Place of work and working conditions – Slovakia
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In the last period there was a noted liberalisation of the entrepreneurial environment and changes in employment types and working condition in the Slovak Republic. Slovaks are not very favourable to flexible forms of part time work, although there has been an increase in the number of employees working outside company premises. Telework, which brings about new attitudes towards working conditions of employees, has started to be used more often. Work outside the company premises has certain impacts upon occupational safety and health, bringing about changes in the organisation of work by companies, as well as at working places at home, contributing to changes in reconciliation of work and family lives. The report mentions these changes in the area of employment and working conditions in the Slovak Republic.
1. Incidence of working away from the place of work
Statistics on working away from the place of work or at home is very sporadic in Slovakia. More than 60% of population does not have notion about telework, around 1/3 has only heard about it, only ca. 1% of population has had a direct experience with it (source: www.focus-research.sk).
Teleworking in Slovakia is still quite a new phenomenon, although there do exist companies here applying it already. A problem is that it is rarely being discussed and thus it is unknown to the majority of Slovaks. The statistics available speak about a maximum 3 % usage of teleworking as a form of labour organisation (source: www.employment.gov.sk )
The stated figure, however, must be taken with a grain of salt, as systematic following of the issue, researches, and professional discussion of telework are still missing in Slovakia. The agency FOCUS stated in 2000 that only 1% of the respondents of its survey were working via the form of telework. Moreover, a number of them even were not typical teleworkers, as they were working in such a way as entrepreneurs or some of them along their major employment.
On the other hand, at least the results of the survey carried out by the European Commission SIBIS from 2003 can comfort us, as according to them more than half of Slovaks expressed interest in working at home. This research, together with other statistical surveys of SIBIS with a similar focus, points out, among other things, also the following facts:
• There is no difference in preferring telework as form of employment between men and women and thus it is considered to present also a means to prevent gender inequalities- men and women could be employed without any differences.
• Telework poses a suitable solution especially for people with handicap, elderly people or employees with family duties, who have troubles with a regular workplace
• Interest in telework is rising directly proportionally to the level of educational attainment, in terms of age the biggest interest is expressed by people 33 to 44 years old.
• Employers, who have already introduced telework into their companies, appreciate especially the financial savings on rental costs and the reduction of costs of equipment and furnishing of workplaces or of office consumables.
• 76, 5 % of the Slovak employees are interested in using at least one type of teleworking.
Work in home residence is not requested. A teleworker can work at any other place and the alternative workplace can take on many forms, e.g.:
• Home office – the employee has a workplace in his/her own flat (house), where s/he disposes of all (pieces of) equipment (furniture, technologies) needed for the performance of work tasks. The basic technical conditions (computer, telephone, internet) as well as its maintenance and service, are usually provided by the employer. However, the particular working conditions are exclusively subject to mutual agreement between the employer and employee.
• Hoteling – represents a "shared" workstation comprising work space, computer, telephone and other technical equipment used by the employees according to an agreed schedule. Such a workstation can be installed by the employer also on the premises of the company. The mentioned version is suitable also in case the employees have flexible working hours.
• Telecentre – an alternative workplace, which is closer either to customers or to the home of a teleworker than the usual office. The centre can include P.O. boxes, open workplaces or even individual offices with the necessary technical equipment. This possibility is advantageous especially in cases when the conditions for work at home are not ideal.
• Virtual office – enables performance of work really anywhere. With a laptop, cellular phone and internet connection a teleworker can work not only at home, but also while travelling or while being at customer’s place.
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Slovakia, the issue of telework has been touched sporadically by some research organisations from the perspective of social affairs.
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authors: Filadelfiová, J., Bodnárová, B. - Telework in Slovakia, prepared a report from the empirical study of teleworking in Slovakia mapping the first experiences of teleworkers with emphasis on the impact of this form of work on family (www.sspr.gov.sk) in 2000. Telework has been recently addressed also by the Institute for Public Affairs (Inštitút pre verejné otázky, IVO), (www.ivo.sk).
2. Health and safety
Currently, the amendment of the Act on Occupational Safety and Health and the Act on Public Health Care are being discussed in Slovakia. The last amendments to these Acts in mid 2006 have pointed out some deficiencies. Particularly concerned are the areas education and training in occupational safety and health, the improvement of working conditions and recognition of qualifications of safety technicians and occupational health services. The amendments to the acts should strengthen the position of occupational safety and health (OSH) in the system of operating management in Slovakia.
