Research project MD/DD/10 (Research action MD)
Objectives
The main objective is to find out if telecommuting/teleworking is beneficial to the development of sustainable mobility. Research in this area is warranted since telecommuting/teleworking may reduce traffic during rush hours and thus reduce emissions, energy consumption and even road accidents.
The objective is to create a new perspective on the mobility problem in Brussels through a scientific approach to the introduction of telecommuting/teleworking as a new traffic management policy tool.
1. state of the art : review of the scientific research concerning telecommuting/teleworking;
2. investigation of international experiences concerning telecommuting. We will analyse:
- government policies to promote telecommuting/teleworking;
- corporate strategies which can be regarded as benchmarks concerning telecommuting/teleworking.
We will focus on Singapore, the Netherlands, the United States, Ireland, Denmark and Great-Britain.
3. description of the current situation in Brussels :
a) determination of the current number of telecommuters/teleworkers (range, form, distribution per industry);
b) determination of the organizational framework that is needed to make telecommuting/teleworking workable. In a next step, we will examine the motivation and individual choice pattern of the employees currently involved in a telecommuting/teleworking project. This model is based on the model of Mokhtarian and Salomon. Finally, we will identify the factors that determine whether an individual will telecommute/telework or not.
4. design of policy tools based on the factors mentioned in the previous step;
5. determination of the influence of the policy tools on the number of telecommuters/teleworkers in Brussels;
6. assessment of the reduction in road congestion, road accidents, energy consumption and emissions as a result of the introduction of a certain policy.
Methodology
1. state of the art : review of the scientific research concerning telecommuting/teleworking.
2. investigation of international experiences concerning telecommuting/teleworking.
a) Review of the policies used abroad to promote telecommuting/teleworking;
b) Case analyses of international companies, considered as benchmark in the area of telecommuting/teleworking.
3. description of the current situation in Brussels :
a) Determination of the current number of telecommuters/teleworkers (range, form, distribution per industry);
b) Determination of the organizational framework needed to make telecommuting/teleworking feasible;
Analysis of the motivation and individual choice patterns of the employees being currently involved in a telecommuting/teleworking project.
Step a) and b) will be carried out through:
- the collection of (national and international) statistical sources and data from telecommuting/teleworking associations (e.g.,'Belgian TeleWorking Association' and 'European Telecommuting on-line');
- administering a survey that will be sent to companies located in Brussels and their telecommuters/teleworkers.
4. from the experience with choice patterns we will derive policy tools which may promote the use of telecommuting/teleworking;
Potential users
The research results will be disseminated to the government of the Brussels Capital-Region. As a result, the regional government will have access to a body of scientific knowledge on telecommuting/teleworking as a policy tool to promote sustainable mobility and growth.
The research results will be reported to the Belgian TeleWorking Association and the European Telecommuting on-line. Hence, the research findings will be accessible for companies as well as employees who want to engage themselves in telecommuting projects. These organisations will be asked to put the research results on their webpage (BTA - http://www.bta.be ; European Telecommuting on-line - http://www.eto.org.uk).
The research team will engage in a large scale dissemination of the results to the Brussels business community. The companies that participated in the survey will be contacted personally. Furthermore the Centre of Business Economics will use a network of contacts with professional organizations, such as the Association of Brussels Companies, The Belgian Association of Banks, etc.
Link to Sustainable Development
Telecommuting/teleworking fits perfectly into a program for sustainable development and growth because it has spin-off effects on (quality of) employment, environment and environmental planning.
Employment :
The technologies that are involved in telecommuting/teleworking may form the basis for the development of new industries and services. Besides, telecommuting/teleworking may improve the productivity and efficiency of existing companies, hence enabling them to compete more effectively in foreign markets and to increase their market share.
Environment :
Through a reduction in the number of moves telecommuting/teleworking can result in a reduction of the energy consumption and a reduction in the emission of Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxides (Nox), Hydrocarbons (HC) and Carbon Dioxides (CO2).
Environmental planning :
Through its effects on the spatial redistribution of work, telecommuting/teleworking offers new opportunities to economically deprived regions.
Telewerken: een nieuw perspectief op mobiliteit: eindverslag
Brussel: DWTC, 2001 (SP0872)
[To download]
Telewerken: een nieuw perspectief op mobiliteit: samenvatting
Brussel: DWTC, 2001 (SP0873)
[To download]
Teleworking: a new perspective on mobility: summary
Brussels: OSTC, 2001 (SP0874)
[To download]
