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