coordinating the network of eu agencies 2015 workplace practices in european companies findings from...

Coordinating the Network of EU Agencies 2015

Workplace practices in European companiesFindings from the 3rd European Company Survey

Stavroula Demetriades, Senior Programme Manager, Eurofound

ILO, AICESIS, SER ConferenceThe Hague, 29-30 October 2015

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Eurofound

• A tripartite European agency• Established in 1975 • Comparative socio-economic

research• Budget of ca. € 21m• 115 people in Dublin and

Brussels combined


Information sources

European Working Conditions Survey

’91, ’95, ‘00, ‘05, ’10, ‘15

European network of correspondents

Monitoring living and working conditions

in the EU

European Quality of Life Survey ‘03, ‘07, ’11, (‘16)

European Company Survey ’05, ’09, ‘13

EurWORK: European Observatory of Working Life EMCC: European Monitoring Centre on Change


European Company Survey

• Conducted in 2013• Data at establishment level from managers and

employee representatives• Workplace practices with regard to – work organisation– human resource management– direct employee participation – workplace social dialogue

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Coordinating the Network of EU Agencies 201503/05/23 5

Employee participation and

social dialogue

Work organisation

Human resource management

Collaboration and outsourcing

Internal organisation and information

management

Decision-making on daily tasks

Recruitment, employment and

career development

Training

Working time flexibility

Variable pay

Direct employee participation

Workplace social dialogue

Three main topics


Workplace social dialogue

• Social dialogue is shaped by the cultural, institutional and economic developments in its national setting, affecting the types of actors and their roles in the process of social dialogue

• National experts (EIRO) were consulted to construct questions about the structure of social dialogue

• The chapter in our overview report outlines:– the incidence of employee representation structures – the characteristics of these structures, – the resources and information available to the employee representation– the level of involvement and influence – trust and conflict (industrial action)

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Workplace compliance

Workplace

National legislator

Inspectors

Departments

Tripartite bodies (eg SER)

Social partners

Statistical services Research institutes

EU/InternationalBodies (eg ILO)

The context


Presence of an official structure for employee representation

8


Time for employee representation duties,by size

9


Availability of training and external advice, by sector

10

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Level of involvement as reported by manager and employee representative

12


Level of influence, by topic

13


Employee representation and influence on management decisions on OSH by size

14


Work climateWork climate

• Good or very good: 84% of managers, 67% ER• Size matters: management & ER more likely to both

report good climate in small establishments (62%) than in large and medium (both 50%)

• Country differences• Climate change in the last 3 years– Managers: 31% improved, 13% worsened– ER: 24% improved, 26% worsened– Crisis countries data show deterioration of climate


Trust

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Industrial action Industrial action

• Industrial action is not a strong feature of our times• 16% ER report some action

• Reasons? General industrial or social conflicts (and not establishment-specific)

• More prevalent in large (28%) rather that in medium (19%) or small establishments(13%) – Crisis countries..

• Most affected sector: Industry


Combining social dialogue practices: four types of workplaces (1)

• In the ‘Extensive and trusting’ type (39% of establishments), employee representatives are well resourced and highly involved, levels of trust are high, and industrial action is rare.

• In the ‘Moderate and trusting’ type (26% of establishments), employee representatives are moderately resourced and involvement and influence are limited; nevertheless, levels of trust are high.

• In establishments of the ‘Extensive and conflictual’ type (25% of establishments), employee representatives report to be well resourced and highly involved and have moderate levels of influence; however, levels of trust are low, and industrial action is relatively prevalent.

• In establishments of the ‘Limited and conflictual’ type, employee representatives lack resources and information and have little influence. Levels of trust are low, and industrial action is relatively common.

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Combining social dialogue practices: four types of workplaces (2)

• The ‘Moderate and trusting’ type is more prevalent in smaller establishments• The ‘Extensive and conflictual’ type is more prevalent in larger establishments• The ‘Extensive and trusting’ and ‘Moderate and trusting’ types are more

prevalent in the services sectors than in construction, industry and transport. – The transport sector stands out with a relatively high proportion of establishments of the

‘Extensive and conflictual type’

• Country differences are large but there is no clear-cut pattern, except that both conflictual types of social dialogue are a lot more prevalent in Portugal and Spain than in the other countries

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Workplace well-being and establishment performance of different types of organisation in terms of social dialogue

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Limited & conflictual

Extensive & trusting

Extensive & conflictual

Moderate & Trusting


Conclusions and policy pointers (1)

• Analysis identified four groups of companies, two of which – ‘extensive and trusting’ and ‘moderate and trusting – score better on establishment performance and workplace wellbeing.

• Practices with regard to social dialogue tend to be more strongly associated with differences in performance and well-being than the practices with regard to work organisation and HRM practices studied in the other sections of the report.

• Trust (and the absence of conflict) are more strongly associated with performance and well-being than employee representative resources and levels of involvement and influence

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Conclusions and policy pointers (2)

• Win-win outcomes are not self-evident even when favourable practices are in place.– Further research into conditions under which the implementation of certain

bundles of practices is positively associated with win-win outcomes

• Differences between and within countries on the incidence of bundles of practices suggest that institutions and context matter

• Policy learning should be encouraged and should include sectoral initiatives and awareness raising campaigns targeted at managers and workers

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Combining workplace practices: five groups of establishments

• Systematic and involving (30%)– top-down, highly structured internal organisation, high investment in HRM, extensive

practices for direct and indirect participation• Externally oriented (25%)

– top-down, moderately structured internal organisation, outward looking, moderate investment in HRM, little direct and indirect participation

• Top-down and autonomous (21%)– top-down, highly structured internal organisation, self-sufficient, moderate

investment in HRM, moderately supported direct and indirect participation• Interactive and involving (12%)

– joint approach to decision-making, moderately structured internal organisation, limited investment in HRM but extensive practices for direct and indirect participation

• Passive management (12%)– top-down, moderately structured internal organisation, but hardly any HRM, and little

direct and indirect participation

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Well-being and performance of the five groups of establishments


Promoting workplace compliance

• Workplace compliance would require the presence of institutions at the workplace level (as well as above)

• ECS findings show that employee representatives are present in 1/3 of establishments

• Certain workplace practices are more likely to be linked with performance and well-being

• Creating an environment that is conducive to such workplace practices is important

• Role of Information & consultation and ER influence on workplace issues, such as OSH, working time

• Policy makers should be aware of variability of social dialogue functioning; country and size (see small companies) differences –national context & institutions do matter


Thank you for your attention!

[email protected]

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http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/

mailto:[email protected]

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