Eurofound launches the fieldwork for its 3rd European Company Survey

Eurofound launches the fieldwork for its 3rd European Company Survey: Surveying how European workplaces have managed in the economic downturn.
In 2009, more than 60% of employees in Europe were covered by a trade union or a works council at the workplace, according to the European Company Survey. At the same time, four out of five workplaces were found to have a good work climate. This week across 32 countries, Eurofound launches the fieldwork for the new edition of European Company Survey, aimed at providing insights to changes in workplace and human resource management practices, employee participation and social dialogue at the workplace, and performance, since the inset of the economic downturn.
European companies play a crucial role in getting out of the crisis and in reaching the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable, inclusive and smart growth. The European Company Survey (ECS) gives an overview of workplace practices and how they are negotiated in European establishments. It is based on the views of both managers and employee representatives, and it isdesigned to provide information on workplace practices to develop and evaluate socioeconomic policy.
First carried out in 2004, and the second edition in 2009, the fieldwork for the third edition of the European Company Survey (3ECS) starts this week. The fieldwork will be carried out simultaneously in 32 countries (27 EU Member States and Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro and Turkey), targeting 29,950 companies and establishments, ranging from 300 to 1650 depending on the size of the country. Interviews are carried out with a manager responsible for human resources and an employee representative at workplace level. The main focus of the 3ECS is work organisation, workplace innovation, employee participation and social dialogue. The survey will map a number of practices used in European workplaces, as well as how they are discussed and negotiated at workplace level as well as some of their outcomes. The questionnaire was prepared in cooperation with Eurofound's tripartite stakeholders and experts in the relevant fields.
Information and research data from the Second European Company Survey (2ECS) are available.
More information on the third ECS. First results are anticipated at the end of the year.