Publications by subject - Work organisation - 2011

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.

This report describes over 50 cases of companies in 11 Member States that have adopted measures to support their employees with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults. Key initiatives by companies include: various types of leave; reduced working hours; and such supportive measures as information, counselling and practical support. The report concludes that: raising awareness is particularly important; that particularly effective approaches combine measures targeted at working carers, and measures that the entire workforce can avail of; that line managers have a pivotal role to play in supporting working carers; and that it is possible to create solutions that either avoid the need for employees to leave the job, or that enable them to return to work. An annotated bibliography and an executive summary are also available, together with a searchable database.

The report describes over 50 cases of companies in 11 Member States that have adopted measures to support their employees with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults. Key initiatives by companies include: various types of leave; reduced working hours; and such supportive measures as information, counselling and practical support. An executive summary and a searchable database 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.

The report presents the results of Eurofound’s work on company initiatives for workers with care responsibilities for disabled children or adults. The research focused on initiatives that employers can take to support the needs of workers who have (informal) care responsibilities, including parents caring for children with disabilities and carers of adults who need care because of disability, illness or old age. An annotated bibliography and a searchable database are also available.

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.