17 November, 2003
Alcatel (Belgium)
© Beep Knowledge System and case owners, 2002-2003
Large company finds that offering teleworking opportunities encourages better job applicants as well as improving working conditions. Broadband access and full employee involvement essential.
Cases in Work and Skills.
Executive summary
of the case:
Timing of case
Pilot project started in 2000, full-blown deployment started in February
2001, and is ongoing.
Geographic setting
This subsidiary of the global French telecommunication and space technology
company has several facilities in Belgium and is headquartered in Antwerp
(BE).
Type and use of ICT
Portable PCs are used by the teleworkers, who carry them between home
and office.
At home, teleworkers have an ADSL connection and a ‘hard token’ giving access to the enterprise network. Broadband traffic is channeled through the ‘high speed backbones’ of Belgacom’s BILAN network.
Microsoft NetMeeting is used for basic audio/video conferencing between
teamworkers.
Alcatel plans to introduce this cheap and easy technique on a worldwide
scale.
Main contributors
1 project leader and 4 taskforces:
- HR
- ICT
- Communication (internal)
- Management Committee
Main beneficiaries
Any enterprise or administration with basic ICT skills and flexible management
style.
Background
Alcatel had some experience with distance working since some managers
and professionals had become used to access regularly the enterprise network
from home.
With the growing possibilities of the Internet and the expansion of broadband communication availability in Belgium (e.g. ADSL), the company felt the conditions were there for the implementation of efficient teleworking solutions.
Objectives
The company wanted to respond to and support the following trends within
the organisation:
- The new management style privileged appraisal of teamwork and results
rather than time spent in the office
- Members of personnel, even the most dedicated ones, were expressing
their desire for a better balance between worklife and family life
- Candidates to jobs in Antwerp and other large cities were seeking working conditions allowing them to avoid the daily traffic congestion problems
With teleworking, Alcatel Belgium aimed thus to retain valuable staff and attract new ones.
Another objective of Alcatel was to ‘practice what they preach’ and demonstrate the benefits of telework to their clients, in support of their broadband communication products marketing.
Resources (apart from ICT)
Technical support. Alcatel internal resources.
Activities
With a large company such as Alcatel, the project was rather complex due
to the number and diversity of their computer systems.
The pilot project was launched in June 2000 with 25 teleworkers. Before year-end, the next phase was decided upon.
In 2001, some 1000 workers were offered to telework part-time. Home teleworkers’ installations progressed at a rate of 25 per week.
Now at Alcatel, all personnel can apply for teleworking, providing work organisation permits.
Outputs and results
End 2001, 10 months after the start of the project, 800 of the 4000 employees
were teleworking from home for part of their worktime (i.e. up to 2 or
3 days per week).
Lessons and conclusions
An important success factor, according to Alcatel,
is to consider teleworking as an instrument for better personnel management,
and accordingly to involve both the general management and the HRM department
from the start of the project.
Case description:
Background
Alcatel designs, develops and builds innovative and competitive communications
networks enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver
any type of content, such as voice, data and multimedia to any type of
consumer anywhere in the world. With sales totaling EURO 25 billion in
2001 and 99,000 employees Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.
The year 2000: There is an economy boost, the telecom sector experiences a boom, the Internet is hyped, and a third generation of mobile networks is in the offing. There is a shortage of (highly) educated workers. “Life-time employment” with 1 employer is a thing of the past; continual “job hopping” is fashionable. Moreover, today’s society has become individualistic and more aware of the quality of life. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Alcatel to attract new employees and hold on to good workers. Instead of trying to appeal to employees with the usual means Alcatel goes in search of something more durable. The teleworking project was born. Telework also allows to recruit in regions at a greater distance from the central office because there are fewer mobility problems.
Objectives
To obtain a triple win situation (for the employer, the employee and the
environment)
Resources
- Technical support. Alcatel internal resources.
- One project leader.
- Intranet dedicated to telework (internal communication).
