Looking out of the window, we are back to the usual winter weather – wind rain, and dull days.
Only a few days ago, when looking out of the same window I would see a white winter wonderland, well for a few days anyway.
However whilst it may have looked very nice, we are told by our friends in the media that the snow fall caused chaos, and yet again we were not prepared. The fact of the matter is that we rarely get snow like we had this year. Yes most years it snows, but it doesn’t usually hang around, and within an hour it has gone.
So should we be better prepared? Well the cost of keeping the road networks running when the snow falls is astronomical, and that’s just the snow ploughs and gritters, and doesn’t include the additional strain on our emergency services. Anyone who follows the news will be aware that the economy in the country is on a knife edge, and the government is pressurising the local councils not to increase our rates. So who can really blame the councils if they cannot keep all of the roads clear of snow. From my perspective, and I live up a lane in the middle of nowhere, this year the councils all did a sterling job keeping things going. In fact I would say that the snow probably caused less disruption than the recent floods.
A few years ago I was skiing in Canada with a friend. Whilst there the highest temperature we saw was -20 C. And yes everything worked, the roads were clear, the buses ran on time, the bins were emptied, and the screen washers on the hire car worked. However, on discussing this with the locals, they confirmed that when the first snow of the winter falls, they are rarely prepared, the roads are blocked, cars get stuck, and there is general chaos. It takes about a week for everyone to put the correct tyres on their cars, and for the snowploughs to be got out of storage etc. So even though they know that it is going to happen every year, initially they also suffer chaos.
So come on, give the authorities a break. I don’t think we did too badly.
Of course an analogy could be made between the current weather conditions and the business climate that we seem to be encountering. The demise of High Street outlets Comet, Jessops and HMV present a strong case for the prediction of a triple dip recession. So in practical terms should business owners be more prepared for continued adverse conditions?
On the first Friday when the snow fell, our business like many had to make a decision whether to close early and let staff get away in plenty of time or to remain open until the bitter end. Like many businesses we chose to close the office early, requesting those who could to work from home. As a result most left the office around lunchtime. I am told that the normal 30 minute journey took between 2 and 3 hours. Those that left later found the same journey took about 45 minutes!
I am sure that there is a moral in the story somewhere.
David Evans
David Evans' Blog 