EU Statistics - Executive Opinion 1998 (UPS)

European Telework Online

European Executive Opinions (UPS)

UPS undertakes an annual survey of executives in a sample of Europe's 15,000 largest enterprises (by revenue). The late 1998 survey shows a significant increase in direct personal use of email and the world wide web. Results are presented for eight countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Here are some extracts relating to telework, electronic commerce and telecooperation. For the full survey see http://www.ebm.ups.com/.

Executives' own use of technologies

The percentage of all respondents using email increased from 73% in 1997 to 88% in 1998.

Other results included:

Use of laptops or other portables, up from 55% to 59%
Voicemail up from 58% to 65%
59% claimed to be using an Intranet (question not asked in 1997)
Videoconferencing up from 34% to 40%

But the most striking increase was in the numbers who claimed to be personally accessing websites - up from 40% to 64%!

Expectations about telework

Asked about work practices they expect to be prevalent in their own companies within five years, 53% of UK executives expected telecommuting to be in widespread use. Percentages for other countries were:

Germany	34
Belgium	30
Netherlands	29
Italy	23
Spain	13
France	10

Asked about other work practices, Flexitime was expected to be in very wide use, with percentages ranging from 84% in Germany to 50% in Spain. Hot-desking (the practice of being allocated a desk on arrival rather than each person "owning" their own workstation) is expected to be in use by 44% of the UK companies, with others ranging from a low of 13% (Germany) to a high of 30% in France. There is some inconsistency in the French result between the low expectation of telework and the high expectation of hot desking. French companies quite widely expect to adopt a four day week (39%), in line with the French policy to reduce permitted working hours. Spain had the lowest expectation of this (7%) followed by Italy (13%) and UK (14%).

Company use of the e-commerce

Among companies claiming to have adopted e-commerce methods, UK led with 35%, followed by:


Belgium	29
Netherlands	26
Spain	23
Germany	22
France	18
Italy	13

Increase or decrease workforce?

Only in the Netherlands and Spain did executives expect to increase the size of their companies' workforces in the next 12 months. A net 12% in the Netherlands and 9% in Spain expected growth. UK opinion switched sharply from a net 14% expecting growth in the 1997 survey to a net 18% expecting their workforce to be reduced. Germany (15% had the highest proportion expecting a decrease, with Belgium having a balance between those expecting and increase and those expecting a decrease, and France nearly balanced with just 1% expecting a decrease.

Labour unrest

France is expected to have the most strikes during the next three years, with 66% of respondents holding this view, up from 59% in 1997. The Netherlands takes the prize as being likely to be most strike-free.

Political climate for business

UK is thought to have best political climate for business, but this view is now held by only 48% of respondents compared with 63% in 1997. Second best was Germany at 35% (no change from 1997). Spain and Ireland get the lowest ratings.

For the full survey visit the UPS website: http://www.ebm.ups.com/

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This page last updated 6th April 1999
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