Telework Poland Case studies work and skills

Type and use of ICT
Standard equipment: telephone, computer with faxmodem, printer and ISDN connection.
In use: e-mail, www, ftp, voice mail, videoconferences.
Contributors/beneficiaries work in home-offices equipped with telephone, computer with faxmodem, printer and ISDN connection.

Main contributors
Since its inception the project Telework Poland - the First Polish Telework Vortal has been inseparably connected with Robert Szymczak creator and manager of www.telepracapolska.pl website, promotes telework as a way of life for the handicapped. He is the owner of Telework – Poland company, which is the economic base of the project. Telework – Poland is reactivated ETC (Electronic Trade & Communication) company.

Telework – Poland established cooperation with: www.Jobs.pl portal, business organization Responsible Business Forum, Ministry of Economy, Labour and Social Policy and others, whose activities are close to the project’s missions (e. g. telemarketing, business counseling).

They also hold close contacts with Partners from Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Main beneficiaries
First of all beneficiaries are people and organizations who are interested in development or utilization of telework. The target group consists particularly of social groups for whom distance working is an important (often the only) way to start a job – disabled, women/men bringing up children, graduates and school-leavers. Finally all business spheres and enterprises who want to employ distance workers or/and implement standards of teleworking.

Background
The idea of the project evolved over 1997-98. It rose from Robert Szymczak firsthand experience with distance working. He was a disabled person himself and wanted to work in favor of viable practices of teleworking. It soon became obvious that widen platform regarding teleworking in Polish language is needed. Thereby in 1999 the first version of Telework Poland - the First Polish Telework Vortal was launched.

Objectives
The main aim of the project is to disseminate information about issues on telework and connected activities. They want to encourage acceptance and growth of telework arrangements through a nationwide informative program. They also concentrate on providing technological and know-how support for people and companies who are interested in teleworking.

Resources (apart from ICT)
Financially service is curried out only with Telepraca – Polska company own means. They necessarily plan to raise some additional funds to enrich their activities and information resources.
In terms of Human Resources – there is inevitable cooperation with volunteers.

Activities
The primary activity is to inform about broad and particular aspects of telework and new forms of working and to monitor its development in Poland. They also promote the idea of telework to wide publicity.
They also offer telework consulting service for firms, presenting solutions how to employ telework, how to make it easier to find a job for potential teleworkers.

Outputs and results
The unquestionable result is the introduction of the general issue of responsible teleworking business to many institutions and individuals. They have promoted and inspired many people with the idea of telework and help them to implemnt teleworking in reality.

Lessons and conclusions
During the realization of the project it turned out that companies are open for new ideas of working but they need professional support in introducing teleworking into the companies activities. In particular they need help and advice coping with some "telework unfriendly" legislation.
The vortal also needs to work with others e. g. non-governmental organizations' initiatives in supporting marginalized groups, to help promote untypical work solutions. There are many companies looking for information so as amy avenues as possible ned to be used for dissemination.

Case description:

Background

The idea of the project evolved over 1997-98. It rose from Robert Szymczak firsthand experience with distance working. He was a disabled person himself and wanted to work in favor of viable practices of teleworking. During that time he headed an ETC company (Electronic Trade & Communication). It provided design service and webmaster service on a new built or existed sites. First product of the company was Polish Digital Daily, e-newspaper, which displayed information from papers and PAP coverage. He also contributed to the European Commission initiative European Telework Development, working in its team. They established virtual information point - Polish Enquiry Point (www.eto.co.uk/nat/pl/ )
It soon became obvious that widen platform regarding teleworking in Polish language is needed. Thereby in 1999 the first version of Telework Poland - the First Polish Telework Vortal was launched. www.telepraca-polska.pl is the first Polish site dedicated specially to telework.
The initiative was immediately recognized and honoured with the invitation to EUROASIA 2000 Exhibition.

Objectives
The project came from belief that everybody has the right to be independent and equal, has the power to choose, and to live their life to its fullest potential. One of the most important conditions for that is financial independency and self-esteem, which came from self-realization in working. Telework seems to be a perfect solution for the handicapped and for women as well as of small towns'' inhabitants, who cannot, permanently or temporarily, get a stationary work. Possibility of ICTs equipment and knowledge adaptations can serve to solve working problems of the above mentioned people. Teleworking can mean the difference between relying on friends and carers, or remaining independent and in control of one’s own life. Moreover ICTs can enable a person to communicate with people and being involved in many aspects of social life.

