Companies are concerned over security during the event, but only a fifth are taking action to get their business continuity plans in good shape, research shows.
As the countdown to the 2012 London Olympics continues, many companies will be wondering how the event will affect them, from public transport delays to staff holidays.
Security will be a major consideration too, especially for those based in the capital. According to a new survey by Deloitte, four in ten firms have concerns over security.
The Home Office has made clear that, alongside terrorism, the country faces the threat of public order offences, serious and organised crime and non-malicious incidents such as extreme weather.
A safety and security strategy has been drawn up by the government, setting out the measures that will be put in place to mitigate these risks during the games.
It has been made clear that police from other parts of the country will be drafted into London and other locations hosting Olympic events, and more information on this is expected soon.
But even with extra police and beefed up security measures, things could still go wrong, and for businesses the consequences could be damaging.
It’s somewhat surprising then, that only one in five companies intend to review their business continuity plans before July arrives.
Some of the things firms could do to ensure they continue trading as normal in the face of potential disruption are allowing staff to work flexibly or remotely, and setting up alternative work sites for temporary use during the event.
This could be especially beneficial for those based near to the Olympic Park site and relying on public transport to get their employees to and from work.
Scanning documents and storing them online, where staff can access them remotely at any time, could be another important task for those businesses that don’t want to fall behind.
Indeed, if staff are unable to make it to the office, at least they could access the information they need to do their jobs from home or elsewhere, without having to open up a centrally-located filing cabinet.