At the European Telework Online website

"Telework 1998":
Annual Report from the European Commission

3.18 Major European consensus and dissemination activities

During 1996, two major European-wide activities were launched, supported by the European Commission’s ACTS Programme in DGXIII (see section 4.3.1 below): the DIPLOMAT European Charter for Telework initiative as a consensus activity, and the European Telework Development initiative as a dissemination activity.

3.18.1 DIPLOMAT – the European Charter for Telework

3.18.1.1 Looking back: the development of DIPLOMAT

DIPLOMAT was put together as a consortium of partners from six countries: Austria (as coordinator), France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and the UK. In addition Regional Contact persons from all EU Member States and 20 high level experts, representing particular expertise in several scientific areas, were contracted. The overall DIPLOMAT group was thus drawn from a great variety of countries and cultural backgrounds⁵⁶. During the two year period from July 1996 until the formal end of the project in June 1998, major deliverables included the results of its most relevant achievements and main issues dealt with:

• Creating the DIPLOMAT data-base of 3000 potential signatories and institutions relevant for telework development in Europe.
• Conducting four surveys with different telework implementation questionnaires to different target groups of the relevant constituency in Europe: (1) a selection of potential signatories; (2) SME’s and SME organisations; (3) major companies; (4) Charter signatories.
• Drafting the European Charter for Telework and obtaining signatures to the Charter; a minimum target number of 384 signatures was contracted.
• The formation of "Consensus Groups" to facilitate consensus building processes among representatives of the relevant interest groups concerned with telework development and telework deployment. Signatories of the Charter were invited to participate in one of the seven thematically focused groups: Politics, Labour, Fiscal Issues, Sustainability, SME’s, Education, Intellectual Property Rights.
• Best practice guidelines for the implementation and dissemination of telework were drafted by the consortium under the authorship of the relevant theme coordinators, and discussed within the Consensus Groups. These guidelines are being proposed to the European Commission for inclusion in appropriate proposals under debate in European institutions.
• Collaboration with other ACTS projects working on related issues, for example with ETD in preparing a rounded assessment of telework in Europe (see section 2.2 above)
• Making provisions for continuing activities, especially concerning guidelines development and consensus building beyond the life-span of the project in a new institution or under a new umbrella organisation.

3.18.1.2 Current state: DIPLOMAT achievements

There are three major achievements of DIPLOMAT:

• 600 signatories have supported the European Charter for Telework including Cabinet Ministers, CEOs, Board Members of major companies, and representatives of SME organisations, trade unions, and public administrations.
• The process of guidelines development and consensus building produced seven Guidelines Reports, a short version of the guidelines, and a summary on the degree of these guidelines’ acceptance and debated issues in the seven Consensus Groups. Some 500 people participate trans-nationally in these thematic groups looking at key issues in the development and deployment of telework in Europe. Most often the issue of pros and cons of regulation was discussed. In general, wide ranging agreement can be found regarding the need for labour market continuity; so that existing rules for traditional work contracts can be adjusted to also apply to telework. Teleworkers should not be treated differently with respect to work regulation, working conditions, pay rates and career possibilities, compared with their colleagues in the same business sector, country, region, and organisation.
• The establishment of "The W.I.S.E. Forum on Work, Information Society and Employment" will allow a continuation of the discussion and an improvement of the guidelines, drawing on the expertise and knowledge of the signatories, Consensus Group members, the DIPLOMAT Community (Partners, Regional Contacts and Experts). In addition to this existing network, The WISE Forum includes new "Strategic Partners" (other EC projects, relevant scientific institutes, representatives of national and regional governments, the EC, and social partners).

When presenting The European Charter for Telework to management boards of major companies, to SME organisations, to trade unions and also to public administration bodies, the DIPLOMAT project partners share one common experience of an overwhelmingly consistent response pattern:

Beyond all differences concerning expectations, interests, and specific issues of predominant relevance, every group of actors expresses the demand for

(1) additional, better and more reliable information such as statistics; and

(2) recommendations which are precise but not definitive or immutable.

