eWORK 2000 - European Telework Week

New Ways to Work 2000European TeleworkResults:Highly motivated and dedicated employees.Less illness and better retention of staff.A clear identity and pride in their company.ISO certification.Clear view on the critical success factors of teleworking.Side effects:Customers are inspired, and are imitating their workstyle.Customers are also involved in the email culture, especially before email was common.Teleconferencing culture and lower travel costs.Certification gives insight information about the quality of telework• The Electronic Highway Platform organisation is working with Isoc.nl and gemweb (an election websitewith frequently asked questions) to prepare for the provincial state elections (www.provincies.nl)• The Institute for Public and Politics issues a newsletter on new media containing a lot of information aboutrelevant websites, political online chat fora and initiatives to stimulate the use of the Internet(www.publiek-politiek.nl/nmbb)• A new tax regulation allows employers to pay a limited tax-free sum to compensate employed teleworkersfor costs associated with working at home up to 400 Euros per year.• Other forms of flexible working are well accepted and there is a general consensus about the need forcontinuing innovation in working methods.• A successful economy has led to skill shortages, providing the motivation for companies to embrace newmethods.• The established magazine Telewerken is now in its sixth year of publication.• The Netherlands has an open and caring society and is becoming established as a centre of competence inthe use of ICTs for social inclusion, notably ICT training and telework as a means of access to workopportunities for people with mobility problems. A new initiative is a school project which supports theelderly to learn about and use the electronic highway. This programme is very successful and is widelyused (www.human.nl/hv/nieuws/bemoei.htm)Constraints:• The high overall level of ICT investment conceals a very variable pattern, with relatively lower ICT use inGovernment and in small firms.• With a net shortage of IT skills, Year 2000 ICT preparedness and Euro implementation are inhibitingimplementation of other applications such as remote access to company systems and services.• Legislation and regulation are largely based on traditional home working and are, in some aspects,inappropriate for modern teleworkers.• As everywhere, management resistance and concerns are based on old-style "management by presence",with insufficient adoption of management by objectives and measurement of results.• The positive pressure for telework generated by road traffic congestion is balanced by the Netherlands'excellent public transport infrastructure, which is being enhanced by innovative use of ICTs to optimiseinformation and journey planning for citizens.Telework activities and results• The Telewerk Forum has supported more than 150 seminars addressed to both awareness raising andadvice giving.- 90 -