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ETD News - December 1998 Page 2 of 3 European Telework Week 98 A Review of Events, 2-9 November 1998. Ian Culpin, Co-ordinator, European Telework Week 1998 This year was the fourth annual European Telework Week. Each year ETW grows in prestige and widens its scope and appeal. This year, for example, saw additional Telework Awards, new publications, events aimed at special focus groups such as the disabled and women, and interactions with Canada, whose first national telework day (4th November) was held during this week. You will find reports in the New Round Up about ETW activities throughout different countries. Although we don't know yet if the total number of events and attendees broke last year's record, we already have feedback on how well received many of the events have been. For this no small thanks is due to the many organisers across Europe and their hosts and sponsors. At European level we were pleased to have the support of France Telecom, Cisco, Telecom Italia, Siemens and Toshiba. http://www.etw.org European Telework Awards 1998 Ian Culpin, Martech International The UK maintained its reputation as being in the forefront of new ways of working when three finalists scooped first places at the European Telework Week Awards. However, Southern European countries gave a sharp lesson to their northern neighbours when finalists from Italy, Spain and Portugal took the other four trophies. The winners were: Telecom Italia Mobile, Italy: Best Contribution To European Competitiveness BT, England: Best advertising campaign KITE telecottage, Northern Ireland: Most Entrepreneurial Use Of Teleworking CSELT , Italy : Most Innovative Use of Technology Fueva, Spain: Best Public Initiative THINK, Portugal: Best Contribution To European Sustainability Teleworker magazine, UK: Best Single Article Or Programme Twenty two finalists, whittled down from more than 50 entries, had to give a five minute presentation in front of an audience of more than 150 specially invited guests who were equipped with electronic keypads as part of the three-way voting procedure. The other two methods were online voting from the European Telework Week web site, which generated more than 2,500 votes in just over one week , plus a panel of expert judges. Ian Culpin of Martech International, which co-ordinated the event, commented: "What was evident this year, was the unparalleled determination of a broad spectrum of individuals and organisations to drive teleworking forwards. The innovative approach of many of the finalists was impressive, particularly in the fields of helping the disabled and geographically disadvantaged to work from a location of their choice." Email: iculpin@martech-intl.com WWW: http://www.etw.org/98/award/ News Round-Up Austria Gerhard Reisecker As in the previous years, European Telework Week was a big success in Austria. Ten events were officially registered, two more took place in the same week. Among the event organisers were prominent companies like Ericsson Austria and big public institutions. But also other interest groups, like MOM, an initiative to support single parent mothers and several telecenters participated in ETW98. The nature of the events ranged from workshops and seminars to a book and CD presentation and an interactive event on the Internet. The biggest and most prominent event Telework New Employment Opportunities in Rural Areas was organised by the Austrian ETD Co-ordinator `FGI' for the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture. The Federal Minister Wilhelm Molterer himself spoke about the importance of telework for the development of rural areas: "Telework can create highly qualified and well paid employment opportunities in rural areas and therefore a positive perspective for the future". Mr. Molterer said that the reform of the European agricultural system as part of Agenda 2000 must not overlook the necessity of promoting ICT in rural areas. Another speaker at this event was ETD's project manager, Jeremy Millard. Email: g.reisecker@fgi.at WWW: http://www.telearbeit.at Belgium The week saw the Belgian Telework Association (BTA) conference at Teleport Brussels, on the subject of Teleworking and the virtual corporation. Speakers included Karel Uyttendaele and Christian van Huffel from Fabrimetal. As usual the BTA Annual Reception took place during ETW. Held on the 4th November at the Crédit Communal-Gemeentekrediet art gallery, it incorporated an evening visit to their current exhibition on the history of telecommunications. Guest speakers were Steven van Ackere, Head of the Office of Minister Chabert (Brussels Region), Paul van der Spiegel, Director of TELENET (Flanders), and François Bodart, Director of WIN (Wallonia). Throughout the week the Business High Schools active in the Euro-Télétravail education programme (see ETD News, Issue 9) held open days. The BTA recently changed its address. The new contact details are: Belgian Teleworking Association c/o Teleport Brussels Buro & Design Center B4 Esplanade du Heysel B- 1020 Brussels Tel: +32 2 475 20 00 Fax: +32 2 475 20 10 Email: bta@compuserve.com WWW: http://www.bta.be Denmark Telework has mushroomed dramatically in the last year in Denmark and ETW98 provided a good opportunity to take stock and plan for the future. Several events took this retrospective and prospective view. They were accompanied by good media publicity. Aarhus - Launch of Telework `99 At Aarhus there was an open public meeting Telework in Denmark and Europe: where are we now? This was hosted by Aarhus City Municipality who at the same time formally announced the 6th European Assembly on Telework and New Ways of Working - Telework '99 (see the article