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8/6/2019 ODA Business Survival

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BUSINESS SURVIVAL GUIDEto the OlympicsClear the hurdlesand make the most of

London 2012with our

8-page special

l Reshape your daywith flexible working P21


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I S 30 July in your firms diary? Londoncelebrated one year to the OlympicGames last Wednesday, but Day Three,on Monday 30 July 2012, is the critical

date for business, when crowds of sportsfans and the demands of a full workingday will intersect for the first time. New research shows the banking and legal sec-tors are leading the way in Olympic pre-paredness, but every company needs to beready to help keep London, and their ownaffairs, running smoothly.

BANKERS TAKE THE LEAD According to research from London 2012and Transport for London (TfL), sixty-fivefirms in the banking and finance sectorshave already registered for Site-Specific

Advice (SSA). This free service providestravel advice to businesses located in areasaffected by the Games if they employ over200 staff. The free one-to-one sessionsinclude advice on planning staff businesstravel during busy periods, tips on main-taining service continuity and sharing

best practice from firms that already haveplans in place.

DONT FALL BEHIND With less than a year to go, now is thetime to plan. In the last six weeks, TfL hasseen a 100 per cent increase in sign-ups fortheir advice service, but while banking,law and management consultancy firmscollectively representing nearly a quarterof a million staff have signed up for SSA training, certain sectors, includingrecruitment and manufacturing, current-ly have only a single firm involved. Dontleave it too late, or your staff will risk

being the ones left at the back of thequeue come Day Three.

Free training to help manage theOlympic crowds is getting firmsfull attention, says Will Freeman

London 2012 and TfL are asking businessesto consider ways which will help reduce theiroverall need to travel including:

TOP TIPS |TRAVEL REDUCTION

Business Survival Guide to the Olympics18 CITYA.M. 1 AUGUST 2011

Get your company fit for Day Three

Help is here to plan for 2012THE task of planning for LondonsOlympic influx might seem daunt-ing, but there are plenty of tools,

courtesy of the experts, to makegetting your company in shape for the

big event a walk in the Olympic Park.Here we list the key resources to make

your life easier.

WORKSHOPS

Free Site-Specific Advice is available from Transport for London (TfL) for companiesin affected areas with more than 200employees (see above). From August, com-panies that employ 200+ workers acrossmultiple sites are also being offered thisadvice, and TfL are hoping to work withat least 100 multisite companies.

Firms with fewer than 200 employeesin areas that will be affected by the

Games can get help too. More than 50free workshops are being rolled out

across the country. These drop-insessions will take place once a

fortnight until the Games begin, starting in early August,

and cover topics includinghow local roads will be man-

aged, how to optimisedeliveries and how to offerflexible working during

Games time, and are special-ly designed to help small and

medium-sized enterprises (SME).For businesses of all sizes, it is easy

to sign up simply email [email protected] or visit www.lon-don2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness formore information and advice.

ONLINE PLANNINGIf you want to start planning withoutleaving your desk, a brand new onlineplanning tool has been developed so thattailored advice is just a click away.

Designed for businesses of all sizes, thetool poses questions about staff, businesstravel, visitors, suppliers and deliveries. Itthen calculates specific suggestions for

your company to take action on, andpoints you will need to bear in mind. Youcan start planning now by visiting

www.london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness and selecting Make your Plan.

MAKE YOUR PLANMark Evers, director of Games transportfor TfL offers a few simple steps to keep

your firm running smoothly next sum-mer. First of all, check if your business isin a travel hotspot. TfL has created aseries of maps to make this clear (see ourfour examples on p22-23). These show exactly how local roads and public trans-port are likely to be affected. Secondly, if

you are in or near a hotspot, check thetiming of Olympic and Paralympic eventsto see when it is likely to be an issue

(www.london2012.com/olympic-sched-ule). Next, you will need to create an

action plan for your company. Begin by talking with staff about their travelneeds, try and encourage them to reducenon-essential travel and make plans foressential journeys. You can download anaction plan template at www.lon-don2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness.Once you have your plan, dont forget thenext step is to test it and to tell your busi-ness all about it.

