First Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey
Inside the Workplace
WERS Research Team Royal Society of Arts London 5 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 Britain and changes over time relations in
• 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 Number 2004 Cross-Section Survey of Managers Survey of Employee Representatives Survey of Employees Financial Performance Questionnaire 2,295 991 22,451 1,069 64 78 61 52 Response rate %
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
90 80 73 70 78 73 84
P e r c e n t o f w o rk p la c e s
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 P e rs o na li ty te s ts us e d ro uti ne ly fo r s o m e o c c up a ti o ns P e rfo rm a nc e te s ts us e d ro uti ne ly fo r s o m e o c c up a ti o ns 1998 2004 P e rfo rm a nc e a p p ra i s a ls O ff-the -jo b tra i ni ng fo r e xp e ri e nc e d c o re e m p lo ye e s 19 19 47 46
Work organisation
Work organisation, 1998 and 2004
80 70 Per cent of workplaces 60 50 48 74 72 69
66
41
40 30 21 20 10 0 Some core employees work in formally designated teams Some core employees trained to be functionally flexible Problem-solving groups involving nonmanagerial employees 2004 Some core employees trained in teamworking, communication or problem-solving 16
1998
Employee representation
Employee representation, 1998 and 2004
70 60 Per cent of workplaces 50 57 64
40
33 30 20 10 0 No union members Union recognition Joint consultative committees 2004 Any collective bargaining 27 20 14 30 22
1998
Joint regulation of terms and conditions – all workplaces
Pay
70
6
5
18
Per cent of workplaces
Training
75
10
13
3
Pensions
73
11
6
10
Holidays
71
9
5
15
Hours
71
5
8
16
0%
10%
20%
30% Nothing
40% Inform
50%
60%
70% Negotiate
80%
90%
100%
Consult
Joint regulation of terms and conditions – workplaces with recognised unions only
Per cent of workplaces with recognised unions
Pay
16
10
13
61
Training
36
24
31
9
Pensions
22
25
16
36
Holidays
19
17
13
52
Hours
18
10
20
53
0%
10%
20%
30% Nothing
40% Inform
50%
60%
70% Negotiate
80%
90%
100%
Consult
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
Managers and union representatives
Reps trust managers 13%
No trust 23%
Managers and non-union representatives
Managers trust reps 12% Reps trust managers 17%
No trust
7%
Managers trust reps 33%
Mutual trust 31%
Mutual trust
64%
Addressing workplace conflict
Indicators of workplace conflict, 1998 and 2004
G r ie v a n c e s r a is e d th r o ' p r o c e d u r e E m p lo y m e n t T r ib u n a l c la im s 3 4 18 20
6 8
T h r e a te n e d a c tio n
I n d u s tr ia l a c tio n
2 3
C o lle c tiv e d is p u te s
6 5
0
5
10
15
20
25
P e r c e n t o f w o r k p la c e s 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
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
94 78 47 29 13 22 12 83 70
95
Per c ent
Y es , alw ay s
Y es s ometimes , depends on the is s ue
Y es , alw ay s
Y es s ometimes , depends on the is s ue
Y es
Employ ee/employ er required to s et out c onc ern in w riting
Employ ee attends f ormal meeting w ith manager Dis c iplinary ac tion
Employ ee has right to appeal
Griev anc e
Equal opportunities
Incidence and coverage of equal opportunities policies
90 82 80
Per cent of workplaces with EO policy
72 70
70 61
68
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Workplaces with EO policy which covers religion
56
Workplaces with EO policy which covers sexual orientation 1998 2004
Workplaces with EO policy which covers age
Work-life balance
Flexible-working and leave arrangements for non-managerial employees in continuing workplaces, 1998 and 2004 (1)
Special paid leave in emergencies Paid paternity/discretionary leave for fathers Parental leave
24 31 48
92
38 73 31 41 46 64 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Per cent of continuing workplaces 2004 1998 80 90 100
Job-sharing
Switching from full to part-time hours
Flexible-working arrangements for non-managerial employees in continuing workplaces, 1998 and 2004 (2)
Flexitime
19 26 16 28 14 28 8 13 3 5 0 5 10 15 20 Per cent of continuing workplaces 2004 1998 25 30
Homeworking
Term-time only
Annualised hours
Zero hours contracts
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)
100% 11 90% 80% Per cent of employees 70% 18 19 19 22 10 11 16
60%
50% 40% 72 30% 20% 72 70 63
10%
0% Scope for using initiative Work itself Satisfied Neither Sense of achievement Dissatisfied Job security
Job satisfaction (2)
100% 90% 80% 14 23 23 41 28 26 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% In flu e n c e o v e r jo b T ra in in g In v o lv e m e n t i n d e c is io n -m a k in g S a ti s fi e d N e i th e r D i s s a ti s fi e d Pay 57 51 38 35 39 24
P e r c e n t e m p lo y e e s
70%
Management-employee relations
Managers and employees’ perceptions of management-employee relations, 1998 and 2004
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 88 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1998 Managers G ood Neither P oor 2004 1998 E m ployees 2004 60 27 24 1 6 18 16
4 8
93
56
Summary
Stability in a number of ER areas: • Incidence of procedures for handling grievances
• Incidence of industrial action • Employee’s satisfaction with pay or managementemployee 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 WERS 2004 questionnaires Data deposited in UK Data Archive ‘Sourcebook’ of findings
Report on ER in small businesses
Timing December 2004
November 2005
Spring 2006
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