Publications by subject - Quality of work - 2011

For most people work is not only a source of income but also an important aspect of their personal identity and their social life. When workers grow older, the positive elements of work often retain their importance, but for many it becomes more difficult to do their jobs. This fact sheet forms part of the Eurofound resource pack on Living longer, working better – Active ageing in Europe. The pack explores the impact of an ageing society and workforce, providing insights into developments at EU, national and company level.

Over the past five years employment rates among workers aged 65 to 74 years increased by 15% in the EU27 (Eurostat, 2011). Most people in this age group are pensioners, demonstrating that it has become more common for pensioners to take on paid employment, albeit starting from a fairly low level. This fact sheet forms part of the Eurofound resource pack on 'Living longer, working better – Active ageing in Europe'. The pack explores the impact of an ageing society and workforce, providing insights into developments at EU, national and company level.

Europeans are living longer than ever before, but fewer babies are being born. The increased lifespan is great news but also poses many questions for individuals, their families and social systems. This fact sheet forms part of the Eurofound resource pack on 'Living longer, working better – Active ageing in Europe'. The pack explores the impact of an ageing society and workforce, providing insights into developments at EU, national and company level.

Keeping older employees in the workforce for longer has been at the heart of national and European policies since the late 1990s. These policies have had an impact. Employment rates for older workers aged 55 to 64 have increased considerably over the last ten years, from 38% to 47% (Eurostat, 2000–2010). This fact sheet forms part of the Eurofound resource pack on 'Living longer, working better – Active ageing in Europe'. The pack explores the impact of an ageing society and workforce, providing insights into developments at EU, national and company level.

Europeans are living longer than ever before, on average ten years more than in 1960. This greater life expectancy coincides with another demographic development: fewer children are being born, which will mean fewer people paying into state pension and healthcare systems and a smaller pool of potential carers. This fact sheet forms part of the Eurofound resource pack on 'Living longer, working better – Active ageing in Europe'. The pack explores the impact of an ageing society and workforce, providing insights into developments at EU, national and company level.

With a particular focus on the crisis and responses to it, this annual review highlights developments in working conditions and industrial relations in the EU Member States and Norway in 2010, both at national and EU level. At national level, the report examines key issues covered by collective bargaining (pay and working time) and looks at developments in social partner activity and industrial action. It also looks at company restructuring, the impact of the crisis and approaches to pension reform in light of demographic change. At European level, it reviews the year’s main events and trends in employment legislation and policy (in areas like paternity/maternity leave and working time), as well as in the European social dialogue at crosssectoral, sectoral and company levels. The final chapter focuses on training initiatives provided or supported by enterprises for their employees during the recession.

This report highlights recent developments in work organisation at EU and national level. It describes existing patterns of work organisation and outlines the new forms associated with high performance working environments and enterprises. The report was compiled on the basis of individual national reports submitted by correspondents from the European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO) and analyses the main findings from existing national literature and statistical sources. Read more in the report.

On 30 June 2011, a seminar on Youth and Employment was hosted by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, and jointly organised by four European agencies: Cedefop, ETF, EU-OSHA and Eurofound. The agencies highlighted the complementarity of their work by each presenting different aspects and perspectives related to youth employment in Europe and its neighbourhood countries. Topics included the transition from education to the workplace, guidance for young people at risk, safe and decent jobs for young people, the 'NEETs' phenomenon and its economic costs, the active inclusion of disadvantaged young people in employment and the global dimension of youth employment. Full speakers presentations are also available.

There is consistent evidence across all the results that use of HPWPs are associated with improved performance outcomes for both employees and the workplace. This report is based on secondary data analysis of Eurofound’s recent European Company Survey (ECS) 2009. It explores the links between a broad range of workplace practices and sustainable organisational performance, building on the survey report. Read the full report.

There is consistent evidence across all the results that use of High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) are associated with improved performance outcomes for both employees and the workplace. This report is based on secondary data analysis of Eurofound’s recent European Company Survey (ECS) 2009. It explores the links between a broad range of workplace practices and sustainable organisational performance, building on the survey report. An executive summary is available.

This report presents an overview of the employment and working conditions of nationals in the EU with a foreign background (NFB) and nationals with a different ethnic affiliation (NEA). The concept of NFB encompasses people with a foreign background, having acquired nationality (by naturalisation or by birth), and their descendants. Read more in the report.

This report is based on 21 case studies in four sectors (electromechanical engineering, food manufacturing, financial services and insurance activities, and wholesale and retail) in six countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain and Sweden. The aim of this study and of the whole research package is to investigate whether and how improvement of the quality of work can boost employee and establishment’s performance. Read more in the report.