The main aim of the project is to disseminate information about issues on telework and connected activities. They want to encourage acceptance and growth of telework arrangements through a nationwide informative program.

An equally significant task is to expand the educational aspects concerning telework:
extensive information about telework, interviews and links at the www.telepraca-polska.pl vortal, extensive information about telework as a chance for deprived people.

Apart from information they concentrate on providing technological and know-how support for people who are interested in teleworking, especially those with difficulties to get a “traditional” job, like disabled, women and people leaving in provinces.
The project intends to raise public awareness, education and active public-private participation focused on employee, employer, community and environmental benefits from teleworking.

Objectives - Key Factor: increased flexibility of work patterns
Looking for solutions to employ telework considering the current computerization level.

Objectives - Key Factor: improved awareness of support activities
Telework consultations (in cooperation with American company Top Consulting Ltd: designing the process of telework implementation, creating environment for telework inside and outside a company, help to create procedures of distance management, trainings on project facilitation.

Resources
Financially service is curried out with the use of own means of Telepraca – Polska company. They necessarily plan to raise some additional funds to establish e-platform on which teleworkers and employers could be connected and to enlarge service information resources.
In terms of Human Resources – there is inevitable cooperation with volunteers.

Activities
In 1999 the first version of Telework Poland - the First Polish Telework Vortal was launched. It was the first Polish site dedicated specially to telework.

*Informative action
Their primary activity is to inform about aspects of telework and new forms of working and to monitor its development in Poland. Their establish connections with similar organizations and telework friends in the USA and CEE, which enable them to see telework on a wide background of the subject.

*Promotion of telework
They also promote the idea of telework to wide publicity. Not only for women, who stay at home because of childcare and for handicapped as a way of life for them but also among companies and whole society. They do it by testimonies of people by their own examples (case studies published on the site).

*Telework consulting
They also offer telework consulting service for firms in cooperation with Polish-American company Top Consulting Ltd. They present solutions how to employ telework (considering the current computerization level), how to make it easier to find a job for potential teleworkers. They advise how potential teleworkers can be attractive for companies and what are legal solutions concerning introduction of remote telework. The service includes:

•evaluation whether a company is ready to adopt telework,
•development of telework project from scratch,
•assistance in setting up telework environment,
•recruiting and training teleworkers,
•managing support,
•monitoring and evaluation of the project.

There is also WWW design service on offer. It ranges from designing graphic project up to coding in selected technology (HTML, DHTML, CSS, PHP, Flash). Their WWW offer additionally includes webmaster service on a new built or existed site.

Today the portal presents and explains telework idea in its all aspects, gives account of current events and future development. The main aspects are telework, telecommute, e-work in the world, with special interest for Polish context. All analyses are based on expertise of people who deal with telework professionally and can significantly contribute meritorically to the search for the best solutions.

They necessarily plan to establish e-platform on which teleworkers and employers could be connected and to enlarge service information resources.

*Telework good for companies
Project realized together with Responsible Business Forum, Center of Women Promotion and www.jobs.pl. Over the period of this project realization (2001-2002) Telework – Poland provided advisory service and consultations. Project was financed by USA Embassy in Poland. Within the project two handbooks were prepared and published:

“Telework good for companies!”
“Everyone can telework”

Both were created with the co-operation of the Team of Consultants. Chosen fragments were entrusted to experts, who had professional knowledge and practice in a given matter.
Coordination of work with handbooks and their editing were entrusted to Robert Szymczak.
1000 copies of each booklet were distributed among the organizations and institutions that support the target groups. Guidebooks – handbooks have been prepared in electronic form as well.

*My way to telework – call for proposals
In 1999 they announced call for proposals to activate the creativeness of handicapped to look for ideas of e-business. The call was meant to show good practices of telework. Three prized case studies are to found on:
www.telepraca-polska.pl/konkurs99/lgolasz/
www.telepraca-polska.pl/konkurs99/wurban.html
www.telepraca-polska.pl/konkurs99/ldubrowski.html

*Recruitment
They successfully performed recruitment action commissioned by ESTYMATOR – Public Opinion Research Institute (Instytut Badania Rynku i Opinii).
According to Jacek Choloniewski, ESTYMATOR director “(…) once we started the cooperation we noticed 2154 visitors interested in applying for work”.

Activities - Key Factor: improved educational resources
Information about new publications and materials place on the website, e.g. "People with disability in European Union", "Telework profitable for companies".

