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Chapter 3: The future of work in Europe: job quality and work organisation for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
Box 5: Work organisation and earnings distribution on the team spirit of the workforce. The
impact of this on productivity is unclear.
Work organisation, including worker-worker and worker-employer interactions as
well as workplace learning, is also an important driver of enterprises’ productivity While future technological developments
and distribution of factor income (e.g. Aghion et al., 1999). As further technological will create important opportunities to
-
progress strengthens communication and information flows, a less hierarchical improve the EU’s innovation capac
(more organic) structure of work organisation will likely emerge. This may give ity, realising and benefiting from this
rise to fewer specialised tasks supervised by middle management, and to more potential calls for workplace innovations
multitasking within teams. Such team work may then give rise to knowledge that depend on the consensual effort of
and learning externalities that give an extra boost to productivity from which employees and employers. In this con-
all team players may benefit via higher earnings (if profits are not extracted by text, future workplace change should
‘team leaders’). foster workers’ engagement, promote
social dialogue helping to align employ-
However, as transaction costs decrease facilitating outsourcing, a stronger skill- ers’ and employees’ objectives and moti-
segregation between enterprises may emerge (e.g., low-skilled employment in vation, address new challenges in office
McDonald’s Inc. versus high-skilled employment in Google Inc.), leading to stronger and workflow design such as information
earnings parity among workers within enterprises but to stronger earnings disper - overload and distractions, and give work-
sion between workers of different enterprises. ers more responsibilities and autonomy.
As knowledge and autonomy become
5.4.1. More autonomy In this context, an important policy would more important, more attention should be
and responsibility for workers be to facilitate the creation of EU-wide plat - paid to the challenges faced by Learning
may strengthen the EU’s forms that allow employees and employers organisation (as described in Section 5.3).
innovation capacity but also to exchange experiences in developing and
increase polarisation implementing solutions related to produc - 5.5. Fostering workers’
tion and work organisation. The specific engagement
Technology change will provide oppor- characteristics of such platforms will vary
tunities to strengthen firms’ innovation between production entities and may take It is often said that ‘an organisation’s
capacity. Future developments in ICT place at European or national level. They greatest asset is its people’. But this is
(e.g. an expansion of cloud computing) can promote the exchange of experiences, only likely to be true if and when they
will increase the potential for virtual work- help identify best practices, monitor their are committed to their job. Studies on
places with workers who are physically implementation, assess their impact on the current shape of modern work-
located in different places (including their productivity and identify social implications. places, such as Gallup’s ‘Q12’ survey ( )
91
own home) interacting in real time. Such (which, it should be noted, covers only
developments may give workers more Continuous change in work organisation United States workers), suggest that
autonomy and responsibility and allow for may discourage individuals from staying as little as one third of workers show
better reconciliation of work and family life. in employment, especially older workers high engagement at work and a further
As such, these changes in work organisa- and workers with disabilities notably if third of workers are ‘not engaged’, while
tion may strengthen the opportunities to low-skilled, and may adversely affect the another third are ‘actively disengaged’.
make full use of existing knowledge, with commitment of the other workers. Moreo -
the potential to generate new knowledge ver, greater flexibility may lead to further Gallup’s employee engagement index is
with new products and processes, or new polarisation in the labour market with core based on worker responses to 12 pol-
applications of existing knowledge. Such workers remaining/being employed under icy-relevant workplace elements with
developments may also strengthen labour attractive contractual arrangements (albeit proven linkages to performance out-
market participation, notably of older work - with increased work intensity ( ), and with comes, including: productivity; cus-
90
ers and workers with disabilities or family other workers (such as temporary contract tomer service; quality; retention; safety;
responsibilities, and may become the pri- workers, hired self-employed or other forms and profit (Gallup 2013). Workplaces
mary driver of productivity growth for the of flexible contracts) acting as a buffer to where workers score low in that sur-
resource-poor, skills-rich EU. accommodate the increased flexibility. vey suffer from lower productivity, are
Appelbaum et al. (2011) estimate that As stated, innovation may render tasks ( ) The questions are:
91
a positive workplace environment and prac - obsolete and skills obsolescence may 1. Do you know what is expected of you at
work?
tices that develop employees’ knowledge accelerate to the extent that access to 2. Do you have the materials and equipment
you need to do your work right?
and ability to create value may increase learning opportunities is not equitably dis - 3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do
what you do best every day?
productivity by 15 % to 30 % (taking tributed, thus reinforcing ongoing polari- 4. In the last seven days, have you received
account of specific characteristics of indus - sation. Technology may also make task 5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work,
recognition or praise for doing good work?
tries and occupations). Therefore, it will be outsourcing easier, reducing job security, seem to care about you as a person?
important actively to engage employees in especially for low-skilled workers. In addi - 6. Is there someone at work who encourages
your development?
identifying and developing solutions, while tion, virtual workplaces are expected to 7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?
8. Does the purpose of your organisation
allowing them to participate in the imple - lead to more fragmented task organisa- make you feel your job is important?
mentation of work innovations so that they tion, which may have an adverse impact 9. Are your colleagues committed to doing
quality work?
become more receptive to change (e.g. Tot - 10. Do you have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at
90
terdill, 2014; Dhondt and Totterdill, 2014). ( ) Which is not necessarily related to 12. In the last year, have you had opportunities
work talked to you about your progress?
a decrease of job quality, as discussed in
section 3. at work to learn and grow?
