HR OLYMPICS SPECIAL The best way to keep
business running is to make sure staff have a chance to enjoy the games in a controlled way and
continue to be productive for the rest of the time
heavily in transport, bringing forward our £6.5 billion- worth of improvements for London. We will increase capacity on the Jubilee Line by a third, up from 24 trains per hour to 30 trains. We have extended the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) line and increased the size of trains by 50% [three cars instead of two] and we have rebuilt Stratford regional station (pictured below) to accommodate the numbers travelling to the Olympic Village.” He explains about guides at stations helping commuters
choose alternative routes and a large-scale advertising campaign for Londoners – which had already started as HR was going to press – to help them avoid delays and get to work. I begin to wonder if Evers might have had to give this
explanation more than a few times before, but underlying his words is the belief that it is not solely the responsibility of TfL to keep the workforce moving during the Olympic Games – the burden is shared with employers. “We are providing detailed information for employers
about the busiest days when they should think carefully about staff working from home,” adds Evers. “There are going to be three million extra people every day making use of shops and we are talking to large businesses as well as suppliers and smaller restaurants about how to keep the
delivery up. But we want to empower business to focus more on the upside: the Games are an enormous undertaking right in the centre of London. There are challenges, but this is a fantastic experience. “Employers need to consider their annual leave policy,
changing employees’ hours and their own opening times and to be prepared to redeploy staff to other locations, if necessary. But I don’t think it should just be the HR team managing this. It needs to draw in experts from other parts of the business, because this is a really big piece of work.” Evers’ advice to employers is that they cannot expect, even
in a best-case scenario, that it will be ‘business as usual’ during the games, and sounds a note of caution to prepare contingency plans as soon as possible. But he continuously reiterates he does not expect a massive impact on the majority of employees in central London. He says: “Employers shouldn’t underestimate how good
the games can be. In my view, the best thing for employers is to have events in workplaces, get large screen TVs up and make the most of the big events for staff. “There will be a different feel about London during those
three weeks and the best way to keep business running is to make sure staff have a chance to enjoy the games in a controlled way and continue to be productive for the rest of the time.” So as Evers, like London, approaches a period that will be
either his finest hour or a chaotic embarrassment, he remains – at least outwardly – confident his organisation and his systems won’t let London down. “We are on track,” he says. “We have a lot more work to do,
but we will keep London moving and ensure the situation is as good as it can be. It will make London a better place. “It would be unrealistic to plan for no disruptions, but I
want transport to be on the front page of the newspapers during the games for the right reasons. There is some really good work happening across the networks and we are prepared for that if a problem does arise. “But I believe our legacy of improvements is what will be tangible and demonstrative.” HR
20 HR March 2012
hrmagazine.co.uk
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