- Training sessions for both teleworkers and their management.
Activities
Because Alcatel is a major company the project was of a complex nature.
The greater the diversity within the company in the field of computers,
operating systems and software used the more complex the project became.
In depth knowledge of the employee’s working environment is paramount.
This is why Alcatel decided to provide the installations. With hindsight
this was a good decision. June 2000 witnessed the launch of a pilot project
with 25 teleworkers. Before the end of the year it was decided to proceed
with the next phase. After the inevitable technical hitches in the early
stages, a cruising speed of 25 new installations per week was soon reached.
The home teleworkers received a portable PC from Alcatel Belgium. This PC is used both at home and in the office to avoid a double investment. In the event of a breakdown the teleworker can hand in the PC for repair. There is no need for IT specialists to go on site to the teleworker’s home.
Alcatel checked which candidates were eligible for a home ADSL connection and asked Belgacom (the Belgian telecom operator) to realize the connection. The operator ensured the high-speed part of the communication was diverted to the high-speed backbones of BiLAN™, a network for fast data transmission. IBM, the maintenance partner for the portable PCs, installed the required standardized software on the portable PCs. From then onwards everything was “do-it-yourself”. The teleworker received a so-called splitter for the telephone outlet in his home and a so-called hard token to obtain access to the corporate network.
Teleworkers also require phone contact with their co-workers
and with the outside world. Instead of making expensive calls on their
mobile phones at Alcatel Belgium they use the "Business Call"
option of Belgacom. When the teleworker places a professional call, he
does so by entering a code (1991). This means that the professional calls
are invoiced directly to the company at corporate rates.
The following stage is voice over DSL. The home teleworkers will then
be able to make phone calls via their ADSL connection. The portable PC
thus simultaneously becomes a telephone set offering all possible facilities
and functions.
NetMeeting was also installed on the PCs of the teleworkers. This program allows to set up “live” conversations between co-workers using text messages, and also, if the called parties have a web cam, video telephony.
Output and Results
The balance is positive. Ten months after the launch some 800 of approximately
4000 co-workers or 30 percent of the employees perform part of their tasks
from their home office. The project also confirmed that ADSL and the propagation
of the Internet would indeed herald a new era for telework. The technology
was ready: employees now have in their homes the same speed and functionalities
(for both voice and data) as in the office. This is prerequisite for efficient
telework!
There are also some 200 employees who prefer a satellite office to a home
office or who have opted for “mobile” teleworking.
Total: 1 000 teleworkers or 25% of the total workforce.
Lessons and conclusions
CONCLUSIONS:
A winning situation for all -
1. Alcatel Belgium employees:
- Enhanced quality of life as a result of an improved work-leisure balance
- Increased efficiency and job satisfaction
- Avoidance of traffic jams and travel expenses
- Flexibility and autonomy
- More leisure time
2. Alcatel Belgium
- Flexibility and better customer service
- Higher productivity, increased motivation
- Economy of office space
- Attraction and retention of experienced employees
- Increased recruitment area
- Less absenteeism/fewer accidents
3. Environment/society
- Positive contribution towards solving the mobility problem
- Contribution to a ‘cleaner’ environment
- Less sick leave
LESSONS:
Essential decision making information needed before starting:
Analysis of cost versus benefits (including benefits of non-tangible issues
such as job satisfaction and quality of life, ...)
- Open and continuous communication to all parties
involved (including the unions)
- Part of global HR Strategy
- On a voluntary basis
- Change in management style needed: from management
by presence/control to management by objectives/trust
- Change in employee behavior: more responsibility,
more result-oriented
- Training: Management training, time management,
help desk
- My home-experience = my office experience.
- Broadband connection is mandatory for efficient
teleworking. The technology is ready and proven.
- Set up a teleworking project as a formal program:
- Positive ROI
- Condition for desk sharing
- Not possible without ADSL
- Training and development as a part of junior management training sessions