Home-based Telework in the European Labour Market
Lead Research Organisation:
Sheffield Hallam University
Department Name: Sheffield Business School
Abstract
We propose 6 one-day seminars in the UK, Netherlands and Sweden to discuss aspects of Home-based Telework (HbTW) in the European Labour Market. HbTW is evolving as a way for organisations to deliver ICT-enabled services at reduced costs of space and to re-design how services are delivered. Currently HbTW is often an option confined to educated workers in particular occupations and is more common among men than women in Europe (IRS, 2011). Drawing on perspectives of the household, community and HbTW management, academic and industry experts in the field will come together to analyse HbTW in the context of a changing and challenging European political economy. It is an important area of research because statistics are often unreliable and to some extent not consistently or systematically collected. Some areas, such as impacts of HbTW on individuals' wellbeing and their community involvement, especially during current economic recession remain under researched and debates between academics and HbTW practitioners remain rare. Therefore investigation into the specifics of HbTW will enhance understanding and knowledge of this growing sector.
Outcomes will be a strengthened European consortium of academics and industry experts in the field of HbTW. A book and further publications are expected outputs.
Outcomes will be a strengthened European consortium of academics and industry experts in the field of HbTW. A book and further publications are expected outputs.
Planned Impact
We aim to develop the themes of the seminar series into an edited book (targeted publisher Palgrave) and some selected papers for a special issue of a peer reviewed journal (target New Technology Work and Employment). Analysis of the gendered dimensions of HbTW can also be developed as a publication (target Gender Work and Organisation).
We aim to develop communication means from the start of the seminar series through the development of a web site and publicity material including Quick Response (QR) codes which will enable academics, practitioners and those working in HbTW to access and contribute to the debates through discussion forums and blogs. This should last way beyond the boundaries of the seminar series and enable the core team to develop this field of research and contact the often 'hard-to-reach' HbTW workforce. Publicity using QR codes will also be distributed to employers who may want to understand how to manage change through flexible HbTW.
In terms of the ESRC our series will contribute to the themes of developing a vibrant and fair society and sustainable growth and economic performance. HbTW has important elements that can alleviate family poverty, provide a strategy for women at work in Europe to develop secure and lasting employment and to meet the needs of a restructured European labour market in changing and challenging times.
This seminar series will also feed into European good practice policies including the 'Customised Working Initiative' launched in the Netherlands in April 2011. This has introduced a 'Quality Mark Award' for 'model employers' for those at the forefront of introducing innovative flexible working arrangements, including the promotion of teleworking. The initiative aims for 1m teleworkers by 2012 (IRS, 2011). Good practice also includes the 'Equality is Quality' award in Portugal given when companies promote gender equality and in Slovenia the 'family friendly certificate' is used in consulting and auditing. In the UK the 'Employers for Carers' group promotes carer-friendly employers (IRS, 2011).
We aim to develop communication means from the start of the seminar series through the development of a web site and publicity material including Quick Response (QR) codes which will enable academics, practitioners and those working in HbTW to access and contribute to the debates through discussion forums and blogs. This should last way beyond the boundaries of the seminar series and enable the core team to develop this field of research and contact the often 'hard-to-reach' HbTW workforce. Publicity using QR codes will also be distributed to employers who may want to understand how to manage change through flexible HbTW.
In terms of the ESRC our series will contribute to the themes of developing a vibrant and fair society and sustainable growth and economic performance. HbTW has important elements that can alleviate family poverty, provide a strategy for women at work in Europe to develop secure and lasting employment and to meet the needs of a restructured European labour market in changing and challenging times.
This seminar series will also feed into European good practice policies including the 'Customised Working Initiative' launched in the Netherlands in April 2011. This has introduced a 'Quality Mark Award' for 'model employers' for those at the forefront of introducing innovative flexible working arrangements, including the promotion of teleworking. The initiative aims for 1m teleworkers by 2012 (IRS, 2011). Good practice also includes the 'Equality is Quality' award in Portugal given when companies promote gender equality and in Slovenia the 'family friendly certificate' is used in consulting and auditing. In the UK the 'Employers for Carers' group promotes carer-friendly employers (IRS, 2011).
