ECS 2004 – Methodology

The survey was designed to find out whether, why and how companies make use of the broad variety of working time arrangements, for example full-time and part-time work, overtime, flexi-time, shift work, phased and early retirement and childcare leave arrangements.

The ESWT mainly focused on investigating the views of central actors at establishment level (i.e. the management and, where they existed, formal employee representatives) and not at the individual level of workers.

• Telephone interviews were carried out in more than 16,000 workplaces in the EU15 Member States
• Both personnel managers and – where available – employee representatives were interviewed. The survey is representative for all establishments with 10 or more employees, and covers both the private and public sector
• The establishments interviewed were randomly selected
• Fieldwork started in the second half of September 2004 and was coordinated by TNS Infratest Sozialforschung.

After completion of the first phase, the survey was extended to six of the new EU Member States that joined in 2004: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia.

• Telephone interviews were carried out in more than 4,000 workplaces
• Phase 2 fieldwork, coordinated by TNS Infratest Sozialforschung, started in May 2005
• Interviews were conducted by the following national institutes:

For further information about the European Company Surveys, contact Sophia MacGoris.