Deployment of Telework in European Public Administrations

The case
Background and Motivation
The telework pilot project of the Surrey County Council implemented various projects to develop
a new strategy of working organisation. (Epsom Telecentre, Surrey Audit Service, Information
Systems Services, fundamental property review). 220 out of a total of 3,400 office staff started
voluntary teleworking at home and at telecentres. 
As a result of an extended review of services and management practices a new vision of working
practices was set up:
l
reducing reliance on inflexible and expensive offices and encouraging modern working
styles;
l
ensuring that staff are well managed and trained to work better as a team;
l
making use of new technology to improve the ways the Council keeps in touch with those it
serves;
l
getting the best possible value for money by offering competitive services;
l
providing leadership to all who seek to serve the public.
The case for new working practices is driven by three major factors:
1. the needs of customers.
2. the needs of the staff who are regarded as the Council’s most valuable resource and who
must be supported and developed to meet the Council’s customers.
3. the constant and tightening pressure on budgets which means that all expenditure must be
tested for the value it adds to front-line services.
The full programme ran the beginning of April until June 1998. This enabled the results to feed
into an action plan for endorsement by Policy and Finance Committee in July 1998.
44