Organisations
Publications
Dhar-Bhattacharjee S
(2018)
A tour of India in one workplace: investigating complex and gendered relations in IT
in Information Technology & People
Kamerade D
(2017)
Gender segregation, underemployment and subjective well-being in the UK labour market
in Human Relations
Kamerade, D
(2016)
This is the dawning of the age of Work 3.0 - what's new?
Kamerade, D
(2019)
'A shorter working week for everyone : how much paid work is needed for mental health and well-being?' ,
in Social science and medicine
Kamerade, D
(2013)
Home-based Telework in the European Labour Market'
in n/a
| Description | Summary: European policy on home based telework is complex and implementation differs by country. Austerity has impacted negatively on motivations by governments and employers to allow home based telework. The potential for positive outcomes across the board remain high yet this depends on safeguards and a holistic cultural change view. Architecturally and with regard to issues such as tax law, family life, well-being, gendered leisure and so on - the home/work boundaries need more consideration and joined up thinking. More research is needed. We benefitted at the seminars of meeting a cross national (mainly from the UK, NL and Sweden) set of researchers from multiple disciplines - so home-based telework was reviewed from many perspectives. From a political economy viewpoint home-based telework is seen as a way to reduce the costs of estates and staffing whilst improving efficiency and intensity of work. There has been changes pre and post recession. Pre-recession - especially in the Netherlands (NL) - home-based telework was seen as a way for families to better achieve a work-life balance and allow for caring of children and others. Post recession it is regarded more as a cost cutting opportunity. From Psychology we discovered the psychological impacts of a blurring of work and home boundaries, potential isolation of workers and measures to 'switch off' and recover from work stresses. Consideration of well-being should be paramount. A very interesting perspective came from Architecture and the Built Environment where we discussed hidden home working and how people are adapting buildings and lifestyles to work from home. An increase in home-based telework requires a re-think in how homes are designed and has implications for building regulations and other employment based law. From sociology we held discussions on the impacts on family life, community and citizenship of home-based telework. Community engagement generally - and maybe surprisingly - increases with home working. From management studies, employee relations and home-based telework remains a challenge. Still debated are issues of trust, visibility and changing management practice. A thread throughout all the seminars was gender. Home-based telework has, for over 4 decades now, been associated with more opportunities for women to work and combine home working with caring responsibilities. However home-based telework remains a minority activity of mainly senior men. In terms of research, it was clear that very detailed study is required. The European Labour Market is not homogeneous and research becomes complex because there are not standard terms or datasets necessarily to measure the extent of different aspects of home-based telework in different European countries. Multidisciplinary research is often a challenge - in psychology, many studies are positivist and draw on statistical analysis, whilst within sociology studies have been largely qualitative drawing on individual experiences. There are some mixed methods studies. However it is sometimes difficult for each discipline to appreciate different approaches and philosophies of research. There are many practical impacts of this series and some participants were from consultancies and industry sectors. We have a book proposal under review as part of the 'Dynamics of Virtual Work' series that itself arose from a European funded COST Action project. Since completing the seminar series the core team have developed understanding of this field through european research into 'New Ways of Working' of which Home-based teleworking is part. This has led to contributing to the ESRC 15th Festival of Social Sciences in November 2017 and the forthcoming Organisation, Artefacts and Practices conference in Amsterdam in June 2018 - details see the publications section. |
| Exploitation Route | Useful to employment policy makers, logistics design, workspace design and employment relations researchers |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Energy,Environment,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Pharmace |
| Description | The attendees at the seminars have not only been academics. Dr Raymond Opdenakker for example contributed and attended. He has used the ideas as part of his involvement in a consultancy called bureaulara.nl which offers advice into HR policy, telework projects and the effectiveness of virtual project teams. One of the main organisers Dr Pascale Peters from Radboud University also works with a think tank on flexible working - part of the New Ways of Working movement in the Netherlands. She also consults on flexible working and employability drawing on ideas from the seminars and disseminating these to government and industry policy makers. Dr Daiga Kamerade and Prof Helen Richardson have also developed ideas from the seminars and considered flexible working and subjective well-being. This has contributed to the work of whatworkswellbeing.org - a UK consultancy and policy organisation. They have also worked with the trade union UNITE and Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centres to research new ways of working, flexibility, agency and zero hours and the impact on workers lives producing a report that was launched at the TUC congress in September. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |