OCDE : le développement du télétravail est "trop lent"[en] 

Promoting tele-work is part of the Lisbon Strategy to make the EU the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 (see our Links Dossier).

Back in July 1997, the European Commission adopted a set of policy recommendations on the social dimension of the Information Society, that included commitments to promote tele-work in Europe. One year later, a pilot project was launched to apply part-time tele-work within the Commission itself.

In July 2002 the European social partners sealed an agreement  on tele-work, the first ever of this kind. The deal introduced common basic protections for tele-workers, the same guaranteed to traditional in-office workers.

The application of the agreement was considered successful by the European trade unions themselves. In a 2006 report , they underlined the positive aspects of the implementation of the tele-work deal across the EU (EurActiv 11/10/06).

Almost one in five workers in the world's most advanced economies spent at least one business day per month working from home in 2006, according to the report , published ahead of an OECD ministerial meeting on the future of the Internet economy on 17-18 June in Seoul.

These figures represent an increase of 63% compared with 2004, with the link between tele-work and broadband connections now becoming clear. 

In the EU, companies equipped with a high-speed internet connection offer tele-work opportunities over twice more than companies without broadband, the report points out.

Tele-working is also considered an important element to tackle excessive traffic in cities. Fewer commuters mean better functioning public transports, less crowded streets and improved urban environment conditions, all outcomes which are in line with the EU targets to curb CO2 emissions and to counter climate change.

However, the OECD report underlines that "there are still barriers to the development of tele-work", in particular inflexible organisational structures and cultures, rules that do not allow for tele-work and lack of infrastructure. In the EU for instance, broadband penetration is on average at 20%, making working from home less likely (EurActiv 19/03/08).

The consequence is that "despite early promises, these services and applications often remain in their infancy", the report says, signaling the insufficient improvements registered in other broadband services with a social value, such as tele-education, e-government or e-health.

Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimír Špidla  called tele-work "a flexible form of work which can be reconciled with family and private life" and an "important element of flexicurity".

UEAPME, the European association of small and medium enterprises,  acknowledges that "small companies equally take advantage of tele-work as one of the various flexible forms of work".

The OECD report underlined that "it is crucial that government and business support the evolution towards more advanced broadband applications in social sectors such as tele-work, education and health. Pressing societal challenges (e.g. pollution, ageing) persist for which effective broadband services could provide important solutions".