European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound)

The XpertHR Group, which includes PersonnelToday.com, is the official UK National Outreach Centre for the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound).

By running the National Outreach Centre, the XpertHR Group is responsible for the UK distribution of the research and information produced by the Foundation.

The European Foundation aims to support the formulation of policies on living and working conditions through the provision of relevant data and knowledge.

The main target groups 'Eurofound' seeks to influence are those involved in the implementation of European social policy and include:

• national governments, regional and local authorities working on social policy
• social partners: trade unions and employer organisations.

If you are interested in receiving information on the work of the European Foundation please contact us by email.
Find out more about the work of the National Outreach Centres here and for the latest press releases and news from the European Foundation follow this link.

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Web update from Eurofound, 28 March 2008    

Latest articles from the European Foundation

Developments in industrial action 2003–2007 This overview examines developments in industrial action across the European Union and in Norway over the period 2003–2007. The data show that while overall levels of industrial action were low in historical terms during this period, there were considerable variations between countries. The most ‘strike-prone’ countries included Belgium, France and Spain, while Latvia and Lithuania were essentially strike-free. The level of action in the new Member States was only about a quarter of that in the former EU15; however, some new Member States have begun to see a rise in strike activity in recent times. Industry and manufacturing were the sectors most prone to conflict, followed by transport and communications, and the broad public sector. The most common cause of industrial action was disputes over pay. Working conditions in the European Union: The gender perspective - Executive summary Following the 2005 survey, Eurofound carried out further in-depth analysis of its findings on key themes relating to working conditions in the EU. The similarities and differences in men’s and women’s working environments was one of the themes explored. The research looked at many specific aspects of job quality – including working hours, job satisfaction, work–life compatibility and work-related health outcomes – in order to gauge the experiences of women and men in an ever-changing workplace. It analysed the gendered division of labour from the perspectives of both working life and home and provided insights into the working conditions of men and women in the 27 EU Member States. This leaflet summarises the main challenges posed by the gender dimension at work and presents a snapshot of the main results of the research. Working conditions of an ageing workforce - Executive summary Following the 2005 survey, Eurofound carried out further in-depth analysis of its findings on key themes relating to working conditions in the EU. One of the themes explored was workforce ageing and its far-reaching implications for society and the labour market as a whole. The study highlighted four factors which are key to shaping the age structure of Europe’s workforce: ensuring career development and employment security; maintaining and promoting the health and well-being of workers; developing skills and competencies; and reconciling working and non-working life. This leaflet summarises the main challenges posed by the ageing of the workforce and presents a snapshot of the main results of the research. New European Job Quality Index to monitor job quality In 2008, the European Trade Union Institute for Research, Education and Health and Safety created a European Job Quality Index. The index aims to contribute to the debate about ‘more and better jobs’ in Europe, providing a framework for a more comprehensive assessment of the nature of job quality in Europe. At the same time, the European Job Quality Index is designed to monitor changes in employment over time and allow for a comparison between European countries. Socially responsible initiatives of companies The 2008 annual report on the social responsibility of Danish enterprises by the Danish National Centre for Social Research shows that the current low unemployment rate leads employers to place the emphasis on preventing absenteeism, retaining employees and include older workers in the workforce. Policies aim to encourage long-term absentees back to work and promote competence development. Such policies are used differently by public and private enterprises and by company size. Employers’ attitudes toward part-time work The social research and analysis institute, SORA, recently conducted a representative survey in one of Austria’s northern provinces on the issue of part-time work. The survey provides insights into the use of part-time work in companies employing at least 10 workers. It focused on the use of part-time work in companies of all economic sectors, while also exploring their views concerning the advantages and disadvantages of part-time work.

News

Global competition and European companies' location decisions
How will the location decisions of companies shape the future of industry in Europe? Join us in Poznań (Poland) on 3-5 June 2008, where evidence from research will be combined with the views of company decision makers. Early bird registration now available.

Undeclared work can be defined as work which is in itself legal but is not declared to the authorities for tax, social security and/or labour law purposes. The Foundation has just published a report and 28 case studies showing the different approaches as well as the effectiveness of specific policy measures and their transferability.