STAY IN TOUCHDont let your plan get out of date.Register at www.london2012.com/trave-ladviceforbusiness for regular emailupdates. Also keep in touch with othercompanies in your area to see if you cancoordinate, for instance on deliveries.Remember to stock up on office essen-tials and to get any pending maintenance

work done well in advance of the Games.Daniel Ritterband, the Mayor of

Londons Director of Marketing and 2012Communications, says: The 2012 Gamesare a massive opportunity for businessesin the capital and we expect internation-al visitors to spend more than 700mduring this time.

That is why we are offering firms thechance to take part in a range of pro-grammes that will help them managethe impact of the Games on their opera-tions and at the same time allow them to

make the most of this wonderful occa-sion.

42%of businesses have

planned for the Olympics;

53%intend to, but have

yet to start.

l Staggering thestart and finish timesof working days

l Providing the

facilities for staff towork from home

l Stocking up onnon-perishable itemswell before theGames

l Arranging earlieror later deliveries

l Managing annualleave

l Temporarilyrelocating employeesor altering their

working hours

l Helping staff re-plan their travel

l Using conference/video/web calls

l Encouraging andenablingstaff tocycleandwalk

LONDON IS WAKING UP TO THE 2012 CHALLENGE

In 2010,56%of businesses said there was

no need to plan for theOlympics; just

5%believe that now.

Meticulousand early planning is

key to getting the mostout of the Games and Id urevery business, big and smto act now and get ready fo

London 2012.Boris Johnson,Mayor of London

55%of businesses believethey are on track forthe Olympics, up fro

33%last year

Source: Deloitte


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LEARNING from the past is the pathto progress and so Vancouversexperience of hosting the WinterOlympics in 2010 has a lot to teach

us. Despite the inevitable challenges, it was warmly and roundly considered agreat success, with most businessesready and willing to adapt and benefitfrom the unique opportunities afforded

by being caught up in this colossal event.

TESTING TIMES There can be no doubt t hat the OlympicGames are an interruption to the statusquo for most firms. Michael Davis of Reputations, a Vancouver-based publicrelations firm, found the two biggestchallenges for businesses were trans-portation and workforce management.He explains that for businesses close tothe key venues there were major disrup-tions in the delivery of goods, taxis, carsand transit for employees. He warns:Security requirements can shut youdown. Similarly, Paul Fletcher, manag-ing partner of Deloitte in Vancouver,points out supply chain disruptions

were also a reality during the Games. Heexplains: Leading up to, and during theGames, businesses had to reassess theirsupply chain inorder to gettheir prod-ucts to mar-ket or receivegoods, astransportationto and fromthe city, as wellas within it,operated underdifferent sce-narios. This sit-uation wascompounded by the fact that sup-pliers were facingthe same challenges.

Employers need to be

aware that many of theirstaff will want to watchthe Olympics this wascertainly the case in

Vancouver. Davis notessome companies simply shut down, some gaveemployees vacation,

while a number of schools moved the break to coincide with theGames further compli-cating some peopleslives. Fletcher says: Formany businesses, the Gamesmeant reassessing somelong-lived policies on waysof doing business and serv-ing customers. He saysbusinesses found that anumber of their employeesplanned on taking a holiday during the Games resulting in

a lack of resources. Accordingto Fletcher some workers

found it difficult and time-consumingtravelling to the workplace, makingalternative work arrangements, such as

working from home, viable solutions tomaintain productivity for many compa-nies.

