eWORK 2000 - European Telework Week

New Ways to Work 2000European TeleworkTelework Ireland (http://www.telework.ie)Since its inception in 1993, Telework Ireland has worked on a trans-border basis to:• Promote the teleworking concept• Facilitate the implementation of teleworking policies within organisations• Represent the interests of teleworkers and telework based businesses throughout the island of Ireland• Develop a range of products and services to facilitate the development of a telework friendlyenvironmentOn Thursday 25 th May 2000 first Irish manuals were published on the subject of ework/telework. Theyhighlight, in minute detail, the benefits of teleworking (eworking) to the individual, the employer, thecommunity and the economy.The Market Research Bureau of Ireland (MRBI) eWorking Survey (www.ework.ie)The Market Research Bureau of Ireland (MRBI) conducted a survey in February/March 2000 of eWorking inIreland. The survey carried out Computer aided telephone interviews (CATI) and sampled the full spectrum ofIrish Industry. A total of 500 companies were surveyed of which 10% were found to undertake some form ofeWork. The survey also found that 25% of the companies who were not presently conducting eWork areinterested in the idea. Software and Service companies currently dominate the practise.Typical Irish eworker can be of either gender (53% female and 47% male), compared to 70% males in othercountries. The age profile was mainly between 30 and 40 years of age. In 29% of companies entireeworkforce is male and in 35% of companies the entire workforce is female. The majority of workers had goodIT and communication skills and were employed by software or services industries (70% in Service Industryand 30% in software industry). 20% of the eWorkers have formal accreditation for their skills. Only 26% ofeWorkers had formal eWork training. Training covered IT, Team working, communications skills and timemanagement with the average length of training of 1 week for each course. The mean cost of training was ~1.6KEuro. One out of every ten managers of eworkers has had training provided specifically in this area ofbusiness. For this group, communication skills, time management and team working are the most commontypes of training provided. The average cost of training is ~ 7 K€.The majority of teleworkers (>50%)were employed in or around the capital city (Dublin). The majority(66%)of the interviewed eWork employers were very satisfied with the teleworking arrangements. 32%identified the main reason that targets are met, 28% identified greater flexibility for workers, eases workloadsand helps to retain staff. Only 4% identified timesaving as a reason and 4% identified teleworking as morecost effective. This contrasts the view of the teleworker where 53% cited reduced commuting time as theirmotivation for teleworking.In survey by Telework Ireland - The profession Association of Teleworkers in Ireland, The IrishTelecommunications company (Eircom) and the Dublin Transport Authority carried out a survey of worktrends of city commuters, the majority of whom commute during peak hours. Some 13% of the workers workfrom home occasionally during normal working hours and over 84% of employees work from home outsideregular working hours. Over 22% of the total respondents believe that their present job gives them thepossibility of telecommuting and more than half (57%) of individuals who could telework would like totelework.Contact:Imogen Bertin, Cork Teleworking, email: imogen@ctc.ie:www.cork-teleworking.com- 77 -