The world of work is undergoing far-reaching structural changes resulting from the explosive developments in electronic media and the associated increase in the use of modern information and communications technologies. Telework is increasingly recognised in Germany, as in other countries, as a modern form of work that exploits these technological opportunities and that will become increasingly important in the coming years. Various studies have shown that substantial interest exists on the part of both employees and employers in this form of work, which in other countries, such as the USA and Great Britain, is already a part of normal working life to a far greater degree than in Germany.
Against this background, the federal ministries of labour and of the economy have developed a "Telework Initiative". The aims of this initiative are:
- to send out a clear signal that the advantages and opportunities of teleworking should be increasingly utilised in Germany, in order to fully exploit its employment-creating potential;
- to implement concrete measures with the aim of identifying and overcoming existing barriers;
- to provide information to and raise awareness among those potentially affected (employers, employees, self-employed) in order to increase acceptance of this form of work.
The initiative draws together a number of separate measures that come under the responsibility of the two government departments. The measures range from initiating an information and motivation campaign to supporting telework projects through the programme "Telework in SMEs", initiated by the Federal Ministry of Research and within the framework of regional policy, to taking steps to remove legal uncertainty surrounding telework.
As part of a range of advisory services within the Telework Initiative, the labour, economics and research ministries have published a joint brochure, in cooperation with Deutsche Telekom (the former public phone company), entitled "Telework - A Practical guide" (Telearbeit - Ein Leitfaden für die Praxis). The guide is targeted at employers and employees in both the private and public sectors. It offers answers to technical, economic, organisational, legal and fiscal questions relating to preparations for and the introduction of telework. Using real-world examples, checklists and model plant-level agreements, the brochure provides concrete assistance in setting up jobs based on telework.
The German government is convinced that telework is a form of work that will be of increasing importance in the future, but the potential of which has so far not been fully exploited. According to a recent study by the Fraunhofer Institute, there are currently around 850,000 teleworkers in Germany, 500,000 of them in the form of mobile telework. The aim of the guide is to overcome barriers to the introduction of telework, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, and thus to increase acceptance of this form of work.
If properly conceived, telework can offer advantages to all those involved: firms can benefit from higher productivity, more flexible working time, the recruitment and retention of highly skilled workers, and reduced costs, for instance of office space; employees can allocate their working hours more freely and avoid long, time-consuming journeys to and from work. Telework is particularly attractive to those tied to the home by the need to care for children or dependants, but who wish to remain in work or to re-enter the labour market.
The studies and projects conducted so far within the framework of the Telework Initiative show that telework can make a significant contribution to maintaining and creating employment in Germany.
EU – European Commission DG EMPL/A/2 J
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