The Institute for Labour and Family Research (Inštitút pre výskum práce a rodiny, IVPR) finalised the preparation of the proposal of the system (conception) of education in the area of OSH in the Slovak Republic. It poses a comprehensive draft of education and training in OSH, which was reflected also in the new Act on Occupational Safety and Health (www.sspr.gov.sk).
Under the auspices and sponsorship of the National Labour Inspectorate (Národný inšpektorát práce, NIP) in Košice, in Slovakia there is currently running the campaign: “Safe Enterprise”, which attracted a large number of large, medium-sized and small enterprises to be engaged in it.
Transporting/Commuting
The workers working at home avoid the daily commuting to the workplace and wasting time in traffic jams, they have the chance to harmonise their family and work life. Employees, who work as commercial travellers, dealers, have a company car for their disposal, which, in most of the cases, they can use also for private purposes. However, there exists the risk of traffic accidents and accompanying injuries. Working at home can reduce the traffic overload and traffic jams during rush hours and thus also contributes to the reduction of travel costs.
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this matter, there are no further relevant data or statistical data available.
Risks
Workers working outside the main workplace or those working at home can be liable to the following major risks:
Stress, time pressure, excessive noise, psychical, physical and sensory load at workplaces with display devices and at work with heavy loads, accidents caused by electric shock, traffic accidents.
Health outcomes
Employers who employ co-workers working outside the workplace or at home are entitled to inspect the home workplace and they are obliged to supply it with appropriate safe equipment and technical devices. Similarly, labour inspection oversees also the working conditions of teleworkers. The labour inspectorates carry out regular or planned inspections at the workplaces of teleworkers. The most frequent deficiencies found included inappropriate setting of parameters for devices like computer screen, keyboard, work table and work seat – the screens did not stand on separate stools, mirroring and light reflection causing sight discomfort to the worker were not avoided, adjustable work seats were missing and conditions for the workplace itself weren’t fulfilled – deficiencies in space solution of the workplace were detected, as well as inappropriate or insufficient shading of the windows against daylight and failure to ensure thermal comfort and regime of working and resting. Those are results of the national labour inspectorate SR from the nationwide checks implemented in the Slovak companies in 2005.
Prevention
Each employer is according to Act no. 124/2006 Coll. obliged to apply general principles of prevention by putting the necessary measures for ensuring occupational safety and health including provision of information, training and organization of work and means into practice. S/he is obliged to apply this also to the employees working at home. Furthermore, s/he is bound to improve working conditions and adjust them to the needs of employees while taking into account the changing actual or predictable circumstances and the attained scientific and technical knowledge, detecting the dangers and threats, assessing the risks and developing a written document on assessment of risks present in all activities carried out by employees.
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employees, including those who do not work on the premises of the company or work at home, are according to Act no. 124/2006 Coll. obliged to attend compulsory trainings on occupational safety and health. This means attending the initial training, refresher training of employees (sometimes called permanent or periodic education of employees), and supplementary training of employees.
The employees working outside the workplace of the company and at home have the same rights and duties in the field of occupational safety and health as the regular employees. The same provisions of the Act on Occupational Safety and Health and the consequential government regulations, ordinances on OSH and Labour Code apply to them. Employees are obliged to observe the legal regulations and other regulations aimed to ensure occupational safety and health, follow the instructions to ensure occupational safety and health, principles of safe work, principles of occupational hygiene and of safe performance at workplace and the specified working procedures, with which they got duly and demonstrably acquainted, operate working devices and perform activities with a higher risk, set by individual regulations, only if they have for such an operation or performance the proper attestation or certificate and if they are charged with this operation or performance by the employer.
3. Work organisation
Social support
Employers fear the loss of control over the work performances of their employees or the decrease of their personal engagement into the work. By contrast, employees fear social isolation or their incapability to switch to a new rhythm of work. While teleworking, feeling of loneliness, dullness and boredom can appear, thus the teleworkers should be obliged to attend the workplace (staff meetings etc.) and regularly communicate with superiors. A situation can also arise, when the family and work life start to coincide, which, eventually, can lead to relationship difficulties within the family. An important issue poses sufficient space for work at home or reorganisation of household duties.
Job demands
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are no relevant data available.
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employer must respect privacy and household of the teleworker and the teleworker must agree with on the conditions of inspection and visits to his/her private property.
Pace of work
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Employees are obliged to protect the data from the employer. However, the employer must ensure and take appropriate measures to protect software, in order to guarantee the protection of data. The Employer is responsible for provision, instalment and maintenance of work devices. The Employee duly takes care of the devices provided to him/her and must not illegally spread information via internet and e-mail.