Activities - Key Factor: improved support for the disabled
Telework – Poland provides disabled with useful advice service. They recommend tools (equipment, hardware and software) and contacts with producers. They inform about new products that are accessible on the market. They also simplify contacts with employers. Personal, free of charge service is available via e-mail: info@telepraca-polska.pl

Activities - Key Factor: improved support for the unemployed
Encourage activities - like case studies written by practitioners who describe real (their own) stories - how to begin and continue teleworking. Descriptions are displayed on the website.

Output and Results
Hitherto main result is to establish and operate Telework Poland - the First Polish Telework Vortal - first Polish site dedicated specially to telework.
Telework Poland vortal has become the leading source of information on teleworking, new technologies and training techniques. They developed very good PR strategy and contacts with the media. Giving interviews, publishing articles and meeting with journalists they can address their ideas to large publicity not only in Poland but also in Hungary and Czech Republic. Thanks to information from vortal’s users they are updated with the reality of telework in Poland and can monitor and react to problems faced by both employers and employees coming in useful as experts and lobbing group.

Users of the vortal range from students, researchers, disabled people, employers, companies, etc. There are around 300-400 on-line visitors every month and the number of visitors increases constantly.There is also e-mail advisory system, which is very popular. There are many cases proving that there is great demand on information about distance working.

The unquestionable result is the introduction of the general issue of responsible teleworking business to many institutions and individuals. They have promoted and inspired many people with the idea of telework as an example of profitable enterprise.
They have reached the vast group of managers through the vortal and thanks to series of articles in professional and other newspapers and magazines. They succeeded in promoting telework as an example of responsible development of companies through information. They participated in various meetings like conferences and seminars and they gave several interviews. The vortal and its activities attracted great interest among different groups of users, organizations supporting the handicapped and women, local governments and business representatives.

Lessons and conclusions
The service is of enormous importance for target group – disabled, women, people bringing up children and those living in small cities and villages. Thanks to knowledge and ideas they learn how to act on free labour market, develop their skills and competencies and emancipate themselves socially.

During the realization of the project it turned out that companies are open for new ideas of working but they need professional support in introducing teleworking s into the companies activities. For example legal regulations concerning teleworkers, which are obligatory for companies, are very unfavorable for the development of telework. The vortal and others e. g. non-governmental organizations initiatives in supporting marginalized groups can be very helpful in promoting untypical work solutions as there are many companies to look for information.

It also appears that it is very important to act in favor of breaking stereotypes of distance working. Lack of knowledge and legal solutions deter companies to introduce this kind of workforces. That is why professional advice in the initial stages of the investment process as well as expert guidance through all the formal procedures and facilitating contacts between employers and employees are so needed. There is a requirement to break the false opinions among managers as well as among potential teleworkers.
Another lesson is that it is impossible to foster international cooperation without English version of the website. Most content of hitherto service is in Polish only and only basic description is in English but they are going to provide full English version in the near future.

Links

http://www.telepraca-polska.pl/english.html English Version
http://www.telepraca-polska.pl Polish version

Main Actors

Contributors: Since its inception the project Telework Poland - the First Polish Telework Vortal has been inseparably connected with Robert Szymczak creator and manager of www.telepracapolska.pl website, promotes telework as a way of life for the handicapped. He is the owner of Telework – Poland company, which is the economic base of the project. Telework – Poland is reactivated ETC (Electronic Trade & Communication) company.

They also hold close contacts with Partners from Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Beneficiaries: First of all beneficiaries are people and organizations who are interested in development or utilization of telework. The target group consists particularly of social groups for whom distance working is an important (often the only) way to start a job – disabled, women/men bringing up children, graduates and school-leavers. Finally all business spheres and enterprises who want to employ distance workers or/and implement standards of teleworking.

ICTs

Standard equipment: telephone, computer with faxmodem, printer and ISDN connection.
In use: e-mail, www, ftp, voice mail, videoconferences.
Contributors/beneficiaries work in home-offices equipped with telephone, computer with faxmodem, printer and ISDN connection.

Generic type of infrastructure platform
Contributors ISDN (up to 128 Kbps)

Beneficiaries ISDN (up to 128 Kbps)

Generic type of user terminal
Contributors Standard telephone / modem
ISDN telephone / modem
Videoconference equipment (inc. PC-based systems)
Non connected PC

Beneficiaries Standard telephone / modem
ISDN telephone / modem