TITRE DE LA PRESENTATION Smart Work (telework) in rural areas Alise Vitola Riga Technical University Latvia Hamburg, 2012
Nov 27, 2014
TITRE DE LA PRESENTATIONSmart Work (telework)in rural areas
Alise VitolaRiga Technical University
LatviaHamburg, 2012
TITRE DE LA PRESENTATION
Smart Work -working independently of time and place with the help of ICT
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Why Smart Work?Personal reasons:• Time economy• Flexible work arrangements• Work/life balance• Residing outside cities Economic reasons:
• Increase in productivity• Reduction of costs (transport,
real estate etc.)• Recruitment and retention of
staff• The image / reputation
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• New building in 2008• No assigned desks - work anywhere in the building• Layout of the building - to maximize communication
and collaboration• Encouraged to work more from home & allowed to
work anytime• A weekly 1:1 with their manager - a physical or virtual
meeting
Microsoft Netherlands
An example
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• Increased productivity by 25%• Won “Great Place to Work” award in 2009, 2010 and
2011• Employee satisfaction rose from 5/10 in 2008, to 8/10
in 2011• Sick leave days are down to 1,5% from 2,5%• Increased market reputation• Increased Employees’ mobility• Reduced real estate costs by 30%
Measurable improvements
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• Flexible staffing firm in US – 100% virtual work force• Established in 2005 by Allison O’Kelly, Harward Business
School graduate and a mother of 3 sons• Grown to 17 franchises
• > 50 000 candidates• Industries: accounting, legal, marketing, HR, finance,
management etc.
• Several awards since 2006: Moving into the Future Award (2007), Entrepreneurial Success story in Atlanta (2009) etc.
An example
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Smart work & regional
development
• Notable share of global GDP consists of immaterial (digital) content
• ICT allow to work anytime and anywhere
• The “geographic paradox” - investments in digital economy tend to be located in large urban centres
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• Tacit knowledge & face-to-face communication
• Infrastructure, skills and knowledge
• The rigidness of labor market inrural areas
• The adaptation of behaviour
Main challenges
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Smart Work Centre -special premises for smart workers considerably near the person’s living place
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• Rural area with ~12 000 inhabitants
• Developed by the local municipality, opened in 2010• 31 work places available, ~100 users, >80% occupancy
• High speed internet (co-financed by the local municipality)• Business incubation services
An exampleBerwick Workspace, UK
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• Town with ~1300 inhabitants
• Opened in 2008 following a request from a potential smart worker
• Organised around a public ICT hub managed by an NGO
• 8 individual offices, 100% occupancy• 6 new offices planned in 2013
An examplePortes du Morvan, France
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• Village (70 inhabitants) 40 km from the capital city Tallinn
• Established by 5 local women, now 12 women working
• Women share their knowledge, jobs and childcare duties
• A unit in the labour market
• Communication and social life – events, projects, courses for children etc.
An example
Kõnnu SWC, Estonia
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• A wider use of smart work might increase an in-migration of high-skilled professionals to rural areas
• Smart work centres may act as facilitators of socioeconomic activity, especialy when providing training and business incubation services
• A need for explanatory and encouraging measures (subsidies, coordination of job opportunities etc.)
To conclude
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Awareness campaign Get Online Week in Estonia