Román, Amelia

The European Company Survey 2009 on flexibility practices and social dialogue is the second European-wide establishment survey to be undertaken by Eurofound. The survey documents flexibility strategies in firms and is a unique source of comparative information on social dialogue at the workplace. According to management and employee representatives in 27,000 public and private establishments across Europe, working time flexibility is the most common type of flexibility available in European companies. More than half of all establishments with 10 or more employees in the EU27 use some type of flexi-time arrangement. This reflects a substantial increase on the situation four years ago as measured in the first European Company Survey, which covered 21 countries. A résumé is also available.

This report analyses European corporate practices in terms of working time flexibility as revealed by the European Company Survey 2009 (ECS 2009). Flexibility in working time is a central aspect of ongoing debates regarding boosting employment in the EU. Enabling employees to better balance their working time and domestic reponsibilities is seen as a key way of encouraging more citizens to enter and remain in the workforce. At the same time, greater working time flexibility on the part of companies – and hence, employees – can enable European enterprises to be more responsive to market demands, so boosting the Union’s competitiveness. An executive summary is available.