inside the workplace first findings from the 2004 workplace employment relations survey wers...
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Inside the WorkplaceFirst Findings from the
2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey
WERS Research TeamRoyal Society of Arts
London5 July 2005
Overview
• What is WERS?
• Design and conduct of WERS 2004
• First Findings
• Timetable for survey outputs
What is WERS?
• Survey mapping the state of employment relations across Great Britain
• Data are collected from managers, employee representatives and employees at the same workplace
• Multi-sponsored survey: DTI/ESRC/Acas/PSI
• Previous surveys held in 1980, 1984, 1990, 1998
Design and conduct of WERS 2004
Aims of WERS 2004
• To map workplace employment relations in Britain and changes over time
• To inform policy development and stimulate and inform debate and practice
• To provide a comprehensive and statistically reliable dataset on British workplace employment relations– which is made publicly available and easily accessible.
Survey structure
WERS 2004
2004 Cross-section 1998-2004 Panel Survey
Survey of Managers Survey of Managers
Survey of Employee Representatives
Survey of Employees
Financial Performance Questionnaire
Survey content
• Management of personnel and employment relations• Recruitment and training• Consultation and information• Employee representation• Payment systems and pay determination• Grievance, disciplinary and dispute procedures• Equal opportunities, work-life balance• Workplace flexibility• Workplace performance• Employee attitudes to work
Fieldwork outcomes
Total responses Response rate
Number %
2004 Cross-Section
Survey of Managers 2,295 64
Survey of Employee Representatives 991 78
Survey of Employees 22,451 61
Financial Performance Questionnaire 1,069 52
1998-2004 Panel Survey
Survey of Managers 956 77
First Findings
First Findings
• Key dimensions of employment relations are
explored
• Analysis is based on workplaces with 10+
employees
• Primary focus of the presentation is on change
since 1998
Recruitment, appraisal and training
Selection tests, performance appraisals and off-the-job training, 1998 and 2004
19
47
73 73
19
46
78
84
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Personality tests usedroutinely for some
occupations
Performance testsused routinely for some
occupations
Performanceappraisals
Off-the-job training forexperienced core
employees
Pe
r ce
nt o
f w
ork
pla
ce
s
1998 2004
Work organisation
Work organisation, 1998 and 2004
7469
16
41
72
66
21
48
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Some core employeeswork in formally
designated teams
Some core employeestrained to be
functionally flexible
Problem-solvinggroups involving non-
managerialemployees
Some core employeestrained in team-
working,communication orproblem-solving
Pe
r ce
nt
of
wo
rkp
lace
s
1998 2004
Employee representation
Employee representation, 1998 and 2004
57
33
20
30
64
27
14
22
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
No unionmembers
Union recognition Joint consultativecommittees
Any collectivebargaining
Per
cen
t of w
orkp
lace
s
1998 2004
Joint regulation of terms and conditions – all workplaces
71
71
73
75
70
5
9
11
10
6
8
5
6
13
5
16
15
10
3
18
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Hours
Holidays
Pensions
Training
Pay
Pe
r ce
nt
of
wo
rkp
lace
s
Nothing Inform Consult Negotiate
Joint regulation of terms and conditions – workplaces with recognised unions only
18
19
22
36
16
10
17
25
24
10
20
13
16
31
13
53
52
36
9
61
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Hours
Holidays
Pensions
Training
Pay
Pe
r ce
nt
of
wo
rkp
lace
s w
ith r
eco
gn
ise
d u
nio
ns
Nothing Inform Consult Negotiate
Extent of trust between managers and employee representatives
Managers and employee representatives asked to rate each other on 3 dimensions of trust:
• whether the other party could be relied on to live up to the commitments they had made
• whether the other party was sincere in their attempts to understand each other’s point of view
• whether the other party could be trusted to act with honesty and integrity
Extent of trust between managers and employee representatives
Mutual trust
31%
Mutual trust
64%
Managers and union representatives Managers and non-union representatives
No trust23%
No trust
7%
Reps trust managers13% Reps trust managers
17%
Managers trust reps
33%
Managers trust reps 12%
Addressing workplace conflict
Indicators of workplace conflict, 1998 and 2004
5
3
4
8
18
6
2
3
6
20
0 5 10 15 20 25
Collective disputes
Industrial action
Threatened action
EmploymentTribunal claims
