European Company Survey 2013

The ECS 2013 covered topics such as work organisation, workplace innovation, HR practices, employee participation and social dialogue. The survey encompassed 32 countries in Europe and involved interviews with management representatives in 30,000 establishments and employee representatives in 9,000. The survey aimed to show that implementing certain combinations of workplace practices can have a positive effect on outcomes for both workers and companies.

The overview report Workplace practices – Patterns, performance and well-being, published in March 2015, offers a detailed guide as to how these practices have been discussed and negotiated at workplace level. Overall, the third ECS finds that establishments that use joint employee-management decision-making on daily tasks, have a moderately structured internal organisation, and make a small investment in HR management – while facilitating direct participation – score best both in terms of company performance and workplace well-being.

View the overview report and secondary analysis reports below.

The third ECS was implemented by Gallup Europe and covered a total of 32 countries (27 EU Member States and Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro and Turkey). The target sample size for all 32 countries was 29,950, ranging from 300 to 1,650 depending on the country size. Interviewing took place from February to May 2013 and, as for the previous survey editions, interviews were carried out by telephone with managers and employee representatives in the language(s) of the country.

Preparatory work on high performance workplaces and workplace social dialogue was carried out in the lead-up to the survey. See background papers below. 

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