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other relevant data are available.
4. Working time and work/life balance
Flexibility
Employees working outside the workplace of the company can map out their working hours as it suits them best. As a rule remains only the 40-hour weekly working time, its allocation is matter of agreement of both parties concerned. The employee, however, must be aware of the special provision of § 52 of Labour Code, according to which s/he as a home worker is not entitled to claim payment for overtime work and work during bank holidays. Thus, self-discipline and proper allocation of time pose for such an employer the only solution, to avoid unpaid hours for working at night or during weekends. The basic conditions of a labour relation between an employee-teleworker and his/her employer, which are specified in the Labour Code, can be summarised in the following way:
• An employee working outside the workplace of the company or a home worker should have a 40-hour weekly working time stipulated in their employment contract. The number of hours from the working week, during which the employee can work at home, depends only on the agreement with the employer.
• The employer does not pay the teleworker for working overtimes and during bank holidays; the teleworker is not entitled to wage incentives for work at night or in a health damaging environment.
• Neither the provisions on allocation of the weekly working hours, nor the provisions on idle time stated in the § 142 of Labour Code apply to teleworkers. If a home worker is not able to perform his/her work due to blackouts, a computer breakdown, wrong working papers or non-delivery of needed materials, s/he is not entitled to a claim compensation for this lost time.
• A teleworker is not entitled to demand compensation from the employer in cases of important personal obstacles to work, with the exception of a bereavement of a family member.
Work/Life balance
The Government of the Slovak Republic passed by resolution of 21 June 2006 the Proposal of Measures for Reconciliation of Work and Family Life for 2006 with a perspective to 2010. The intent of the submitted document is to setup a policy of reconciliation by formulating particular measures, as well as means of implementation until 2006 with a perspective until 2010. The measures on reconciliation of work and family life form a part of a complex reform in the field of employment and social policy and are related to the tax reform, which began to be implemented in January 2004.
From these proposals of measures the announcement of the contest “family-friendly employer” follows, where one of the criteria is also to enable flexible work forms and reconciliation of work and family life. Domestic enterprises as well as companies with foreign participation take part in this contest. Among the most known companies applying flexible forms of work and work and family life balance: Orange Slovakia, Inc. Bratislava: GlaxoSmithKline Slovakia Ltd. Bratislava, Stredoslovenská energetika, Inc. Žilina, I.D.C. Holding, Inc. Bratislava, Tatrakon, Ltd. Poprad, International Service Centre, Ltd. Bratislava, Dell, share holding company Bratislava, Hewlett-Packard Slovakia, Ltd. Bratislava, Volkswagen Slovakia, share holding company Bratislava, Whirlpool Slovakia, Ltd. Poprad, Chemosvit, share holding company Svit, Slovenské magnezitové závody, share holding company Jelšava etc.
5. Views of the national centre
On one hand, it seems that the Slovaks are not much apt to adopt flexible forms of work or part-time work, on the other hand, the number of employees working at home is increasing. However, this applies usually to self-employed persons working for their “employers” on trade licence. However, these are in a slightly different position in comparison to the classical teleworkers – they do not have employment agreement and thus they do not have the rights and possibilities the regular employees have. The employers still retain a certain degree of conservatism. They believe that implementing work at home or outside the workplace of the company is something extra, which could complicate their lives. According to the official statement of the Federation of Employers' Association of the Slovak Republic, they have not dealt with this issue yet neither do they now. Recently, this issue has not appeared either at the discussions of the tripartite or of the Trade Union Confederation.
Discussion of this topic appears in Slovakia rather sporadically in the opinion-making newspapers and magazines, especially those oriented on women.
Within the projects of the European Social Fund IS EQUAL some projects have been implemented, which focused on the issue of flexible forms of work and telework, e.g. the Project of IS EQUAL "Your house – your company in Europe" is a joint project of three organisations from the Trenčín region, which made a point in increasing the knowledge of teleworking and its spread to SMEs. An information campaign will be held; research activities and training activities for potential teleworkers and their employers will be carried out.
There exist several web pages and portals focusing on the issue of telework, e.g.: www.tele-work.sk , www.teleworkportal.sk.
A bi-weekly newsletter TELEWORK is being published, which is delivered to the e-mail addresses of those interested.
However, no striking development has been observed in this field; neither labour disputes, nor lawsuits related to work at home have occurred.
Miroslava Kordosova, The institute for labour and family research