GREAT RESULTSDespite the tests, there are huge oppor-tunities for businesses in the Olympiccities to prosper. Fletcher says the 2010Games were an opportunity for business-es to transform themselves, as they wereforced to reassess their basic processesand look at them more critically. He saysthe Games provided long-term benefitsfor local businesses and the economy by establishing Vancouver on the worldstage, helping to attract new jobs andinvestment to the area. Davis notes themost important lasting benefit for mostparticipating businesses was the net-

working connections brought on by theGames. He notes his consulting compa-ny was able to work with a number of international companies that they

would never have had the opportunity to work with without the Games. He says:

This was a commontheme: local business-

es getting the oppor-tunity to work on

the interna-tional stage.

Also, after theG a m e s ,Fletcher saysimprovementsin public trans-portation, roads,

bridges and air-ports benefited

businesses asthey and their

workforce aremajor users of this

infrastructure. So alittle temporary strain

can lead to longer-term

gains.Hosting an OlympicGames requires an effortof Herculean proportionsfor all involved notonly the athletes. Thecoordination required issupremely complex. Butthis is no reason toapproach the games with pessimism despite the challenges,the coming disruption

will also present opportu-nities for Londons busi-nesses to look inward attheir internal processesand outward at how they can benefit from theattention of the rest of the world. As Davis advis-es: Get involved early,get as much information

as you can and enjoy theride.

UK employers can learn a lot from the trialsand tribulations of Canadas businesses inthe Winter Games of 2010, says Philip Salter

Pictures: GETTY

Business Survival Guide to the Olympics 19CITYA.M.1 AUGUST 2011

Learning from

the Olympicsof Vancouver

73%saw the Olympics as anopportunity to gain business

86%in the media and leisuresectors saw an advantage

73%said their firms were continuingto enjoy higher sales

60%reported lasting benefitsfrom the Olympics

Olympic Opportunities in Canad

Source: BT

80%in the retail sector sawan advantage


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The man behind Londons new bulleis making sure the 2012 Games run oThe Olympic Delivery Authoritys transport director says plan for a great summer, writes Marc Sidwell

AS YOU travel to work, did you noticehow roomy Stratford station is look-ing? Or that certain trains seemlonger than before? Or, if you usethe Jubilee Line, that more trains are run-ning every hour? Its all part of the way in

which Londons transport system is beingsteadily geared up ahead of next sum-mers Olympic Games.

The Olympic Delivery Authoritys trans-port mastermind, Hugh Sumner, is pas-sionate about what has been achieved.The great thing for London is that thosethings that might have dribbled out overmany years have been accelerated andtheyre here now, theyre in use, servingLondoners and serving Londoners proud.

The 6.5bn transport legacy of theGames is more or less all up and running,from high-speed bullet trains that, rebrand-

ed as the Javelin shuttle, will carry crowds from St Pancras to StratfordInternational in seven minutes, toimprovements on the East London Line and50 per cent longer trains on the DocklandsLight Railway (DLR). At StratfordInternational, the stations capacity has

been trebled, with the rebuilt concoursecompleted in January. A DLR extension to

Woolwich Arsenal has been delivered, andone to Stratford International is due toopen in the next few weeks.

Still, Sumner isnt complacent that theseimprovements, which London will keep forthe long term, will make the extra traffic of the Games disappear. In simple terms,zone lets call it zone one-and-a-half isgoing to be very very busy during Gamestime. Similarly the road systems betweenEarls Court and the Blackwall tunnel. Thesheer scale is stupendous. Youre talkingabout 26 world championships all occur-ring at the same time in the same place,

with cultural events that could double that.Even though weve done all this work, the

reality is that London is going to be very busy were hosting the world.

But he does see the inevitable congestionas manageable: By everyone doing thingsdifferently, were going to have a cracker-

jack summer. The challenge in the next 12months is to give spectators and businessesknowledge and understanding so they canhave a really good summer next year.

He points out that the advanced state of planning already means that those with

Olympic tickets (which include a nine-zonetravelcard for the day) can goonline, plan their journeys and

book their transport. And Sumner is delight-

ed with the responsefrom City firms to

Transport forLondons Site-Specific

Advice programme,although he acknowl-edges there is stillfurther to go. Thetrick for us is to work

with everybody toensure that its sporton the front page,not transport. Were

working a lot with thefreight industry onreplenishment issues its probably not agood idea to run out

of beer in the middleof a Games.

