Major roadworks in Brussels: Mobistar more than ever in favour of teleworking

Brussels – During the coming weeks, major works will be undertaken on the Vilvorde overpass and in the Reyers-Meiser and Woluwe tunnels. These works will lead to even more traffic congestion in the capital and its environs. Mobistar is therefore encouraging its employees more than ever before to choose to work from home when they have the opportunity. Thanks to the programme started in 2008, more than 700 of the company’s staff already work regularly from home.
The summer promises to be very frustrating for workers who come into Brussels by car. Since Saturday 18th June, major works are underway on the Vilvorde overpass. Then from Friday 24th June, the Reyers-Meiser tunnel and overpass will be closed for works, while the Woluwe tunnel is also due for renovation and will be completely inaccessible from Monday 4th July.
All of which is going to give drivers stuck in traffic jams a few more grey hairs! Fortunately, in 2008 Mobistar initiated a large-scale teleworking programme for its “team members”, which has been up and running since that date. The results of this programme have been extremely positive, as much from the travelling point of view as from that of individual motivation. A survey of worker satisfaction carried out in 2007 revealed that traffic jams were the main reason a large number of employees arrived at work stressed.
On 31st December 2010, 600 Mobistar staff took up working from home: 165 on a contractual basis (compared to 125 in 2009) and 435 on an occasional basis. Of those contracted to work from home, 82 “team members” do so on 1 day a week and 68 have chosen to work from home on 2 days. Since the beginning of 2011, this appetite for teleworking has become even more pronounced. Today, 770 Mobistar employees improve their work-life balance by choosing to work from home regularly or occasionally. The policy of promoting working from home goes hand in hand with the introduction of “flex desk” at the Mobistar building, which means that one desk can be shared by several people.

It goes without saying that on most days a presence in the office is essential and there are also members of staff for whom working from home is impossible (especially sales staff in shops, customer service personnel, security staff). That is why Mobistar has also introduced numerous travel initiatives; encouraging carpooling, using public transport or travelling by bike. At the present time, 200 “team members” travel to work on public transport and 80 come by bike. In 2009, the respective numbers were still only 150 and 20. Next year, the aim is for 325 to come to work on public transport and 100 by bike.

Let’s not forget that Mobistar has a very ambitious sustainable development goal: from now to 2020, the aim is to reduce the company’s CO2 emissions by 50%. The works currently getting underway on Brussels’ roads are a perfect opportunity to raise environmental awareness among our “team members”.