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Big Chill: ‘One in 50 year event’: Businesses unprepared for workplace disruptions

Many small and medium businesses are unprepared for unexpected events that may prevent employees accessing the office

Auckland, New Zealand, 15^th August 2011— With the cities and streets of New Zealand at a standstill today following the once in a fifty year snow storm that has affected the country, many small and medium businesses will be assessing their business contingency plans as they calculate the loss of productivity and revenue as staff struggled to make it into the office on time, or at all.

The disruption to workflow that has resulted from the snow storm, has thrown the spotlight on the need for small and medium businesses to be better prepared for unexpected events that may prevent employees accessing the office.

A poll of 400 small and medium businesses and enterprises by the remote access provider LogMeIn, found that 68 per cent of small businesses are unprepared for events that could prevent employees’ access to the office, compared to just 32 per cent of enterprises.

“Many small and medium businesses are concerned about the impact that disruptive events such as unpredictable weather, road closures, tremors, floods and public transport strikes can have on employee absenteeism and their business productivity,” said Andy Farquharson, Regional Director of LogMeIn. “But having a plan in place can make a big difference.”

Farquharson continued, “Employees should be encouraged to work from home when these events arise, and be given the tools that enable them to stay productive when out of the office – from communications to remote computer access. This can not only minimise the impact of unforeseen disruptions, but it can actually allow companies to be more flexible in their approach to workplace productivity.”

Small and medium businesses interested in learning about how they can better prepare for disruptions that prevent employees from coming to work — including fast, easy remote access that can be set up in minutes without IT expertise — can visit LogMeIn’s online business continuity resource.

Additionally, millions of users have downloaded LogMeIn Free for easy remote access to their digital lives. LogMeIn products are available for a free trial from the LogMeIn website at https://secure.logmein.com/nz.

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