammy threat to the aviation industry. Not only is pilot visibility reduced by millions of microscopic particles of volcanic ash, the debris can also get sucked into aircraft engines and cause them to shut down. As I write this, on Friday 16th, the ban is still in place, and frustrated passengers are unlikely to succeed in flying in or out of the country today.All this comes hard on the heels of recent travel chaos caused by a combination of natural causes and industrial unrest. So far this year hard-pressed commuters and travellers have endured the effects of heavy snowfalls, strikes by air cabin crews and railway workers, and now the fall-out from an erupting volcano in Iceland. Who on earth could have predicted that geological events on a small island far away across the sea could have such a shattering impact on daily life here in the UK? Flights have also been disrupted further afield, with shutdowns imposed in other European countries including France, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Holland.
Well, we couldn't have foreseen a volcanic eruption from Mount Eyjafjallajkull, perhaps, but the fact is that travel arrangements are continually subject to the threat of disruption from all sorts of events, both man-made and natural. Any business worth its salt will have a contingency plan in place to enable it to cope when its staff are unable to travel in to work. By dint of careful preparation and planning, and by harnessing modern web-based technology to your advantage, travel chaos need not spell financial chaos for your business.
Many companies are now encouraging their employees to work from home rather than waste time struggling in to the office in adverse conditions. A Software as a Service (SaaS) solution could help them by making home working far more effective and productive than ever before. A good SaaS service will offer a wide range of useful features; the most popular include Document Management and File Sharing, Project Planning and Resource Management, Time Recording, and Business Intelligence Reporting.
Some SaaS services can be expensive, but I've managed to find one that has all the features I need, for just 7 per month. For that, I get a service I can access from my home, from my office, from my client's office, from a hotel room - wherever I want to be. Forget the hassle of storing your files and folders on your company network, tying you to one geographical location. With my SaaS service I can organise all my documents and folders, read and update them, and share them with colleagues & clients, whether at home, in the office or travelling.
Transportation problems are not the only reason you should consider offering home working to your staff. Need to stay at home when your child minder is off sick? No problem. Want to work quietly on your own, away from the distractions of a busy office? Stay at home and work in peace and quiet with SaaS. Got a cold and don't want to spread it all round the office? For goodness sake, be sensible and stay at home. Why struggle in to work when you could do so much more from the comfort of your own home? Will your business really fall apart if you miss just one day in the office? If the answer is 'yes', I would suggest you need to reconsider your contingency plans as a matter of the utmost urgency.
Right now, we are once again at the mercy of the elements. If the wind from Iceland continues to blow towards Britain and Europe, who knows how long flights will be grounded? One thing I can guarantee, even if the volcano stops erupting and the wind changes direction, there are always going to be travel problems of one kind or another. Perhaps we are about to experience a blisteringly hot British summer; perhaps the tarmac will start to melt in the heat and prevent us from using our cars! Fat chance. It's probably more likely that we will have another big freeze in the middle of May. But seriously, to ensure your business keeps running when the traffic grinds to a halt, get organised right now.
Preparation and planning, as always, are your keys to financial survival. And now is the perfect time for the uninitiated to try the benefits of SaaS for themselves: log onto the internet, check out the services on offer and you will find lots of good deals and free trials. Don't wait for the next crisis; get organised now!
About the author
Charlotte Mooney is an IT professional with many years experience, currently working for International IT Software Consultancy Proswift, specialising in the Webforum online Document Management and online Project Planning Service. If this story strikes a chord with you, click here and check out what Webforum could do for you and your business - http://www.proswift.com/webforum/ What To Look For When Shopping For Canada Flowers? by:Rudy Silva Choosing a Serviced Apartment in UK by:David Stone Flights to Goa From Mumbai by:Alivia Martin How To Sleep With Jet Lag by:Adam Lee International Destinations: Top Places To Get Hangover! by:Genelia Smith Toronto To Buffalo Airport Limo - How To Make Your Trip More Successful by:Jeffery Lowe Tempting Forts and Palaces Tour of Rajasthan by:Aalia Khan Jobs on Cruise Ships - Do You Have the Tenacity to Get Hired and Stay Hired? by:Neil Maxwell Keys I Love Touring Venice, Italy - San Polo And Santa Croce District Hotels by:Levi Reiss Big Ben - The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster by:William Lind Alaskan Fishing Trips At An Alaska Fishing Lodge: Taste The Adventure by:Jamario Russell I Love Touring Venice, Italy - Dorsoduro District Hotels by:Levi Reiss Travel Insurance For Backpackers by:Herbert Miller