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ECS 2004 – Methodology

Eurofound launched its first large-scale sample survey in establishments in 21 European countries in 2004–2005, called the European Survey on Working-Time and Work-Life Balance (ESWT).

Objectives

The survey was designed to find out whether, why and how companies make use of the broad variety of working time arrangements, for example full-time and part-time work, overtime, flexi-time, shift work, phased and early retirement and childcare leave arrangements.

The ESWT mainly focused on investigating the views of central actors at establishment level (i.e. the management and, where they existed, formal employee representatives) and not at the individual level of workers.

Survey design - Phase 1

  • Telephone interviews were carried out in more than 16,000 workplaces in the EU15 Member States
  • Both personnel managers and – where available – employee representatives were interviewed. The survey is representative for all establishments with 10 or more employees, and covers both the private and public sector
  • The establishments interviewed were randomly selected
  • Fieldwork started in the second half of September 2004 and was coordinated by TNS Infratest Sozialforschung.

Survey design - Phase 2

After completion of the first phase, the survey was extended to six of the new EU Member States that joined in 2004: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia.

  • Telephone interviews were carried out in more than 4,000 workplaces
  • Phase 2 fieldwork, coordinated by TNS Infratest Sozialforschung, started in May 2005
  • Interviews were conducted by the following national institutes:
Country National institute
Cyprus Synovate, Nicosia
Czech Republic TNS AISA, Prague
Hungary TNS Hungary, Budapest
Latvia TNS Baltic Data House, Riga
Poland TNS OBOP, Warsaw
Slovenia RM Plus, Maribor

 

For further information about the European Company Surveys, contact Sophia MacGoris.

Disclaimer

When freely submitting your request, you are consenting Eurofound in handling your personal data to reply to you. Your request will be handled in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data. More information, please read the Data Protection Notice.