Telework Arrangements Demand in Finland

For many years the information society has been a target for speculation, and today the United States (Information highways), European Union, and national governments, along with advanced companies, are taking steps towards systematic policy changes and enlarged applications for information technology. One part of these activities lies in the area of workplace reform, where telework is going to be one of the major change agents. It is not yet known how telework is going to change the workplace, how fragmented work tasks become as a result of technology changes, or how employment is affected. The main thrust of this paper is not to predict comprehensive effects, but to show that national labour market system characteristics, company policy and employee motivation factors can all have an effect on the demand and advancements in telework. First part of the paper discusses some trends from the viewpoints of political decision makers, company managers and teleworkers themselves, that might affect the demand for telework. The second part of the study highlights some key findings from a survey of Finnish telework applications. This description of the Finnish situation concentrates on business applications because business applications cover the majority of teleworkers.