European

Roswitha Beyer

Summary

Since more than five years, I am a teleworker with an international consulting company. The reason to start teleworking was my first daughter, born in 1993. In summer 1993, I started working (19 hrs weekly) for my former company as a teleworker. Once a week, I work in the office for about 3 – 4 hours. In 1996, my second daughter was born and I kept the status of a teleworker.

The contents of my work is to organise training for part of our staff and to offer a sort of relocation service for new employees.

Four years ago, I was asked to do presentations about my own experiences with telework as there was too little information available about how the teleworker himself has to play an active role to make telework a success. Doing some research about telework, I found out that in Germany very „technical" information – especially for the companies – were available, but not at all practical information on what a teleworker should consider before he starts and so on. In August 1997, my book „Telearbeit" was published by the Droemer Knaur Verlag in Munich (Attn. Mrs. Weisbrod/Mrs. Traub, Rauchstraße 9 – 11, D-81679 München). Following to that, various institutions and broadcasting companies invited me to present the book and to answer questions from employees who wanted to become teleworker.

Altogether, my goal is first to inform as many employees as possible who are interested to become a teleworker (not only by family reasons), to strengthen the position of the teleworker and to help teleworking being a „normal form of work" in Germany in the future.

Beginning with 1999, I will offer seminars for teleworkers to get the best preparation before they start teleworking and also advise companies who want to start with teleworking.

Thus, I hope to affirm as many employees as possible to have clear expectations about teleworking, strengthen the wish to become a teleworker and – in this way – initiate a new teleworking initiative.

I think this is an outstanding example of how the experiences of a single teleworker lead to a better understanding by employees who want to become teleworkers on a very practical basis.

Contents of the book "Telearbeit" by Roswitha Beyer:

• What kind of telework exists?
• Examples of various companies, description of the projects
• Individual tips and hints (communication, organisation, time management etc.)
• Personal test for the reader
• Tips for conflicts which might appear
• Part for companies: What to think about before starting teleworking and how to realise a project

 This is the description in German:

Core Partners