I've had a couple of clients call me asking about the planned power cuts that National Grid said may happen this winter. These businesses work all hours of the day and night and they're concerned about whether they will happen ...
It depends on several factors, mostly around the weather. If we get a particularly cold spell, the demand for electricity which in part uses gas to generate it will go up. If it's relatively mild then we should be able to manage.
Decisions on when and where power cuts will happen also depend on whether we can get timely LPG deliveries from other parts of the world, and if there is any surplus generating capacity with our partners in Scandinavia and Europe when we need it.
But what happens to a business if there is a planned power cut? Well, for businesses that operate in these targeted hours, work will not be able to continue. Perhaps there are other things employees can do such as stock taking, cleaning, filing, or other activities, although they may be using their mobile phones to light whatever they're doing. If they can, will they be able to work from their homes which may not be in the area that's being affected?
If they are unable to proceed with their usual work duties, then it may be useful to agree paid annual leave with them if you know that a planned power cut is going to happen. Should it occur when they are actually at work and without notice, then this may be more difficult, but forewarned is forearmed so it's certainly worth thinking about.
There may also be a reason to offer overtime to certain employees who may need to visit the premises to check on alarms, fridges, production lines, and other vital equipment once the power cut has ended.
And be aware that there may also be immediate requests for emergency dependents leave if childcare providers or even schools are forced to close and there is no time to make alternative arrangements.
I feel the National Grid has done the right thing in warning us about potential planned power cuts, so it's worth having a plan for your business, just in case they do happen!
One final thing to consider is that although these planned power cuts are only supposed to last for 3-hours at a time, it is possible that the electricity network could have problems restarting delivery, especially in rural areas where the transformers may be remote. It could be the power cut lasts a lot longer if something fails to restart.
But most of all, please don't panic. These planned power cuts may never happen.
If you feel inspired to find out more about anything I've said here, do call me on 01908 774320 or leave a comment below and I'll be in touch as soon as I can.