163
Box 5: Work organisation and earnings distribution on the team spirit of the workforce. The
impact of this on productivity is unclear.
Work organisation, including worker-worker and worker-employer interactions as
well as workplace learning, is also an important driver of enterprises’ productivity While future technological developments
and distribution of factor income (e.g. Aghion et al., 1999). As further technological will create important opportunities to
-
progress strengthens communication and information flows, a less hierarchical improve the EU’s innovation capac
(more organic) structure of work organisation will likely emerge. This may give ity, realising and benefiting from this
rise to fewer specialised tasks supervised by middle management, and to more potential calls for workplace innovations
multitasking within teams. Such team work may then give rise to knowledge that depend on the consensual effort of
and learning externalities that give an extra boost to productivity from which employees and employers. In this con-
all team players may benefit via higher earnings (if profits are not extracted by text, future workplace change should
‘team leaders’). foster workers’ engagement, promote
social dialogue helping to align employ-
However, as transaction costs decrease facilitating outsourcing, a stronger skill- ers’ and employees’ objectives and moti-
segregation between enterprises may emerge (e.g., low-skilled employment in vation, address new challenges in office
McDonald’s Inc. versus high-skilled employment in Google Inc.), leading to stronger and workflow design such as information
earnings parity among workers within enterprises but to stronger earnings disper - overload and distractions, and give work-
sion between workers of different enterprises. ers more responsibilities and autonomy.
As knowledge and autonomy become
5.4.1. More autonomy In this context, an important policy would more important, more attention should be
and responsibility for workers be to facilitate the creation of EU-wide plat - paid to the challenges faced by Learning
may strengthen the EU’s forms that allow employees and employers organisation (as described in Section 5.3).
innovation capacity but also to exchange experiences in developing and
increase polarisation implementing solutions related to produc - 5.5. Fostering workers’
tion and work organisation. The specific engagement
Technology change will provide oppor- characteristics of such platforms will vary
tunities to strengthen firms’ innovation between production entities and may take It is often said that ‘an organisation’s
capacity. Future developments in ICT place at European or national level. They greatest asset is its people’. But this is
(e.g. an expansion of cloud computing) can promote the exchange of experiences, only likely to be true if and when they
will increase the potential for virtual work- help identify best practices, monitor their are committed to their job. Studies on
places with workers who are physically implementation, assess their impact on the current shape of modern work-
located in different places (including their productivity and identify social implications. places, such as Gallup’s ‘Q12’ survey ( )
91
own home) interacting in real time. Such (which, it should be noted, covers only
developments may give workers more Continuous change in work organisation United States workers), suggest that
autonomy and responsibility and allow for may discourage individuals from staying as little as one third of workers show
better reconciliation of work and family life. in employment, especially older workers high engagement at work and a further
As such, these changes in work organisa- and workers with disabilities notably if third of workers are ‘not engaged’, while
tion may strengthen the opportunities to low-skilled, and may adversely affect the another third are ‘actively disengaged’.
make full use of existing knowledge, with commitment of the other workers. Moreo -
the potential to generate new knowledge ver, greater flexibility may lead to further Gallup’s employee engagement index is
with new products and processes, or new polarisation in the labour market with core based on worker responses to 12 pol-
applications of existing knowledge. Such workers remaining/being employed under icy-relevant workplace elements with
developments may also strengthen labour attractive contractual arrangements (albeit proven linkages to performance out-
market participation, notably of older work - with increased work intensity ( ), and with comes, including: productivity; cus-
90
ers and workers with disabilities or family other workers (such as temporary contract tomer service; quality; retention; safety;
responsibilities, and may become the pri- workers, hired self-employed or other forms and profit (Gallup 2013). Workplaces
mary driver of productivity growth for the of flexible contracts) acting as a buffer to where workers score low in that sur-
resource-poor, skills-rich EU. accommodate the increased flexibility. vey suffer from lower productivity, are
Appelbaum et al. (2011) estimate that As stated, innovation may render tasks ( ) The questions are:
91
a positive workplace environment and prac - obsolete and skills obsolescence may 1. Do you know what is expected of you at
work?
tices that develop employees’ knowledge accelerate to the extent that access to 2. Do you have the materials and equipment
you need to do your work right?
and ability to create value may increase learning opportunities is not equitably dis - 3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do
what you do best every day?
productivity by 15 % to 30 % (taking tributed, thus reinforcing ongoing polari- 4. In the last seven days, have you received
account of specific characteristics of indus - sation. Technology may also make task 5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work,
recognition or praise for doing good work?
tries and occupations). Therefore, it will be outsourcing easier, reducing job security, seem to care about you as a person?
important actively to engage employees in especially for low-skilled workers. In addi - 6. Is there someone at work who encourages
your development?
identifying and developing solutions, while tion, virtual workplaces are expected to 7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?
8. Does the purpose of your organisation
allowing them to participate in the imple - lead to more fragmented task organisa- make you feel your job is important?
mentation of work innovations so that they tion, which may have an adverse impact 9. Are your colleagues committed to doing
quality work?
become more receptive to change (e.g. Tot - 10. Do you have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at
90
terdill, 2014; Dhondt and Totterdill, 2014). ( ) Which is not necessarily related to 12. In the last year, have you had opportunities
work talked to you about your progress?
a decrease of job quality, as discussed in
section 3. at work to learn and grow?
163
