The alarm blares. I wake up and can’t believe it’s Monday again. Leaving my house sooner that I’d like, I hustle to the tube station, grabbing a coffee on my way. It’s quite early and still the baristas look sharper than I. Obviously their coffee must be good so I ask for a double.

Coffee shop client invisible workforceApproaching the station, I see the seemingly endless queue snaking onto the side street, carefully organised by a short, bearded man in a London Underground jacket. Something is wrong at a further Central line station, the public address announcer says. It’s hard to imagine what time station and train workers need to wake up, given that an incident has already occurred and it’s only 7:30 am!

When I finally get to the platform, and I move along to find a clearer spot I see the iconic “Mind the Gap” sign, which I’ve already read a thousand times. I will mind the gap, that’s for sure! I don’t want to end up on a stretcher.

“Let the passengers out before you board the train,” I hear in the air. I look around and glimpse a tall woman in a hi-vis vest standing out from the crowd. She has clearly got the situation covered when I see her through the carriage window signaling to someone with a strange paddle.

After a short ride, I arrive to work and realise something important must be happening later in the week. Someone is painting the office reception today, and I’ve seen window cleaners doing their thing.london underground staff invisible workforce

As the day wears on, I am already exhausted. I can’t wait to go home! My new internet provider is sending an installer today. I’m finally getting decent connectivity!

Can you spot all the people supporting my day? It’s not always easy to notice them, since they always seem to be there, or at least the work they do always seems to get done, which is not always as easy as it seems. Those “invisible” workers tend to work at different times, at multiple locations, maybe even with different titles from day to day, but their work is really important to all of us!

Sirenum helps organisations that manage these kinds of workers, making sure they know where to go, at what time, for what purpose and that they comply with all the appropriate compliance and health and safety requirements. We’re proud to support the invisible workforce!