eWORK 2000 - European Telework Week

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New Ways to Work 2000European TeleworkThings That Think. This aims to make computers invisible by embedding them in everyday objects, fromworkplaces and kitchens to clothes and furniture, so that they can support and enrich natural human activitiesin intelligent and empowering ways.The main programme of Telework ’99 was organised in six parallel sessions, each of which confirmed theoverall Assembly theme that telework can indeed benefit everybody:1. Towards a new societal framework for workThis session focussed upon national employment and Information Society policies, labour relations, workplacenegotiations, collective agreements and suitable legal frameworks. Significant progress was made in movingthe European level debate forward, with major conclusions including:• despite the large gap between employer and employee thinking on how to address challenges presentedby technology, successful practical agreements have started, for example the framework agreement inDenmark covering 600,000 municipal workers, and in the UK a recently signed agreement between theCommunication Workers Union and British Telecom• despite the many practical difficulties, such as how to certify a home-working environment as suitableunder health and safety legislation, the lack of protection for the self-employed, disagreements withemployer and taxation authorities regarding travel time, electricity cost, etc., there are also many newagreements and schemes as well as increasing acceptance that people should be in control of thetechnology and not vice versa• managers need to take a fresh look at ensuring that their approach to dealing with distance workers, ismutually beneficial to both the teleworker and the employer• there is need to reduce workers’ information gaps to allow time flexibility, to ensure that private qualitytime exists, and thirdly, that health circles may provide a release and information exchange between coworkers• new ways of working can also deliver better government, as illustrated by Assembly hosts Aarhus CityMunicipality, where for example homecare workers are now equipped with laptops which include a linkto hospitals to avoid a paper chase.2. Enhancing the enterprise beyond the office wallsFocus in the nine presentations in this session was upon new ways of working in large organisations. A wideranging debate took place on how corporates and the public sector were responding to and exploiting teleworkand other new ways of working, which was able to add substantially to our collective knowledge andexperience. Numerous useful and relevant conclusions were drawn, including that:• there is immense potential for the public sector to organise its work more effectively, despite the factthat it lags behind the commercial sector,• telework invariably leads to large and permanent increases in productivity• telework needs to be carefully and sensibly introduced• telework fits extremely well with small team work and outsourcing• the role of telecentres, for example in providing local workplaces for employees or consultants of largeorganisations, is still to be sufficiently exploited.- 126 -
New Ways to Work 2000European Telework3. The new enterprise and the new entrepreneursNetworking SMEs, networkers and virtual organisations were the focus of this session, which examined thelarge number of different developments taking place providing immense possibilities for new types ofenterprise and new types of entrepreneur. These include both within large companies (especially by so-calledintrapreneurs) as well as in micro enterprises, SMEs, free agents (or portfolio workers), virtual organisationsand fast companies. The discussion could only cover a few aspects of these varied developments, but managedto illustrate the range and diversity of opportunities. Conclusions included noting that:• in contrast to the past, free agents were increasingly professional and well qualified individuals whoconsciously choose this new life style• most SMEs are still woefully behind in successful exploitation of the new technology and the benefits itcan bring through new working methods• telework can become the basis for creating new forms of work and enterprise in all parts of Europe• call centres represent both challenges and potential benefits for both individuals and employers.4. New work opportunitiesHere the focus was upon new jobs and new markets, with improved access for all in an inclusive InformationSociety. Foremost on the agenda was how telework, and other new working methods supported by the newtechnology, can cater for the needs of special groups and regions in Europe. Progress was considered under thethree sub-themes of the special needs of people, places and policies, and a number of important conclusionsand lessons were drawn. These included that:• telework can successfully provide individual and tailored solutions to specific needs, whether these be ofthe disabled, the elderly, the unemployed, etc., provided that the individuals concerned develop thenecessary skills and attitudes• telework, by establishing or cementing links to the labour market, boosts the individual’s self esteem andconfidence and rarely, if ever, leads to isolation or disempowerment• telework can significantly assist in solving labour shortage problems and plays an important role inretaining skilled and experienced elderly workers in the labour market• places with particular needs, like rural and peripheral areas, inner cities, areas with declining industriesor other social and economic problems, are offered a large number of new opportunities by telework andnew technology.5. Technologies enabling new ways to workThis session was devoted to today’s best technologies, services and applications for companies, teams,individuals and communities investing in new ways of working. Variety, consisting both of sophisticated stateof-the-artand simple standard technology solutions which have been available for some time, was the hallmarkof the session, and indicated a very healthy adaptation to diverse needs as well as the versatility of technologyuse and working life which goes with it. Main conclusions and lessons were that technology is both an enablerand a barrier and that professions are transforming and becoming extinct very fast. There is a need for:• more and more suitable bandwidth• changing the organisation – both processes and culture• the emergence of virtual enterprises• applications built on open standards and ready for integration with other systems• new business models and tools to support them• adaptation to fast changes.6. Technology and infrastructure Challenges- 127 -
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eWORK 2000 - European Telework Week

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