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Participation at work

Participation at work refers to the involvement of employees in management decision-making in the workplace by means other than information and consultation, either in relation to wider company issues (workplace social dialogue) or in their immediate job (task discretion).  

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EU context

According to Council Directive 2001/86/EC supplementing the European Company Statute with regard to the involvement of employees, participation is the influence of the body representative of the employees and/or the employee representatives in the affairs of a company through 1) the right to elect or appoint some of the members of the company’s supervisory or administrative organ, or 2) the right to recommend and/or oppose the appointment of some or all of the members of the company’s supervisory or administrative organ (Article 2(k)). This definition of participation is repeated in Council Directive 2003/72/EC of 22 July 2003 supplementing the Statute for a European Cooperative Society with regard to the involvement of employees.

 

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

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Gijs van Houten is a senior research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He has specific expertise in cross-national survey methodology and the analysis of workplace...

Senior research manager,
Employment research unit
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Franz Eiffe is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. He is involved in projects on sustainable work, quantitative analyses and upward convergence in the EU, as...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (58)

Človeški viri s svojimi znanji in spretnostmi prispevajo k uspehu organizacije. Model sposobnosti, motivacije in priložnosti (AMO) uči, da so prispevki zaposlenih k organizacijski uspešnosti odvisni od njihovih znanj in spretnosti, motivacije, da jih uporabljajo, ter priložnosti za to. Organizacije

30 March 2023

The economic and labour market contribution of international businesses is well recognised, but policymakers could do more to help such enterprises to develop their activities. This policy brief explores the workplace practices in export-oriented establishments that may contribute to their success

06 October 2021

The EU has long supported innovation in business and in workplaces. The challenges facing Europe as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis make the need for innovation more urgent. The NextGenerationEU recovery package requires a reorientation of business activities towards innovation for resilience

01 July 2021

To poročilo temelji na četrti evropski raziskavi podjetij (ECS), ki sta jo leta 2019 skupaj izvedla Evropska fundacija za izboljšanje življenjskih in delovnih razmer (Eurofound) in Evropski center za razvoj poklicnega usposabljanja (Cedefop). V njem je opisan širok spekter praks in strategij na

13 October 2020

How do organisations get the best out of their employees? Research on human resource management has found that a key practice is employee involvement: enabling employees to make decisions on their own work and to contribute to organisational decision-making. A high degree of employee involvement

06 July 2020

This study examines the interaction between social dialogue practices and human resources management (HRM) policies in European multinational companies (MNCs). It looks at the changing role of HRM and its interaction with European Works Councils (EWCs), which can act as a link between different

16 June 2020

Using data from the sixth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS), carried out in 2015, the ERM report 2018 examines how workplace factors may influence the relationship between restructuring (with job losses) and the outcomes for employees. It also reviews policy and academic research on good

25 October 2018

Innovation is an important driver of improved competitiveness, productivity and growth potential. This report explores which workplace practices have the strongest links to innovative company behaviour, looking at innovation in the form of new or significantly changed products or processes, new or

22 June 2017

This paper is one in a series of sector profiles giving an overview of structural characteristics, work organisation practices, human resource management, employee participation and social dialogue in the health sector. It is based on the third European Company Survey (ECS). The sector includes all

22 December 2016

This paper is one in a series of sector profiles giving an overview of structural characteristics, work organisation practices, human resource management, employee participation and social dialogue in the education sector. It is based on the third European Company Survey (ECS). The sector includes

22 December 2016

Online resources results (200)

Revised framework agreement on participation in regional and local authorities

The framework agreement, signed on 15 November 1996, for the 625,000 employees in the 275 Danish municipalities and 14 counties, is the culmination of six years of experiments with new structures for cooperation between workers and employers. The agreement is a response to the increasing demands

European and national works councils in the Netherlands

Within the framework of European Works Councils, "Community-scale" companies are defined as those employing at least 1,000 workers with branches or subsidiaries which employ 150 workers or more in at least two European Union member states. According to government estimates, approximately 100

Social affairs Council takes stock of information and consultation initiatives

Meeting on 17 April 1997, the Labour and Social Affairs Council of Ministers took stock of initiatives by the European Commission and the Council Presidency aimed at improving information, consultation and participation mechanisms for employees. Padraig Flynn, the commissioner responsible for

Employee involvement in Total Quality Management

Total Quality Management (TQM) has been a leading development of the 1990s in Britain. Surveys find that almost three-quarters of organisations claim to have formal quality programmes, which are believed to work by increasing employees' interest in their jobs and their understanding of how their

Participation and collective bargaining in Italian enterprises

During the 1990s, the tendencies within Italian enterprises towards a greater participation of workers and their representatives have become more pronounced. This has applied to direct, economic/financial and institutional participation, and here we review recent developments, focusing on the second

EU continues to feel impact of Renault crisis

In the wake of Renault's announcement of the closure of its plant at Vilvoorde (EU9703108F [1]) European trade unions, the European Commission and the European Parliament have called for tougher measures to protect the interests of employees in the event of large-scale redundancies, business

The closure of Renault-Vilvoorde

On Thursday 27 February 1997 Renault announced - completely unexpectedly - the closure of its Belgian production plant in Vilvoorde by July of this year. As a result, more than 3,000 Renault employees and an estimated 1,500 employees in direct supply companies will lose their jobs. There is a

The Renault case and the future of Social Europe

The shock announcement by French motor manufacturer Renault, on 28 February 1997, of the closure of its plant at Vilvoorde, led to an unprecedented public display of condemnation among the political establishment of the European Union (EU). The closure of the plant, in the Belgian Prime Minister's

The Renault-Vilvorde affair: "Euro-strike" against the closure of its Belgian plant

The announcement by the French auto manufacturer, Renault, of the closure of its plant with a workforce of 3,100 in Vilvorde in the Flanders region of Belgium, has caused a wave of indignation throughout Europe. The closure is part of a European restructuring project which also includes the axing of

Job security agreement at Blue Circle

In January 1997, the cement company, Blue Circle (BCC), and two of Britain's largest trade unions, the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) and the General Municipal and Boilermakers Union (GMB), agreed what has been described as a "ground breaking" deal which gives a guarantee of job security


Blogs results (5)
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As we leave behind the lockdowns and business disruptions of COVID-19 and enter a ‘new normal’, it is time to talk about how workplaces might be transformed to drive innovation. Some may baulk at this suggestion, as we continue to grapple with the pandemic fallout, but crises have always been a

28 Junij 2021
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COVID-19 has shown that some things can hit us out of the blue. The pandemic sent a shockwave through businesses all over the world and has brought massive changes to work organisation, internal communication and day-to-day operations for many companies. Doubtless, the depth of the pandemic’s impact

21 Junij 2021
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The COVID-19 pandemic compelled governments to take exceptional measures to monitor and control the spread of the Coronavirus. Among them was the introduction in most EU Member States of tracking apps to gather data on citizens who have contracted the virus and to trace their contacts, a measure

13 Januar 2021
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According to the dictionary, an organisation is an organised group of people with a particular purpose. To achieve this purpose, tasks are divided between the members of the group, and the task of some of those people is to manage the others. Interestingly, whereas most tasks are allocated based on

27 November 2020
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Motivated workers have higher levels of engagement, better health and are able to work longer. Improving motivation at work is therefore a key component in meeting the challenges of Europe’s ageing workforce and improving the EU’s long-term competitiveness on a global scale. This means that

20 Marec 2019
Data results (2)
24 Oktober 2023
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