SCOTTISH business could risk losing over £74m a day if they don’t learn valuable lessons from last winter when heavy snow and ice brought the Central Belt to a virtual standstill.(1)
Says a spokesperson: “The Scottish Government is gearing up for another winter of sub-zero temperatures and today sees the launch of ‘Get Ready for Winter’ week.
“In association with the Red Cross, it is designed to ensure that Scotland is best equipped to deal with the disruption that severe winter weather causes.”
Mark Hay, CEO of mobile messaging provider, HSL said: “Scottish businesses need to follow the Government’s lead and prepare for another harsh winter.
“Last year, one in five employees were unable to get to work as road and rail networks ground to a halt.
“As a result productivity nose dived.
“If bad weather conditions or public transport make it difficult or dangerous for employees to get to work, employers need to communicate quickly with employees to ensure that they do not travel to work unnecessarily and work from home when possible.
“SMS text messaging is increasingly being used by organisations throughout the world, particularly to communicate quickly with large audiences.
“Scottish companies could reduce lost productivity by instantly sending text messages to staff, advising them to work from home rather than attempting the journey to work in dangerous weather conditions.”
A spokesperson added: “With 91 per cent of the UK population owning or using a mobile phone, text messaging is one of the most efficient ways of communicate urgent messages to large groups of employees simultaneously.”
For further information on how text messaging can help communicate reliably and cost effectively with large audiences, please see: http://www.hslsms.com/solutions/alertbroadcast/
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(1) The Centre for Economic and Business Research said that UK economic output or gross domestic product per day was about £4.5bn – Centre for Economic and Business Research. Scotland accounts for 8.2 per cent of the UK Economy (HM Treasury) = £369m per day. Twenty per cent of workers were unable to get to work during severe weather last year, therefore productivity loss = £74m
Notes to editors:
- HSL is an independently owned Scottish company that provides mass text messaging with coverage of more than 630 network operators worldwide. Their customers range from large household brands like DHL and BAA to small companies and the public sector
- 91 per cent of the UK population personally own or use a mobile phone (source: Ofcom Q1 2011)
- Many of HSL’s customers use text messaging to communicate in emergency situations, including Dartmoor Search and Rescue who issue alerts to team members
For further information about HSL, please contact:
Julie Moulsdale, Perceptive Partners on 07734 932 578 or
Lesley Ferguson, Perceptive Partners on 07762 769 659.
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Contact: Julie Moulsdale
Phone: 07734 932578
Email: julie@perceptivepartners.co.uk
Website: http://www.perceptivepartners.co.uk