In the end, his advice is simple: Startthinking now, because your entire supply chain is going to have to be thoughtthrough. Whats your leave policy next

year? What are you going to do when yourpeople are all volunteers and they havent

bothered telling you? Government depart-ments, he says, are planning to reducetheir travel footprint by 50 per cent, andare carrying out practice runs in the nearfuture. Just as his task for the next six

months is to run load-testing on the trans-port infrastructure, firms need totake the initiative and test

their alternative travelplans well in advance.

Sumner seems sur-prisingly calm giventhe pressure that he will be under if thingsgo wrong. He says, Irecognise the gravity and the magnitude of what weve embarkedon. He smiles, but we do big quite wellas a nation think of the Royal Wedding.

Sumners vision of an Olympic Games

centred on public trans-port, walking andcycling looks well ontrack. But to enjoy it, be

sure to start your ownplanning now.

Age:54

Family:Married, with one teenage son

Lives:Parsons Green

Education:Bachelor of Civil Engineeringand MBA, Cranfield

Career:Hugh was previously managingdirector of an infrastructure company andbefore that led the team that operatedand maintained London Underground.

Hobby:Sleeping

Favourite sports:Rugby, tennis, cricket

Sporting heroes:Jonathan Edwards, the

Athens 2004 4x100m Team GB relay team

CV |HUGH SUMNER

Confident, but notcomplacent, HughSumner has geared upLondons transport forthe Olympics

Picture:Micha Theiner

/CITY AM

Even thoughweve done allthis work, thereality is thatLondon isgoing to bevery busy were hosting

the world.

Business Survival Guide to the Olympics20 CITYA.M. 1 AUGUST 2011

The challenge over thenext 12 months is to givespectators and businessesthe knowledge they need

to have a great summer.


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MAKING better use of flexible and homeworking is a key area of focus forDeloitte in the run up to 2012. Quite sim-ply, our people cannot do their jobs if

they are struggling to move around the city. Itwont help the Games organisers or Londonstransport authorities either, if unnecessary jour-neys clog up the network. Transport for Londonaims to reduce background traffic in parts of the capital by 30 per cent and has urged busi-nesses to reduce the number of commutes bytheir staff to help. The request appears to havehad a positive response. Deloitte research sug-gests that over a third of companies intend toallow greater use of flexible or home working dur-ing London 2012. Yet for many, there is muchwork still to be done.

I chair Deloittes own Games ReadinessSteering Group, which was created to assess thepotential impacts on our business and considerany actions required to ensure we deliver thebest possible client service during the Games.The group consists of representatives from anumber of areas, including human resources, ITand procurement.

FIRST STEPSBefore implementing or expanding flexible work-ing policies, businesses need a set of planningassumptions about the impact on their opera-tions. This summer, Deloitte will assess clientdemand and examine our resourcing patterns.We will then survey our people to understandtheir intentions around annual leave in the sum-mer of 2012. This will allow us to pinpoint whenwe might face pressure from staff unavailability,when flexible and home working is appropriateand when we are likely to need our people in theoffice or at client sites.

Flexible working will not work for every busi-ness and is hard to adopt in certain industries,but will certainly form part of Deloittes prepara-tions for next summer. While getting this rightfor Games time is vital, I would urge businessesto think long-term. London 2012 should be a cat-alyst for businesses to introduce new, smarterways of working across the organisation, result-ing in improved workforce resilience. This shouldbe one of the legacy benefits from the Games.

But businesses need to move quickly. Homeworking has implications for IT departmentsthat need to be factored in. Deloitte has fast-tracked a number of projects to ensure technolo-gy is in place to make the experience seamlessfor our staff and positive for clients.

Next summer will be business as unusualand companies will need to think and operatedifferently to continue to deliver the levels of service expected by their clients.