Therefore, the success of both guidelines development and telework deployment very much depends upon a strategy that offers reliable, pragmatic information and communication on the most important issues related with telework implementation, and upon the openness of the guidelines development process. What is clearly is counter productive is any publication, presentation or request to support either the Charter, Guidelines, or telework in general, which conveys the impression that people addressed would be asked to join an initiative to take on board guidelines or certain assumptions of the Charter which are unchangeable and had been decided prior to asking them or their relevant organisation for their endorsement.

The conclusions of DIPLOMAT, for dissemination, are:

• Signing The European Charter for Telework is not a confirmation of pre-formulated results of increased dissemination of telework, nor assumes that the signatory has an obligation to follow a given mainstream to promote the spread of telework irrespective of what kind of teleworking methods are applied, and neither does it disregarding the diverse pre-conditions for the deployment of telework in different sectors of the economy and sizes of organisations.
• The European Charter for Telework is a public statement concerning the establishment of measures to safeguard positive results of the use of telework and the changing modes of work organisation; it aims to position Europe as a leader in economically, environmentally and socially acceptable policies and working practices for the Information Society.
• The process of consensus building of telework issues, and in particular on the discussion, dissemination and practical implications of best practice guidelines should be kept as an open process, inviting Signatories to the Charter and active members of Consensus Groups to continue their participation, and to allow new participants to join these processes.

3.18.1.3 Future plans: the work programme of The W.I.S.E. Forum

The W.I.S.E. Forum consists of representatives of the Consensus Groups and new members interested in either providing and/or receiving services of the Forum. The Forum will be established as a not-for-profit association according to the law of Austria, promoted by the DIPLOMAT consortium, offering services through the work of the consortium, drawing on the project’s results and other resources available to their respective institutions.

• Support measures to unleash the positive potential of flexible work forms and teleworking, particularly in the key areas of employment, labour relations, organisational design, democracy and participation, sustainable development, and the improvement of quality of life in general.
• Promote further development and deployment of Guidelines across Europe concerning the implementation of new ways of working, encouraging best practice in teleworking for those employed in small businesses and large organisations, and for the self-employed.
• Serve as a platform for transnational and inter-institutional social dialogue concerning the modernisation of the contractual framework of work, working methods and work organisation; linking study groups, research and training institutions with companies, SMEs and large companies, and social partners.
• Participate in the creation of a European model for business re-structuring, work organisation and employment generation in the 21st Century, involving economically and socially relevant constituencies within all EU Member States, particularly aimed at fostering integration and development of useful relationships with the Central and Eastern European countries.

• International and inter-institutional platform for social dialogue and for discussion and evaluation of National Employment Programmes
• Facilitate consensus building processes on issues concerning the transition towards the Information Society
• Checklists, guidelines and other practical tools for the implementation of new work methods
• Provide studies and empirical data, high level reports, communication networks and training.

• 23 September, 1998, at the Telework Assembly 199, Lisbon:

First General Assembly, formally adopting the statute and thus constitute the relevant bodies of the organisation, and deciding on a work programme for 1999 until 2004

• September 1998: Publication (book) and presentation of "The WISE Report, Vol. 1: Work and Employment in the Information Society"

• 6 November, 1998, Vienna: "Employment generated by new work organisation", workshop, one of the activities of European Telework Week 1998

• 29 November - 2 December 1998, in conjunction with IST ‘98, Vienna:

• First meeting of the Advisory Council, to be Chaired by Mr. Lacina discussing the impact of the National Employment Programmes as drafted by the Member States earlier this year.

• Preparatory and editorial work on next WISE Reports: ;Vol. 2: "Assessing future work processes"; Vol. 3: "Education and training for new flexible work organisation"; Vol. 4: "Transport policies and work"

Organisation and contact:

The President of the The W.I.S.E. Forum is Mr. Ferdinand LACINA, former Cabinet Minister for Financial Affairs (1986-1993), and subsequently board member and senior consultant in a major bank, and personal advisor on European employment issues to the Federal Chancellor of Austria.

