"Telework 1997":
Annual Report from the European Commission
3. Status of European Telework:
3.11 The Netherlands
The history of telework in the Netherlands goes back at least to the late 1980s, when a
number of companies in IT, and other sectors, implemented the first telework pilot
programmes for a variety of reasons.
Digital Equipment BV
The Dutch branch was not the first part of DIGITAL to start implementing telework schemes.
The employees of the multi-national IT company were already using e-mail and used to the
networked environment in the office, when a first pilot project was implemented in a sales
division in 1988. Striking results were that teleworkers enhanced their productivity by
25%, due to better planning, more effective communication, reduced need to travel to the
office, and the ability to reduce office space by at least 50%. Following this pilot
DIGITAL adopted telework as a normal working practice, in 1993. Today, every DIGITAL
employee in the Netherlands has access to telework facilities. For the sales force, the
"hot-desking" concept in the office led to a ratio of 1 desk for 4 people, and
further reduction is foreseen. |
The Ministry of Transport, together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and a number
of IT and telecoms companies set up the Dutch Telework Platform in 1992. This was replaced
by a private sector-led body, the Dutch Telework Forum (Nederlands telewerk forum, NT
Forum), established in May 1996. The Forum has seventeen participant members, including
leading IT companies (such as Unisys, Toshiba, and Unisys Nederland), the telecoms
operator PTT Telecom, the Ministry of Transport, furniture suppliers (ASPA, IKEA) and a
number of specialist firms and consultants.
The NT FORUM sees its mission as stimulating the introduction of telework in Holland,
through work with the government, politicians, employers' and employees' groups. The Forum
has established five working groups, covering areas such as PR, research and events
co-ordination.
A 1996 report from IDC (based on a survey of the
22,000 largest companies in the country) suggested that the number of people teleworking
in Holland on a formalised basis is now about 137,000. This can be compared with a total
white-collar population of 1.2 million, and a total working population of about 5.9
million. According to IDC all teleworkers have a specific contract, or a specific clause
in the contract, for teleworking. If mobile workers are included, the total number of
teleworkers is already well above a half million today (approx. 10% of the working
population).
(source: Telework and Mobile Computing, IDC 1996)
New projects are launched every month. Last year the National Telework Award (the third
time this has been given) was won by a successful Telework Centre, facilitating 37 local
women in a rural environment to work for companies all over the Netherlands, ranging from
house wives to academics (a project supported by the European Social Fund). And in the
spring of 1997, Interpolis, one of the largest Insurance Companies in the Netherlands,
introduced a "telework office", based on a concept of working where the changed
needs for supporting the work process has led to a different place-time regime.
The Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
Interest in Teleworking was expressed in 1989 in a policy document for transport, the
Second Structure Scheme for Traffic and Transport, which set out future plans to address
emerging and expected needs of society in this area. The first pilot projects were set up
within the Ministry itself, in order to explore the possible impact on traffic, the
effectiveness of the organisation, and the quality of life of the employees. Sixty
volunteers in all kind of positions within two directorates of the Ministry participated. A
reduction of employee travel did occur. But more striking was the very positive impact on
productivity, meeting deadlines and improving communications within the organisation.
Following these results, the Management Board of the Ministry decided to make telework a
possible work option for all directorates. Today more than 600 people have the option to
telework. |
Although several incentives to stimulate teleworking have been launched there is no
overall programme from the Dutch government to stimulate teleworking in Holland. The NT
FORUM reports that the country's tax rules are not particularly helpful for teleworkers,
with no current provision for compensation for expenses incurred by working at home.
The telework magazine Telewerken is now in its fourth year. There have been
several advertising campaigns using telework as a theme, mostly from IT and
telecommunication providers, underlining the expected growth of the market for support of
work wherever you are.
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Page last updated: 24 October 1997