eWORK 2000 - European Telework Week

New Ways to Work 2000European TeleworkThe initial thesis stated: Barriers are most often mentioned in the late coming countries. This is correct forSpain but less so for Italy. In Ireland and France the present possible barriers were often classed as important,however, comparatively rarely in Denmark and Finland, as well as in Germany.It is certainly not accidental that barriers are most often mentioned in countries that are behind with regard todiffusion of telework. Even the argument “Trade unions will resist” which in other countries is only mentionedby a quarter of businesses at most is classed as a significant barrier for expansion of telework by 31% ofdecision makers in Italy, 40% in Spain, and 47% in France.insufficientknowledgemanagersBarriers to Telework in Europe 1999 (in % of All Establishments)expensesProductivity/workqualitydifficultiesmanagingteleworkersproblemsorganisingcommunicationhealth,safety,insurance,legalproblemsdatasecurityproblemslack ofpressureforchangeemployeeswould notwantResistance fromtradeunionsDenmark 45.61 46.33 38.22 36.01 36.59 30.34 51.47 31.76 33.46 15.53Finland 44.45 38.25 39.01 40.73 34.60 22.48 52.96 45.18 23.14 12.34France 60.69 55.81 66.94 66.92 62.92 52.96 77.12 60.97 50.37 47.44Germany 37.93 42.26 42.00 41.83 34.72 27.83 52.53 50.11 40.35 13.68Ireland 68.11 58.26 66.94 66.18 54.63 49.97 63.99 52.55 33.65 25.28Italy 62.77 39.93 51.94 48.97 41.42 35.10 58.35 42.30 26.18 31.07Netherlands 51.00 32.67 59.33 50.00 42.33 38.33 54.33 41.00 23.00 18.67Spain 74.43 65.02 69.70 65.58 59.46 54.18 73.38 57.53 45.70 39.50Sweden 55.28 47.01 52.75 49.60 37.48 44.64 67.65 39.61 37.15 26.65UK 55.16 52.38 58.58 58.93 45.78 45.26 61.16 49.19 31.01 15.40Total 56.24 48.72 55.28 53.40 45.93 40.82 61.96 48.08 35.39 25.59EU 10 54.1 48.1 54.9 53.5 45.7 40.3 61.8 50.0 37.0 25.4Source: empirica (ECATT 1999), cf. www.ecatt.comSix out of 10 countries regard data security problems as the most important barrier. While in the Netherlandsconcerns regarding productivity and quality of work take 1 st position, in Ireland, Italy and Spain it ismanagement’s insufficient knowledge.Apart from the results of the 1994 TELDET survey there are also results on barriers to telework from asurvey conducted by empirica in 1985. Although the compatibility of results is limited due to differentmethodologies (only the ranking order of reasons mentioned can be historically compared) interesting resultsemerge:A comparison with the results of the 1994 survey shows that the problems of organising communicationbetween office and telework place and costs for the technological equipment have significantly decreased inimportance in the eyes of the decision makers. Looking back even further to the 80s, it is noticeable that thepreviously most often mentioned reason of “lack of pressure to change” is mentioned far less often in thechanged competitive market of the 90s.- 36 -