Remote working antidote for CBD disruption

30th August 2016

Remote working antidote for CBD disruption

A growth in remote working is expected as Auckland City chaos sets in with the start of the City Rail Link and years of CBD disruption ahead, says an expert in cloud based IT solutions, Dynamo6.

Some businesses are already moving from the downtown area to avoid the impact of the major construction and others are offering flexible working hours to help employees manage commuting times. 

With over 8,000 businesses in downtown Auckland and around 65,000 jobs, big projects like the Central Rail Link, The Commercial Bay redevelopment on the Downtown Shopping Mall site and the SkyCity Convention Centre are already having an effect.

However, Igor Matich of Dynamo6 says remote working provides a better solution for affected organisations and is a lot less disruptive:

“An extraordinary transformation is happening in Auckland and it’s important for businesses to stay operating as usual while the work is done,” he says.

“This is where remote working can play such an important role because people can keep normal hours and avoid much of the disruption.

“It also means businesses can maintain a Central City office and be in a prime location once City life gets back to normal.

“The problem with flexi-time is it still disrupts life’s schedule, such as leisure and family time.  The other option of moving out of the CBD is very costly and disruptive, and takes away the convenience of being close to transport links,” he says.

Road closures and traffic redirection are already in-force and commuting times are increasing.  The chaos is set to remain for a few years.

Despite the disruption, maintaining a central city office is vital for many businesses who want to be close to clients, customers and suppliers, and it’s convenient for employees who want to be near transport links. 

“Remote working even for a few hours a day is a very good option for CBD businesses now,” says Matich. 

“In the morning people can work at home or nearby until rush hour is over and then travel to the office, and do the reverse in the evening.  It’s better to be working remotely and productive than battle traffic when CBD road capacity is minimised.

“Using cloud services, remote working means people are at work apart from physically sitting at a desk in an office.  With video streaming you can even have your colleagues in the office virtually.

“This new flexible way of working also has financial benefits, including the need for less office space, and gives employees convenience and empowerment over how they work,” he says.

“We think what’s happening in Auckland will be a catalyst for many businesses to look more seriously overall at digital solutions to help them work better, easier and faster.  The redevelopment may be disruptive but it also presents an opportunity to streamline a business, provide flexibility to employees and deliver benefits to the bottom line,” he says.

Dynamo6 is a specialist in cloud, mobile and web development solutions to support organisations improve through the use of digital technology.  Much of its work involves supporting organisations to use remote working.  Established as a cloud services provider it helps people and organisations work smarter, faster and more cost-effectively, while being better connected, anytime, anywhere.

ENDS

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