David Gill is a partner at Deloitte, the official professional services provider to London 2012.

THE SECRETSOF BUSINESSAS UNUSUALDAVID GILLCHAIR, GAMES READINESSSTEERING GROUP, DELOITTE

Home working doesntmean less productivity

W ORKING from home wont suitevery company, but providinggreater opportunities to staff todo so can have real business ben-

efits. According to BT, while the OlympicGames provides a timely business case tomake the leap to greater flexibility, thatdecision has the potential to deliverreturns that outlast the summers sport-

ing triumphs. And BTs research in the wake of the Vancouver Games found thata substantial 30 per cent of businesses

would in retrospect have taken the chanceto improve flexible working facilities fortheir staff.

In this area, BT leads by example, hav-ing encouraged flexible working for years.More than 70,000 of BTs staff areequipped to work flexibly and around13,000 work from home. The result has

been harder work from employees. JonLane, business development and partner-ship director at BT, says we find thathome workers are 21 per cent more pro-ductive than office-based colleagues.

They also take less sick leave. He adds, wehave also made significant savings fromreduced accommodation costs, and sav-ings from recruitment and inductioncosts through better staff retention.

Theres no question that in our age of digitised information, distance is not the

barrier it used to be. Transport disrup-tion and failure to reach the office are no

longer reasons to stop work, according toKeith Tilley, managing director UK forSunGard Availability Services, a company specialising in business continuity man-agement. Tilley says: The latest develop-ments in recovery allow workers who arenormally tied to a single location to work effectively from home in the event of a

business disruption.

CULTURE SHIFTStill, technology is not enough. A firmdetermined to explore these optionsneeds to create a cultural shift in the

workplace. One of BTs solutions has beento create a headquarters that is a resource

base for the whole company, rather than acloistered head office hive. Just 1,600

workstations are enough to support 8,000BT staff for whom the building is availableto use when they are in central London.

Hugh Sumner, director of transport forthe Olympic Delivery Authority, says: A good way to reduce non-essential employ-ee travel during the Games is to encouragestaff to work from home. Using alterna-tive methods for meetings, such as confer-ence calls, video conferencing and webconferencing will allow businesses to con-tinue running smoothly in the run up to,and during, the 2012 Games.

Again, it takes a culture shift to adopt

such conferencing technology, but theresults are impressive once the leap is

made. Telephone conferencing eliminatesan estimated 859,784 face-to-face meet-ings a year for BT, and a survey of theirstaff found 81 per cent now see conferenc-ing as an essential tool that they could notperform as well without.

Flexible working promises more pro-ductive and happier staff, not to mentionfewer office outgoings. 2012 may have put

flexi-working to the forefront, but now may be the time to consider committingto its long-term promise.

Individuals do a better job with more freedom, says Will Freeman

BTs home-working revolution in number

l 13,000 staff working from homel 70,000+ staff equipped to work flexiblyl 1,600 workstations in the London HQl 8,000 staff using the London HQl 21% increase in productivityl 103m in productivity gains each yearl 500m savings on office space each yeal 135m savings on travel each yearl 859,784 fewer face-to-face meetings a yl 81% of staff say conferencing is essentil French office cut from eight to three flo

CASE STUDY |BT

Faster, cheaper,happier

Picture: GETTY

Think flexibly to stay ahead in 2012 Picture: ALAMY


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Business Survival Guide to the Olympics22 CITYA.M.1 AUGUST 20

Help to keep London running

THE FOLLOWING IS PREDICTED TO HAPPENWITHOUT ACTION BY BUSINESSES TO

REDUCE THE NUMBER OF JOURNEYS

Jubilee Line; Central Line; DLR; Northern LineDelays of over an hour possible, particularly atBank for the DLR. Avoid these lines where possi-ble. Most affected on weekdays 8-11am, 4-8pmand 10pm to last train.

District Line; Circle Line; Metropolitan LineDelays of up to 15 minutes possible; delays vary atdifferent times and different stations.