This report is based on 21 case studies in four sectors (electromechanical engineering, food manufacturing, financial services and insurance activities, and wholesale and retail) in six countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain and Sweden. The aim of this research was to investigate whether and how improvement of the quality of work can boost employee and establishment’s performance. Results indicate that the clearest link between quality of work and performance relates to training, skills and employability. Training contributes to improved performance mostly through increased ability to use technology and to meet customer demands. Training is also used when the potential alternative, recruitment, is a less optimal investment. An executive summary is available.

How does social dialogue influence working conditions? What is the nature of the links between social dialogue and working conditions? This report is based on continuing research carried out by Eurofound during the past years on the links between social dialogue and working conditions, and aims to deepen the knowledge on the nature of this link. Read more in the report.

Creating better jobs and working conditions are key elements of the European social model. Improving the quality of work and working conditions is, however, a new dimension within the European Employment Strategy which previously concentrated on quantitative measures such as increasing employment and reducing unemployment. The Lisbon Agenda implies that improving the quality and productivity of work could lead to more as well as better jobs. This study is based on 23 case studies in four sectors (electromechanical engineering, food, financial activities and insurance services, and wholesale and retail) in six countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain and Sweden). This report is a continuation of an earlier report. An executive summary is available.

This study was commissioned by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) in February 2010. Its purpose was the in-depth study of the impact of five types of interfirm relationships – including joint ventures, clusters, public-private partnerships (PPPs), strategic alliances/networks and virtual company networks (VCNs) – on employment and working conditions. A report and a literature review are available.

During recent decades, various new forms of interfirm relationships have been emerging across national contexts. This study seeks to fill a gap in the research carried out to date on the impact of these relationships on working conditions and employment practices, including human resources management policies. This report draws on 20 case studies and a review of literature to investigate the varied effects of five types of interfirm relationships on employment. These are joint ventures, clusters, public-private partnerships, strategic alliances/networks and virtual company networks. In the current economic climate, developing interfirm relationships is linked with company survival and competitiveness. An executive summary is also available.

This report gathers information about changes in the participation of workers and companies in continuous training and presents an overview of measures aimed at supporting companies to develop the skills of their workers during the crisis. It also identifies good examples of training measures implemented by enterprises. Read more in the report.

This issue of Foundation Focus looks at the relationship between work and health, using first findings from Eurofound’s fifth European Working Conditions Survey which was launched on 16 and 17 November 2010 under the Belgian EU presidency. With the additional support of the European Commission, the two-day conference brought together high-level policymakers and decision makers in the field to discuss the future of working conditions across Europe.

The 2nd European Company Survey (ECS) was carried out in early 2009 by TNS Infratest for Eurofound. It was implemented in 30 countries, i.e. the 27 EU Member States and the three Candidate countries (Croatia, FYROM and Turkey). The aim of this survey was to collect statistical information on company structures and practices on flexibility, as well as the development of social dialogue in companies. The present document is the quality report on the 2nd ECS. It assesses the quality of the survey in all its stages, starting from the sampling design to the final dissemination of data. It aims at providing a useful insight into the data quality of the current survey and making recommendations for the forthcoming rounds.

The health care sector is of increasing socio-economic significance in the context of Europe’s ageing population. Demand for care workers and staff shortages are expected to grow, partly due to difficult working conditions and relatively low pay. This situation has already led to significant workforce mobility within and outside the EU, and could serve to exacerbate skills shortages in the future. Social partner organisations have an important role to play in shaping the attractiveness of the health care sector. Read more in the report.

Non-standard employment and, more particularly, part-time work has been increasing worldwide for the past two decades. This trend has been especially strong in Europe, where the issue of different working time arrangements is an important part of the discussion among policymakers and social partners, and something which the European Union (EU) has promoted to increase flexibility for workers and employers. However, part-time work is spread very unevenly across Member States, reflecting differences in legislation, infrastructure and cultural conventions. This report uses data from the fourth European Working Conditions Survey and the second Company Survey. An executive summary is available.

Part-time employment has been increasing in Europe for the past two decades. This is especially true for countries where different working time arrangements have been discussed among policymakers and social partners as a way to increase flexibility. Part-time work, in the widest sense, may have both positive and negative effects for workers and employers. This report tries to bring together the results of two Europeanwide surveys to provide a snapshot of part-time work – presenting both the company and the employee point of view. Read more in the report.