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Participation at work

Participation at work refers to the involvement of employees in management decision-making in the workplace by means other than information and consultation, either in relation to wider company issues (workplace social dialogue) or in their immediate job (task discretion).  

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EU context

According to Council Directive 2001/86/EC supplementing the European Company Statute with regard to the involvement of employees, participation is the influence of the body representative of the employees and/or the employee representatives in the affairs of a company through 1) the right to elect or appoint some of the members of the company’s supervisory or administrative organ, or 2) the right to recommend and/or oppose the appointment of some or all of the members of the company’s supervisory or administrative organ (Article 2(k)). This definition of participation is repeated in Council Directive 2003/72/EC of 22 July 2003 supplementing the Statute for a European Cooperative Society with regard to the involvement of employees.

 

European Industrial Relations Dictionary 

Eurofound expert(s)

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Gijs van Houten is a senior research manager in the Employment unit at Eurofound. He has specific expertise in cross-national survey methodology and the analysis of workplace...

Senior research manager,
Employment research unit
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Franz Eiffe is a research manager in the Working Life unit at Eurofound. He is involved in projects on sustainable work, quantitative analyses and upward convergence in the EU, as...

Research manager,
Working life research unit
Publications results (58)

This is the first issue of Foundation Focus. This edition places the spotlight firmly on restructuring and its implications from various angles. Contents include: European Commission initiatives on restructuring; Trends over the past 18 months; Worker participation and restructuring; Changing the

28 October 2005

The aim of this report is to provide a brief overview of the regulation and practice of information, consultation and other forms of employee involvement in the EU15 Member States plus Norway.

01 March 2005

This report is based on recent Foundation research into financial participation, incorporating the eight general principles outlined by the Commission in its framework Communication. It outlines the scale of financial participation across the European Union, highlights differences in national

20 October 2004
Publication
Research report

This report explains the concept of financial participation and what it means for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It explores the reasons for introducing financial participation in SMEs, the barriers and challenges that are encountered and also highlights the positive role that financial

01 September 2004

Financial participation has been the focus of increasing policy attention in recent years. This document summarises a Foundation study into financial participation which examined to what extent governments, trade union confederations and employer organisations influence the shape of financial

07 May 2004
Publication
Research report

Financial participation has been the focus of increasing attention over recent years. This report, which draws on research carried out in eight Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the United Kingdom), provides a comprehensive picture of the current

26 April 2004
Publication
Research report

In 1999 the Foundation began a major research project on the nature and extent of financial participation in the EU. The first phase updated the legislative and financial practices in the Member States and the information contained in the European Commission's Pepper I and II reports. The second

24 October 2003

A report highlighting key findings from the EPOC research project which charted development in the changing world of work, most significantly in the areas of work organisation. The main focus of the EPOC investigation was to show the extent of direct employee participation and to illustrate the role

29 November 2000
Publication
Research report

Online resources results (200)

EU-Level: Recasting the information and consultation directives?

The European Commission has indicated the possibility of its reviewing and simplifying the existing directives on information and consultation. The European-level social partners have been consulted and have given their responses. Plans, however, appear to at least be on hold.

Norway: Nordic model not used to its full potential at company level

The Nordic model, a term used partly to describe the system of cooperation between workers and employers, is considered a success. However, according to data gathered by Fafo, the Norwegian research institute, the scope of cooperation between Norwegian social partners at company level varies and

Luxembourg: Reform of employee representation in companies

On 1 January 2016, implementation began of a law radically reforming social dialogue in Luxembourg. By 2018, this law will have abolished joint committees, which are currently mandatory for all companies employing 150 employees or more. The powers of these committees will transfer to staff

Netherlands: Legislation to enhance works councils' rights

Legislation regarding worker participation in the Netherlands gives a boost to works councils rights in 2015.

United Kingdom: Report identifies key levers for improving workplace productivity

Amid the extensive debate about the UK’s relatively poor productivity record, a recent report from Acas identifies seven key factors for improving workplace productivity: well-designed work; skilled managers; effective conflict management; clarity about rights and responsibilities; fairness

UK: Unions unhappy at European court ruling on collective redundancy case

Trade unions in the UK have expressed disappointment at a ruling clarifying the EU directive on collective redundancies. However, employers’ groups welcomed the decision by the European Court of Justice which confirms that, under EU law, redundancy consultation obligations can be triggered on an

France: Companies establish single database for works councils' consultations

The Employment Safeguarding Act requires companies to establish such a database to store information of an economic and social nature.

Denmark: Evaluation of new rules on local social dialogue on the working environment

In July 2014, the Danish Working Environment Authority published the findings of an evaluation of rules on the organisation of local social dialogue (AMO) about the working environment introduced in 2010. More businesses are now working strategically with working environment issues, though not all

Netherlands: Merger Code revision considered

The Netherlands’ Social and Economic Council (SER) established a commission in February 2014 to investigate whether it should revise rules that cover the merger or takeover of companies and unions’ rights to information and consultation during these processes. The commission is expected to give its


Blogs results (5)
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As we leave behind the lockdowns and business disruptions of COVID-19 and enter a ‘new normal’, it is time to talk about how workplaces might be transformed to drive innovation. Some may baulk at this suggestion, as we continue to grapple with the pandemic fallout, but crises have always been a crad

28 Meitheamh 2021
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COVID-19 has shown that some things can hit us out of the blue. The pandemic sent a shockwave through businesses all over the world and has brought massive changes to work organisation, internal communication and day-to-day operations for many companies. Doubtless, the depth of the pandemic’s impact

21 Meitheamh 2021
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The COVID-19 pandemic compelled governments to take exceptional measures to monitor and control the spread of the Coronavirus. Among them was the introduction in most EU Member States of tracking apps to gather data on citizens who have contracted the virus and to trace their contacts, a measure tha

13 Eanáir 2021
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According to the dictionary, an organisation is an organised group of people with a particular purpose. To achieve this purpose, tasks are divided between the members of the group, and the task of some of those people is to manage the others. Interestingly, whereas most tasks are allocated based on

27 Samhain 2020
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Motivated workers have higher levels of engagement, better health and are able to work longer. Improving motivation at work is therefore a key component in meeting the challenges of Europe’s ageing workforce and improving the EU’s long-term competitiveness on a global scale. This means that fosterin

20 Márta 2019
Data results (2)
24 Deireadh Fómhair 2023
Reference period:
9 Deireadh Fómhair 2023

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