Winter 'Survival' Hints and Tips
Author: Lands' End6 Dec 11, 04:44 PM
With forecasters warning that more snow is likely to fall over the next few days, the UK is set for a ‘big freeze’. Severe weather warnings are being issued all over the country for snow, ice, dangerously low temperatures and strong winds! Whilst those of us lucky enough to work in an office can add a jumper to our work wear and turn up the heating, for those who work outside or in warehouses, it is often unwelcome news.
With that in mind, here are some of our ‘Business Winter Survival’ tips and tricks.
1. Now is a great time to review your corporate clothing and make sure that your team are going to be warm, dry and safe in the inclement weather. Add a smart warm coat (if they don’t have one already), sturdy boots and hats, scarves and gloves. Layering up will provide the most warmth- so think gilets, fleece and even silk under layers.
2. Add a ‘survival kit’ to your car and your company cars, to ensure that you and your staff are warm and safe should you get snowed in or stuck in traffic. Try and include a blanket, a warm coat, sensible footwear, a torch and bottle of water.
3. If you have customers or suppliers visiting, make sure you grit the roads and parking area to ensure they are safe accessing your offices.
4. Have an action plan in place for staff who may struggle to reach work. If you would rather staff didn’t try to travel to work in bad weather, agree this before the snow falls to save unnecessary journeys. Similarly, plan for how you can keep running should some staff not make it in. Perhaps journeys could be made together for safety or you could ask local staff to work additional hours to support their colleagues from further afield?
5. Have an action plan in place for your customers too. If the weather affects what service you can offer your customers, try and let them know as soon as possible. A generic email informing them of the issues will ensure they feel that they are being kept up to date and prevent possible complaints.
6. Finally…enjoy it! Here at Lands’ End when it’s wintery outside we like to share our snowy pictures with customers and invite them to do the same. If your office has a view as lovely as ours does, why not let your customers know? We’d love to see a picture too!