Waterloo & City LineThis line will be signicantly affected at peak com-muter times. There could be delays of up to anhour in accessing train services. Only use this linefor essential journeys.

London OvergroundThis line will be signicantly affected at Stratford.Possible delays in accessing train services on theStratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction route.

Liverpool Street (mainline rail): 15 minutes dur-ing the Olympic Games but none during

Paralympics.

Liverpool Street (Tube): Delays of up to an hourduring the Olympic Games; delays of up to 15 min-utes during the Paralympic Games.

Bank (Tube and DLR): Delays of around an hourpossible throughout. 30 July exceptionally busy.

london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness

CITY: TUBE AND MAINLINE RAIL HOTSPOTS

THE FOLLOWING IS PREDICTED TO HAPPENWITHOUT ACTION BY BUSINESSES TO

REDUCE THE NUMBER OF JOURNEYS

Jubilee Line; Central LineDelays of over an hour possible. Avoid these lineswhere possible. Most affected on weekdays 8-11am, 4-8pm and 10pm to last train.

Piccadilly LineDelays of over 30 minutes on some parts of theline, consider alternative routes if possible.

District Line; Circle LineDelays of up to 15 minutes possible.

Victoria (mainline rail): No signicant increase inpassenger use expected during the ParalympicGames, but delays of over 30 minutes possibleduring the Olympic Games. Late evening crowdingdue to people leaving events.

Victoria (Tube) and Green Park: Delays of up toan hour in accessing train services during theOlympic Games. Most affected weekdays 8-10am,5-8pm (Green Park) and 10pm to last train. Lateevening crowding due to people leaving events at

Hyde Park.

Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge: Delays ofup to 15 minutes during the Olympic Games, butno signicant increase expected during theParalympic Games. Busiest dates 31 July, 1, 6, 7and 9 August. Late evening crowding due to peo-ple leaving events at Hyde Park.

london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness

VICTORIA: TUBE AND MAINLINE RAIL HOTSPOTS

Impact of the London 2012 Games in the CITYDuring the Olympic Games (27 July-12 August 2012)During the Paralympic Games (29 August-9 September 2012)

Impact of the London 2012 Games in VICTORIADuring the Olympic Games (27 July-12 August 2012)During the Paralympic Games (29 August-9 September 2012)


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plan around Olympic hotspots

THE FOLLOWING IS PREDICTED TO HAPPENTHOUT ACTION BY BUSINESSES TO REDUCE THE

NUMBER OF JOURNEYS

ilee Line; Central Line; DLR; Waterloo & City Lineays of around an hour possible at peak times.

rthern Line: Delays of over 30 minutes possible.

trict Line; Circle Line; Victoria Line; Bakerloo Lineays of up to 15 minutes possible (not during thealympic Games for the Bakerloo Line).

don2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness

ESTMINSTER: HOTSPOTS

THE FOLLOWING IS PREDICTED TO HAPPENWITHOUT ACTION BY BUSINESSES TO REDUCE THE

NUMBER OF JOURNEYS

Jubilee Line; Central Line; DLRThere could be delays of over an hour in accessing trainservices. Avoid these lines where possible. Most affectedon weekdays 8-11am, 4-8pm and 10pm to last train.

Canary Wharf: Busiest dates are 30 July and 31 August.

For more information, and all 26 maps of affected areas(locations shown on the map, right), see

london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness .

CANARY WHARF: HOTSPOTS

mpact of the London 2012 Games in WESTMINSTERuring the Olympic Games (27 July-12 August 2012)uring the Paralympic Games (29 August-9 September 2012)

Impact of the London 2012 Games in CANARY WHARFDuring the Olympic Games (27 July-12 August 2012)During the Paralympic Games (29 August-9 September 2012)

LONDON 2012: VENUES ACROSS THE CAPITAL* for hotspot maps 1-26, visit london2012.com/traveladviceforbusiness

Pictures: GETTY and REUTERS


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