earlier in this ETD News). A notable action was the creation by local telework activists of a partnership for the Assembly and the long term development of telework in the region. Contact: John Buchardt, Aarhus Municipality, Tel: +45 89402195 Fax: +45 86133475 Email: jbu@erhv.aarhus.dk Telework `99 website: http://www.telework99.dk Copenhagen - Engaging the Public Copenhagen also had an open public meeting The status of telework in Denmark. Participants included the Ministry of Research (responsible for IT and telecoms), the Ministry of Labour, the Commercial and Clerical Employees Union, the Tax Ministry, Tele Danmark, etc. As well as the national scene there were also presentations of local telework activities. Launch of Web site and Open Handbook ETW saw the launch of the independent Danish telework web-site (http://www.ttt.dk). It is designed as a `first-stop-shop' in Danish on all aspects of national and European issues surrounding telework, teletrade and telecooperation. The website is part of the ETD network of national telework websites. Key content on the web site includes a new collation of Danish experience on all aspects of telework. It is also published as a printed loose-leaf format, to make updates and new additions simpler to manage. http://www.ttt.dk Wider Promotion A promotional article on telework appeared in Tele Danmark's magazine, which is distributed free-of-charge to all households. Other media coverage included a review article in one of Denmark's main national newspapers, , plus the local press, radio and TV. Contact: Thomas Frovin Jensen Email: frovin@post4.tele.dk Tel: + 45 86 131550 Finland Espoo - Finess'98 Networking Event on Nov 2-3: networking, seminars, brokerage, marketing: http://www.finess.fi The teleworker driving licence was launched at the Open Learning Centre of Ammatti-instituutti in Helsinki. Also marketed were the PC driving licence and the Amishop electronic market place. The open week ended on Nov 9 with the seminar New forms of work and studies in SMEs. A telework brokerage events was held on Nov 4 in Pori, followed by a seminar on telework in the Satakunta region. Turku - One day seminar on 5th November Telework in Finland, Present and Future, organised by University of Turku and the Finnish National Telework Theme Group. Earlier in the week was Flexi-senssit, an open market event for teleworkers. Other events included open doors at Kouvolan seutuverkon palvelukeskus and a telework evening at Nilsia Town Hall, both on Nov 5. The website http://tyt-media.uta.fi/osaamiskeskus/ of the Virtual Centre of Excellence of Telework was opened at the University of Tampere. Forthcoming - Politics & Internet, 2nd International Congress on Electronic Media & Citizenship in Information Society. Finland, January 6-9, 1999. Details at http://www.kolumbus.fi/pi99 Contact: Lars Tollet Email: lars.tollet@iki.fi France As well as conventional events, ETW saw the launch of a new newsletter and a webcast roadshow. No further details were available as we went to press. Contact: Nicole Turbé-Suetens Email: nturbe@ibm.net Tel: + 33 3 44 91 14 92 Germany Telework in Hessen ETW98 got off to a good start in Germany with the Telework in Hessen event. It kicked of with an online moderated Internet conference inaugurated by State Secretary Matthias Kurth. New conference themes were added each day throughout the week and included: Telework Initiatives in Hessen Telework for and in firms Teleworkers - men and women Questions and Answers Publication of Protocol http://netzforum.de/hessen Regional Europe Conference A special conference Regional Europe - perspectives and organisational chances for the region had as its focus with the focus on equal job opportunities (for men and women). Several representatives responsible for equal status from different municipal administrations of the region contributed to the conference. The conference also featured the publication Arbeitsleben online - Perspektiven der Arbeit mit den neuen Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien (Perspectives on Work with new information and communications technologies). This documentation can be obtained free of charge by contacting: Kreis Steinfurt - Gleichstellungsstelle, Tecklenburger Str. 10, 48565 Steinfurt. Tel.: 02551/69-2118 Fax: 02551/69-2400 WWW: http://www.deltaregio.net/emsdetten/europa-regional.html Contact: Rainer Pollmann, Telearbeit Email: rainer.pollmann@ta-telearbeit.de Tel: + 49 2451 718171 Ireland Teleworking Code of Practice A Teleworking Code of Practice has been drafted by assistant national coordinator Imogen Bertin. This is intended as a non-binding but government-supported document commonly used in Ireland as part of industrial relations legislation. The draft has been agreed by representatives of ICTU, the Irish congress of trade unions, and IBEC, the employers' organisation, and will now be considered by the National Advisory Council on Teleworking (NACT). ETD has also made a detailed submission to the NACT on actions to improve employment opportunities through teleworking, in conjunction with Telecom Éireann, the Central Remedial Clinic and the Work Research Centre. Surveys and Media ETW98 in Ireland was accompanied by a publicity campaign by Telecom Éireann with advertisements in broadsheet newspapers and radio launching the company's telework advisory service, based in the town of Ballina in the west of Ireland. The adverts point out to employers that they can save their employees time stuck in traffic jams by making use of teleworking technology. During the week, Telecom also launched its survey into the effect teleworking could have on reducing Dublin's traffic gridlock. Another survey was also launched by The Work