Dhondt, Steven

Workplace innovation (WPI) refers to practices that enable employees to participate in organisational change in such a way as to improve the quality of their working life and organisational performance. This report examines the motives behind the adoption of WPI and describes its implementation across companies in Europe. It analyses the impacts of WPI from the perspective of the different players – organisation, management, employees and employee representatives – in 51 companies across 10 EU Member States.

The report examines working time flexible arrangements implemented in five companies of the retail and automotive sector in Hungary and Belgium and the Netherlands using the case study methodology. The main aim of this research was to explore and show whether and under what conditions working time flexible arrangements in companies are implemented and can increase productivity and at the same time preserve or improve quality of work in general and especially with regard to work–life balance.

With increasing use of innovative information and communication technology (ICT) in the workplace and associated changes in business processes, use of social media (the newest ICT trend) can be one way of providing workers with immediate communication and information, and supporting innovative work behaviour. However, there are concerns that use of social media may increase emotional exhaustion due to information overload. Conversely, the introduction and use of company-wide (ICT) such as workflow or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software since the 1990s has standardised company practices, leaving little room for innovative behaviour and encouraging passive behaviour.

This leaflet summarises the main findings of the statistical analysis of technology, work organisation and work outcomes in the Foundation's Third European Survey on Working Conditions 2000. It provides a comparison of these results with other statistical surveys on working conditions carried out at national level by several Member States.

An examination of the impact of the growing use of machine and computer technology on the work environment and the quality of working conditions. The report describes the relationship between technology, work organisation patterns and working conditions and identifies trends and changes in both work situations and use of technology.

The second European survey on working conditions (1996) shows the increase in the intensity of work. At the same time, workers' control over their work remains low. These two trends may explain why one-third of workers report stress. This r...