With the Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union having announced plans to strike for 72 hours from 16:00GMT on the 24th of April, the industrial action could have severe implications for the London transport network, affecting underground lines and potentially causing disruption to thousands of commuters.

With the strike potentially slowing up business as usual operation in the London area in particular, Keith Tilley, SVP business continuity and disaster recovery services, SunGard Availability Services, suggests a number of actions for businesses continuity: “Disruption has now become a way of life for modern businesses and today’s corporate calendars are littered with obstacles to everyday operations.

"All manner of issues, ranging from planned disruptions such as the Olympics to unforeseeable events like the upcoming strike, can potentially cause problems for UK businesses.

"It is vital that businesses are able to keep the apace of their competitors and don’t lose any time to disruptions such as these. Forward thinking businesses should look, where possible, to enable and communicate plans to support staff to work remotely during disruptions, rather than face the inevitable loss in productivity caused by staff inability to access or use their usual offices and resources, plus the inevitable uncertainty on what action to take.

“Major disruption can have a long-reaching ripple effect throughout the supply chain, not simply due to the initial costs but in terms of reputation management, customer satisfaction and partner relationships. Years of trust can be wiped out by supply chain vulnerabilities. Clearly businesses need to understand the importance of investing in business resilience and a comprehensive continuity plan.”

With the Olympics around the corner, London’s transport infrastructure is likely to take a bigger hit over the coming months, so businesses need to act now to ensure they are prepared.

SunGard’s top five tips to businesses for minimising the impact of disruption include:

1. Plan ahead. It is imperative that travel and police updates are monitored and that businesses have plans in place, whatever the outcome. Establish which parts of the business could be most vulnerable and plan accordingly.

2. Communicate internally. Keep in touch with your staff to ensure they are aware of procedure and ongoing developments throughout the day of any strike or protest

3. Communicate externally. Be honest with your suppliers; be honest with your customers. Most businesses will be dealing with the same problems and will appreciate any difficulties

4. Consider remote working. If staff are unable to reach work or their journey will be severely hampered, then can they work from home? If this is a possibility then your business could save money when rivals are faltering

5. Remember the human touch. Major disruption to the daily commute can be stressful. Buying lunch for those who make it into work, or letting them leave earlier to beat travel chaos on the way home can help boost staff morale.

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