Grievances raisedthro' procedure
Per cent of workplaces
2004 1998
Incidence of grievance and disciplinary procedures
• 88 per cent of workplaces had grievance procedures – little change since 1998
• 91 per cent had disciplinary procedures– an increase from 85 per cent in 1998
Procedures for handling grievances and disciplinary actions
47
29
70
22
9478
13
83
12
95
0102030405060708090
100
Yes, alw ays Yes sometimes,depends on the
issue
Yes, alw ays Yes sometimes,depends on the
issue
Yes
Employee/employer required toset out concern in w riting
Employee attends formal meetingw ith manager
Employee hasright to appeal
Per
cen
t
Grievance Disciplinary action
Equal opportunities
Incidence and coverage of equal opportunities policies
72
5661
82
70 68
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Workplaces with EO policywhich covers religion
Workplaces with EO policywhich covers sexual orientation
Workplaces with EO policywhich covers age
Per
cent of w
ork
pla
ces w
ith E
O p
olic
y
1998 2004
Work-life balance
Flexible-working and leave arrangements for non-managerial employees in continuing workplaces, 1998 and 2004 (1)
64
41
73
92
31
46
31
38
48
24
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Switching from full topart-time hours
Job-sharing
Parental leave
Paidpaternity/discretionary
leave for fathers
Special paid leave inemergencies
Per cent of continuing workplaces
2004 1998
Flexible-working arrangements for non-managerial employees in continuing workplaces, 1998 and 2004 (2)
5
13
28
28
26
3
8
14
16
19
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Zero hours contracts
Annualised hours
Term-time only
Homeworking
Flexitime
Per cent of continuing workplaces
2004 1998
Responsibility for work-life balance
• 65 per cent of managers believed that it was up to individual employees to balance their work and family responsibilities– down from 84 per cent in 1998
• 58 per cent of employees considered that managers were understanding of their responsibilities outside of work – up slightly from 55 per cent in 1998
Job-satisfaction
Job satisfaction (1)
72 72 7063
18 19 19
22
11 10 1116
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Scope for usinginitiative
Work itself Sense ofachievement
Job security
Pe
r ce
nt
of
em
plo
yee
s
Satisfied Neither Dissatisfied
Job satisfaction (2)
5751
38 35
28
26
39
24
1423 23
41
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Influence over job Training Involvement indecision-making
Pay
Pe
r ce
nt e
mp
loye
es
Satisfied Neither Dissatisfied
Management-employee relations
Managers and employees’ perceptions ofmanagement-employee relations, 1998 and 2004
8893
56 60
86
2724
4 1
18 16
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
1998 2004 1998 2004
Managers Employees
Good Neither Poor
Summary
Stability in a number of ER areas:
• Incidence of procedures for handling grievances
• Incidence of industrial action
• Employee’s satisfaction with pay or management-
employee relations
• Proportion of workplaces with methods of work
organisation
Continued decline of collective organisation
• Employees less likely to be union members in 2004
• Decline in the rate of union recognition
• Collective bargaining less prevalent
However,
• Fall in union recognition had arrested in workplaces with 25+
• Decline in collective bargaining was confined to the private sector.
• Joint regulation remains a reality for many employees:
– half of employees were in workplaces with a recognised union
– 40 per cent had their pay set through collective bargaining.
Work-life balance
• Substantial increase in availability of a number of flexible
working and paid leave arrangements
– at least amongst continuing workplaces
• Employers increasingly concerned about employees’ needs
to balance work and family life
• However, employees did not perceive such a change in
employer attitudes
State of employment relations
• Overt workplace conflict remained low
• Managers’ perceptions of management-employee relations have improved– though there was little change in employees’ views
• Mutual trust appeared in only a minority of management/union rep relationships– but was more prevalent amongst managers and non-union
reps
WERS 2004 Timetable
Timetable for survey outputs
Activity Timing
WERS 2004 questionnaires
December 2004
Data deposited in UK Data Archive
November 2005
‘Sourcebook’ of findings Spring 2006
Report on ER in small businesses
Spring 2006
Further information
• Further information about the design and development of WERS 2004:
www.dti.gov.uk/er/emar/wers5.htm
• Routledge companion website to the ‘sourcebook’ of findings:
www.routledge.com/textbooks/0415378133