1. Workplace innovation in European companies: Qualitative follow-up interviews based on the third European Company Survey
STAVROULA DEMETRIADES
Senior Programme Manager
Leuven, 9 September 2015
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2. Eurofound A tripartite European agency Established in 1975
Comparative socio-economic research
Budget of ca. € 21m
115 people in Dublin and Brussels combined
Tripartite nature: one representative from the government, employers organisation and trade union in each of the 28 EU Member States, plus four representatives from the European Commission.
Eurofound’s budget : EUR including the general subsidy (EUR 20,210,000) and services revenues (EUR 240,000)
More than 80% of total financial resources devoted to Eurofound’s core activities: “the development and dissemination of knowledge”

3. Areas of expertise Working conditions Living conditions
Structural change and restructuring
Industrial relations and collective bargaining

4. Information sources European Working Conditions Survey
’91, ’95, ‘00, ‘05, ’10, ‘15
European Quality of Life Survey
‘03, ‘07, ’11, (‘16)
European Company Survey
’05, ’09, ‘13
Monitoring living and
working conditions
in the EU
European network of correspondents
EurWORK: European Observatory of Working Life
EMCC: European Monitoring Centre on Change

5. Third European Company Survey
Conducted in 2013
Data at establishment level from managers and employee representatives
Workplace practices with regard to:
work organisation
human resource management
direct employee participation
social dialogue
Random probability sample of establishments with 10 employees or more, stratified by broad sector and size
Sample size varying between 300 and 1650 establishments
Report covers establishments carrying out ‘market activities’ in the EU28 only. Challenges in the analysis due to sampling led to the decision to report separately on establishments delivering public services (Health, Education, Public Administration).
Around telephone interviews with managers and over 8000 telephone interviews with employee representatives.
Employee representatives were identified based on a set of questions in the management interview
The EurWORK network was used to get accurate national level information of the structures for employee representation that are potentially present at the establishment level, as well as to ensure Industrial relations and Human Resource Management terminology could be translated appropriately.
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7. Secondary analysis reports
Direct and indirect employee participation
The impact of work organisation on performance, work climate and innovation in European companies
Workplace innovation in European companies: follow-up interview
More to come:
Workplace practices in the public sector
Workplace practices in non-EU countries

8. Workplace innovation in European companies
Why this report?
What type of WPI practices are applied?
What are the motivations of the company actors?
How are they implemented?
What are the impacts?
51 ECS company cases

9. Workplace innovation
A workplace innovation (WPI) is a developed and implemented practice or combination of practices that
structurally (division of labour) and/or
culturally (empowerment)
enable employees to participate in organisational change and renewal and improve quality of working life and organisational performance

10. What have we learned from this research?
WPI practices with interventions in all three areas (combined actions):
Structure of the organisation
Culture
HRM
There is always an economic driver!

11. Yes, but how? Employee involvement Top management commitment
For a successful implementation, companies should ensure:
Employee involvement
Top management commitment
Leadership

12. Who wins?
Positive impacts on both, company and employees

13. What did the company actors tell us?
How do you know this practice will work?
“I ask myself, would this motivate me as a human being? If yes, then do it”
Manager interviewed
How do the HRM practices work for you?
“I feel part of the company”
an employee said
“I can influence the way my work is done, really!”
an employee said

14. Thank you for your attention! www.eurofound.europa.eu
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