Research Centre, which is managing the Adapt TELEMAN project to provide tools and training for managers of teleworkers in large companies. Its survey into the uptake of teleworking in Ireland indicates that 5 per cent of respondents already have formal teleworking policies in place, a further 8 per cent intend to implement teleworking within two years; while another 12 per cent expressed an intention to put a policy in place, but could not commit to a time-frame. Disability and Teleworking The Disability and Teleworking conference was jointly organised by ETD (European Telework Development) and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working conditions. It was opened by the Minister of State with responsibility for disability affairs, Mary Wallace. The conference was sponsored by the Irish Information Society Commission and the Central Remedial Clinic. Telematics and Training A seminar on telematics and training projects in Ireland's mid-western region was held in Ennis Information Age Town by East Clare Training Associates. It provided information on the EU's 5th framework programme and heard from Minister Noel Treacy about the work of the NACT. Telework Ireland Conference Telework Ireland, the national telework organisation, held its annual conference just after the end of ETW on 12th and 13th November in Portumna, Galway. Under the theme of "Teletrade", the conference was opened by science, technology and commerce Minister Noel Treacy. Mr Maarten Botterman of DGXIII also attended. Contact: Imogen Bertin - Cork Teleworking Tel: +353 21 887300 Fax: +353 21 887402 Email: imogen@ctc.ie Italy In keeping with tradition, ETW was celebrated in Italy with a veritable feast of activities. Altogether there were more than 20 registered events, including an opening conference with a strong international group of speakers Opening Conferencing : Work and telework The theme of this event, organised by Telecom Italia and ETD Italy, was the challenge of employment in the information society. There were speakers from the ETD initiative, the European Commission, central and local government that offered a wide range of perspectives. A feature was a round table discussion between government ministers, Members of Parliaments, public authorities and various social partners. Regional Conferences Naples - Telework, Flexibility and local development. Particular features of this event was the opportunities for small and medium enterprises and the role of telework in local development and public administration. Perugia - Telework and @Temps Choisi'. This two day conference discussed the possibilities of time sharing jobs within organizations. Also described was the experience of the local administration in the Province of Perugia. Palermo - Internet, Digital Cities and Telework. The theme was citizen access and services, with contributions from experts in the development of city networks. Bologna - Telework in Italian Public Administration: Experiences and Projects. Following the recent passage of a bill in the Italian parliament (see ETD News, Issue 9), many projects have been launched, with some approaching operational status. Pisa - New Frontiers of telework: tele-education and remote offices. The first part of the conference reviewed teletraining and teleeducation, while the remote office was considered as an enabler of process reengineering. At the end of the meeting there was a demonstration of telemedicine. Telework Workshops, organised by SSGRR (Scuola Superiore G. Reiss Romoli) and SIT (Società Italian Telelavoro) Rome - Telecommuting - pros and cons Coppito - 1) Technologies for Teleworking and 2) Distance Learning opening conference Genoa - telework in a Public research Institute. A public presentation of the first pilot training course in the field of basic and clinical biomedical research. Modena - Opportunities and cases of business-to-business teleworking Padua - Telework in Local Adminstrations Prato - Telework and local economic development Piacenza - L'Italia-in-Intenet. The benefits of electronic commerce for Italy. Naples - Panel session on tele-education and telework in the Annual Congress of AICA (Italian Association of Automatic Computing). Vigevano - Telework in Vigevano in 2000 http://www.comune.vigevano.pv.iy Special Events in Reggio Emilia Inauguration of the second IFOA Telecentre in Novellara. Presentation based on the book telework and distance learning Workshop: The telework starts from technology and training Launch of a service to match demands and offers of telework. Other Activities Launch of a web site at the PROXIMA Telecentre, San Giovanni. This site http://www.asnm.com/etw/98/home.html provides a ritual community for teleworkers. It has spaces to make offers and requests, links to telework resources and an online forum. Launching of CD-ROM on teleworking prepared by ETD Italy. Information and resources on telework, with links to web sites for further information (see ETD News, Issue 9) ElevenThirty - Radio phone-in programme on RAI One. During telework week the theme explored was work and Learning by Telematics. Creation of the Italian chapter of ISDAC (Information Society DisAbility Challenge). ETD and ISDAC are cooperating in a survey on the integration of disabled people into employment using information and communications technologies. New publications. During the week were presented: 1) the Italian version of the Commission' European Status Report Telework 98 (see www.mclink.it/telelavoro/status) and 2) a new book on teleworking laws and contracts, edited by Patrizio Di Nicola, ETD National Coordinator in Italy (see: www.mclink.it/telelavoro/libro) Contact: Patrizio Di Nicola, Micromatica Email: dinicola@mclink.it Tel: + 39 