Events

Internal events

Eurofound visit to Paris, France, 27-28 March 2008

CLIP conference: European cities integrating migrants - From Amsterdam to Zagreb: Fostering a dialogue about successful policies, 7 April 2008, Brussels, Belgium

Conference on global competition and European companies’ location decisions, Poznań, Poland, 3–5 June 2008

Foundation Seminar Series, 1st session - Developing workers' skills: actors and actions, 23-25 June 2008, Dublin, Ireland

External events

The Foundation participated at the following recent events:

• Risk assessment and ageing of work population, 5 March 2008, Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia
• Conference on social cohesion and sustainable development,13-14 March 2008, Bruges, Belgium
• BJIR conference on comparative studies of the workplace, 13-14 March 2008, London, UK
• Building social capital for an inclusive society, 14 March 2008, Bruges, Belgium.

The Foundation will participate at the following events:

• Workshop on the emerging psychosocial risks in the changing world of work, 8-9 April 2008, Bussels, Belgium
• Seminar on Improving access to the labour market for people at its margins with a special focus on people with a migrant or minorities background, 29 April 2008, Brussels, Belgium
• Corporate social responsibility and occupational risk prevention, 14 May 2008, Coruna, Spain
• Fourth dialogue between France and the ILO on the social dimensions of globalisation – The internationalisation of labour markets, 15 May 2008, Paris, France.

New publications

Eurofound News, Issue 3, March 2008

To receive the email version of Eurofound News with links to the full text articles on the web, sign up here.

European Works Councils in practice: Key research findings - Background paper

Working longer, living better – Europe’s coming of age

Working longer, living better – What companies can do

Working longer, living better – Who cares?

Working longer, living better – Focus on all phases of life

Working longer, living better – Women at work

Tackling undeclared work in the European Union

EMCC company network - Managing change in EU cross-border mergers and acquisitions
Case example: Danske Bank and Irish National Bank: Viking raider is knight in shining armour

EMCC company network - Managing change in EU cross-border mergers and acquisitions
Case example: Schneider Electric: Acquiring to grow

EMCC company network - Managing change in EU cross-border mergers and acquisitions 
Case example: Air France-KLM: Combining strengths for sustainability

EMCC company network - Managing change in EU cross-border mergers and acquisitions
Case example: Impress: Meeting company goals through strategic acquisitions

EMCC company network - Managing change in EU cross-border mergers and acquisitions
Case example: Santander and Abbey: Expansion enabling access to new markets

Trends and drivers of change in the biomedical healthcare sector in Europe: Mapping report

EMCC case studies - Biomedical healthcare sector: Biogen Idec, Denmark

EMCC case studies - Biomedical healthcare sector: Q-Med AB, Sweden

EMCC case studies - Biomedical healthcare sector: Unimed, Czech Republic

The future of the European biomedical healthcare sector: Four scenarios

EMCC case studies - Biomedical healthcare sector: Berlin-Brandenburg cluster, Germany

EMCC case studies - Biomedical healthcare sector: Western cluster, Ireland

Restructuring and employment: The impact of globalisation in the EU – Résumé

Capacity building for social dialogue at sectoral and company level in the new Member States, Croatia and Turkey

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Report

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: IKEA

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: Unilever

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: Chiquita

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: LEONI

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: Securitas

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: EDF

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: Arcelor

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: BASF

Codes of conduct and international framework agreements: New forms of governance at company level - Case study: Bosch

 

European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO)

News updates

71 articles have been published in March 2008

See also the February articles here.

 

European Monitoring Centre on Change (EMCC)

Sectoral dossier

EMCC dossier on the European biomedical healthcare sector

Comparative information

Perceptions of globalisation: attitudes and responses in the EU

Company network seminar report

Managing change in EU cross-border mergers and acquisitions

 

European Working Conditions Observatory (EWCO)

Survey data report

Work–life balance attitudes and practices in British workplaces, 2007

Latest information updates

Lithuania - Factors determining rate of employee turnover in companies

Norway - Occupational differences in incidence of conflicts and bullying

Romania - Rise in proportion of workers on minimum wage or less