Letter to the Editor regarding the effects of fuel duty increase on UK businesses
Nov 22, 2011
Sir
The proposed increase in fuel duty will have huge implications for businesses of all sizes, who are already feeling the impact of rising travel costs. This price increase is likely to put employees off travelling to work, and will also affect the transportation of goods.
January's proposed 3p rise is set to be followed by another 5p hike in August 2012. These, combined with likely disruptions during the Olympic games up and down the country, will lead to many organisations considering the adoption of remote and flexible working solutions to meet their business needs.
With each announcement of this kind, the need for more wide-spread, interoperable and mainstream mobility technologies becomes apparent in order to streamline travel costs, save time and improve productivity. In addition, the advent of cloud computing has enabled mobile workers to connect and work effectively no matter where they are. The final piece of this remote working puzzle is effective communication, and video communication provides that face-to-face engagement to collaborate with clients, partners and colleagues as if they were in the office.
The Government's proposed fuel duty increase is another unwelcome move that will have a disruptive effect on businesses and their employees, and with the price of oil constantly rising, it's time for organisations to ensure they have right technologies and communication approach to help best cope with the economic situation.
Michael Stephens, UK and Ireland country manager at LifeSize. London.