6 5823 3583 The Netherlands The Dutch Telework Week started with a two day seminar New ways of work and the critical impact of ICT. The keynote speaker of he first day was Gil Gordon, a well known telecommuting expert from the USA. Interpolis, last year's winner of the Dutch telework prize was featured as a case study. Other case study presentations were from Shell, Cap Gemini and IBM. Other seminars included Telework and human resources and The effective work environment. At the Apple Expo there were seminars about telework, and 5000 copies of the brochure of the Teleworkforum were handed out. Dutch Telework Award The fifth Dutch telework award took place in the Media Plaza, Utrecht. The prize for the best project was presented to the winners by the Minister of Social affairs Mr. K de Vries. All former price winners gave a reflection on the effects of the telework prize on their business. The chairman of the jury, Hans Blankert, VNO-NCW gave a speech about the evolution of telework in the last five years in the Netherlands. The winner this year was Oracle with their FUNctional office concept, and an award was also given to HTA, a foundation helping handicapped people to find jobs involving telework. Contact: Kitty de Bruin, Nederlands Telework Forum Email: debruin@mail.dec.com Tel: +31 297 283236 WWW: http://www.teleworkforum.nl Spain Spain's special event was the Congress Tourism and Telework, held on 6th and 7th November in Islartilla (Huelva). Contact: Manuel Oliveros Email: oliveros@lainter.net UK Telework World The main event in the UK was again Telework World. This was the fourth year of this conference. The three day conference was aimed at organisational aspects of telework and also included demonstrations of supporting technology and discussion groups on related subjects. Day 1 - Technology and Mobile Work While recognising the contribution of technology, this session reminded delegates that organizations, in general, still have a long way to go to understand how to use email, intranets, groupware, videoconferencing and other emerging technologies to their best effect. The UK Minister for telcommunications, Barbara Roche explained how the promotion of the effective use of information technology is a key role for the Government. Paul Butcher, Managing Director of Mitel Telecom Ltd outlined the results of a survey they had commissioned on how teleworking is being implemented by British industry. Day 2 - Implementing the Distributed Organisation On the second day issues of virtual organizations and virtual working were considered. It was made clear that teleworking does not work for all employees and must therefore be introduced in the right way to be successful. Managers have to adapt to managing remotely and change how they communicate, reward, empower and coach their employees. Gil Gordon from the USA explained in the closing address, how telecommuting was evolving around the world. Day 3 - Planning the Flexible Workplace The growth in telework and location independent work means that individuals are no longer tied to specific desks. This has resulted in new thinking about office design and space planning. A particularly interesting presentation was that of Chris Byron, director of the project for British Airways new Waterside headquarters, a building designed form the outset to encourage flexible working and a high degree of employee interaction. The importance of awareness training and communicating the new arrangements to users was a key factor in gaining the benefits of the flexible workspace. Femailathon From Manchester As part of European Telework Week, Manchester Women's Electronic Village Hall hosted a "Femailathon". Trainees on a teleworking course corresponded via email with Austrian students at a telecentre in Hermagor in the Karnische region. Canada Joins in Too Canada celebrated its first ever Telework Day on 4th November. Organised by the Canadian Telework Association, it was accompanied by a national telework education and public awareness campaign. Essentially an Internet-based showcase of telework-related events and initiatives, it managed to focus plenty of attention on the implications of telework for Canadians. The website http://www.ivc.ca/td1.html for Telework Day was, and continues to be, visited by thousands of Canadians. The timing of Canada's Telework Day was deliberately chosen to coincide with European Telework Week, so that cross Atlantic connections and exchanges could be made. The day was judged a resounding success that showcased many initiatives. Here are just a few examples: A group in Nelson, British Columbia featured a distance learning/telework initiative, a pilot project which includes finding telework jobs for unemployed forestry workers to do at home. In Wakefield Quebec, teleworkers beat the commute by working at a unique alternative officing/business center called 'Resort to Work', in the heart of an all-season resort on the banks of the Gatineau River. Prime Minister Jean Chretien sent his best wishes: "It is fitting that you should celebrate with a special day the professionalism and commitment to excellence which are hallmarks of teleworkers across Canada." Peter Johnston of the European Commission showed his support: "Telework will be the employment future for millions of Europeans, and for millions of Canadians." One of the organisers, Bob Fortier, comments: "Aside from being Canada's first such event, what made this day unique is that we did not want people to come to it at least not by car or bus. To save fuel, our air and time, the only way to get to our celebration was to drive the information highway to the Telework Day web site." http://www.ivc.ca Read The Next Page Return To Contents List