The W.I.S.E. Forum is open to everybody interested in the issues of new ways of work organisation, extending by democratic participation the Consensus Building processes on these matters, started in the DIPLOMAT Consensus Groups.

The W.I.S.E. Forum will offer Membership and Associated Membership, subject to membership criteria, with clearly defined benefits and service packages. Management will primarily be undertaken by the General Secretariat, and services will be provided by a Research Unit and Programme Directors working with the Consensus Groups established by DIPLOMAT. The Advisory Council is an assembly of representatives of "Strategic Partners", e.g. relevant research bodies and institutions of the Social Partners (Industry, Unions), the European Commission, EC-supported projects and organisations such as the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Member States, and CEE countries. An annual General Assembly, comprised of Charter Signatories and the Members will be held in tandem with the annual "European Assembly on Telework and New Ways of Working".

The organisational structure of The W.I.S.E. Forum will be kept as simple as possible, in order to allow further development in stages that are currently being planned. Detailed information can be found at: http://www.wise-forum.org, and printed in The WISE Report, Vol. 1.

General Secretariat:
Prof. Dr. Josef Hochgerner; Centre for Social Innovation/Universitaet fuer Bodenkultur (BOKU); Hettenkofergasse 13/45; A - 1160 Vienna; DIPLOMAT Coordinator;
Tel: +43.1.4950442-41; Fax: -40; email: j.hochgerner@magnet.at; http://www.wise-forum.org

3.18.2 European Telework Development (ETD)

The basic tenets upon which ETD builds its activities are that:

• the Information Society is already happening globally, and that Europe can either lead or follow
• developments today are led from outside Europe, because (compared to other leading regions) Europe is under-invested and under-connected
• our industry, policy makers, public services and citizens cannot make sound decisions about the Information Society on the basis of second hand opinions - they must become connected themselves
• ignorance breeds fear; knowledge and experience breed confidence.

Given this background, the overall objectives of ETD through its outreach and communication activities are to:

1. broaden the concept and impact of telework in order to also encompass:
   • teletrade/electronic commerce: enterprises trading electronically
   • telecooperation: enterprises, individuals and overnments cooperating electronically with each other
2. become a prime agent and facilitator in moving the agenda from research and discussion to action and implementation by:
   • increasing awareness
   • developing understanding
   • promoting appropriate and successful implementation.

ETD’s achievements over the past year include:

• Support for, and animation of, the GAT Telework Chain in ACTS
• Cooperation with the DIPLOMAT project in both GAT Chain activities and in assistance in the development and promotion of the European Charter for Telework
• Comprehensive response by ETD’s 14 National Coordinators to the Commission Green Paper Partnership for a New Organisation of Work, as practitioners of telework and new ways of working in each Member State.
• Web-site: now the most comprehensive, most frequently visited, and most successful telework web-site in the world. Its one millionth information request since February 1996 was recorded in November 1997.
• The Telework 1997 and 1998 publications, prepared in collaboration with, and published by, the Commission services
• Collaboration with the European Information Technology Observatory (EITO) and contribution to the EITO 98 yearbook, including new telework market models developed from ETD's market matrix efforts
• European Telework Week 1997 (ETW97), marking a considerable uplift in range and level of activities and two important new European promotional elements (European Telework Awards and Telephone Cards programme)
• Stimulation and support of other European initiatives, including (IsdAC - the Information Society disAbilities Challenge, EACN - the European Association for Community Networking, an online conference for the LEADER Initiatives discussions concerning the use of ICTs for rural development, etc.

ETD’s aim is to provide services that are open to all in both electronic and non-electronic formats but with the avowed intention of encouraging take up of the electronic services in order for users to become fully engaged in the Information Society through telework, teletrade and telecooperation.

Contact: Jeremy Millard, e-mail: 100117.1157@compuserve.com,
or Horace Mitchell, e-mail: 100126.2412@compuserve.com. URL: http://www.eto.org.uk/etd.

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