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Chapter 3: The future of work in Europe: job quality and work organisation for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth
WALQING project: Work and Life
indicators/dimensions thereof. On disseminate good-practice examples
one hand, it concentrates on what is Quality in New and Growing aimed at improving working conditions
found in the labour codes, employment Jobs( 120 ) beyond their national, company-spe-
laws/guidelines, government plans, cific or sectoral contexts. In particu-
-
trade union strategies, NGO agenFunded by the European Union’s Seventh lar, the approach involves interviews
das and academic works with regard Framework Programme (FP7-SSH) from with representatives of key stake-
to job quality. Additionally, it tries to 2009–2012 and involving 11 European holders about the emergence of low-
understand the attitudes of employees partners, the Walqing project investi- quality jobs and vulnerable groups in
towards work and explain cleavages gated the linkages between new and the selected sectors and policy docu-
between ‘collective’ views expressed expanding jobs, the conditions of work ments reviewed. It developed and dis-
in the employment programmes/ and employment in these jobs, and the seminated strategies for improving
labour law and those expressed by the outcomes for employees’ quality of unhealthy or dysfunctional working
employees themselves. work and life. It did so by integrating conditions to foster mutual learning
several analytical levels and research and dialogue among stakeholders ( 122 ).
The project has already published a paradigms. In particular, research in Pillar 3 explored the practices of work
state-of-the-art report on job qual Walqing is divided into three pillars: organisation, HRM strategies, contrac-
-
ity ( 118 ). The countries covered are Spain, 1. Data analysis — Employment growth, tual relations and working conditions,
Hungary, Slovakia and the United King- quality of work and quality of life in by means of 53 in-depth case studies
dom (two ‘old’ and two ‘new’ Member Europe; 2. Stakeholder involvement in companies.
States). More recently, the project fin- — Comparative institutional analysis
ished its comparative qualitative (‘quasi- and action research; and 3. Qualitative The research focused on five sectors
anthropological’) research ( 119 ), in which research — Organisational strategies, with substantial growth potential in
it finds the mainstream ‘postmaterial- vulnerability and individual agency. quantity & quality of jobs: Commercial
ist’ academic discourses on good jobs Cleaning, Contract Catering, Green Con-
(mainly obtained from quantitative sur- Under the first pillar, in-depth analyses struction, Mobile Elderly Care and Waste
veys) quite distant from the preoccupa- of the most important European data Management. Moreover, these sectors
tions of the workers interviewed in these sources, such as EU-LFS, EWCS, EU- address basic human needs and are dif-
four countries. Researchers appeared SILC and ESQL were used to identify ficult to delocalise. The main findings
to observe a ‘retraditionalisation’ of ‘new and growing’ jobs and to assess and recommendations were summa-
employment preferences (security-ori- the quality of jobs and life in these rised in five sectoral brochures on good
ented: full-time work with permanent growth areas, particularly with regard working practices and social dialogue
contracts and appropriate wages) and to jobs with problematic working condi- issues ( 123 ). This included an analysis of
found sectoral and company type fea- tions in the service and manufacturing particularly vulnerable groups, such as
tures to be more defining for job quality industries ( ). Pillar 2 performed insti- young workers, older workers, migrants
121
124
than the national contexts. tutional analysis and action research to and some groups of women ( ).
120
( ) http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=2 ( ) See for example ‘Synthesis report on sector
122
( ) Key final reports include: ‘Comparative specifics in stakeholder policies and quality
121
analysis of employment expansion and of work and life’, available at
( ) Kovacs with Hilbert, Veselkova and Virag (2012) of job characteristics in selected business http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=32
118
functions’, ‘Comparative analyses of job
123
( ) ‘Travelling back in time? Job Quality in quality in new growth jobs’, and ‘Secondary ( ) Available at: http://ww.walqing.eu/webresource
119
Europe as seen from below’, Kovacs with analysis on working conditions and quality of ( ) See for example ‘Integrated report on
124
Hilbert, Veselkova and Virag (2014) — life’ (all available at http://www.walqing.eu/ organisational case studies’, available at:
http://www.neujobs.eu/ index.php?id=29). http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=34
177
WALQING project: Work and Life
indicators/dimensions thereof. On disseminate good-practice examples
one hand, it concentrates on what is Quality in New and Growing aimed at improving working conditions
found in the labour codes, employment Jobs( 120 ) beyond their national, company-spe-
laws/guidelines, government plans, cific or sectoral contexts. In particu-
-
trade union strategies, NGO agenFunded by the European Union’s Seventh lar, the approach involves interviews
das and academic works with regard Framework Programme (FP7-SSH) from with representatives of key stake-
to job quality. Additionally, it tries to 2009–2012 and involving 11 European holders about the emergence of low-
understand the attitudes of employees partners, the Walqing project investi- quality jobs and vulnerable groups in
towards work and explain cleavages gated the linkages between new and the selected sectors and policy docu-
between ‘collective’ views expressed expanding jobs, the conditions of work ments reviewed. It developed and dis-
in the employment programmes/ and employment in these jobs, and the seminated strategies for improving
labour law and those expressed by the outcomes for employees’ quality of unhealthy or dysfunctional working
employees themselves. work and life. It did so by integrating conditions to foster mutual learning
several analytical levels and research and dialogue among stakeholders ( 122 ).
The project has already published a paradigms. In particular, research in Pillar 3 explored the practices of work
state-of-the-art report on job qual Walqing is divided into three pillars: organisation, HRM strategies, contrac-
-
ity ( 118 ). The countries covered are Spain, 1. Data analysis — Employment growth, tual relations and working conditions,
Hungary, Slovakia and the United King- quality of work and quality of life in by means of 53 in-depth case studies
dom (two ‘old’ and two ‘new’ Member Europe; 2. Stakeholder involvement in companies.
States). More recently, the project fin- — Comparative institutional analysis
ished its comparative qualitative (‘quasi- and action research; and 3. Qualitative The research focused on five sectors
anthropological’) research ( 119 ), in which research — Organisational strategies, with substantial growth potential in
it finds the mainstream ‘postmaterial- vulnerability and individual agency. quantity & quality of jobs: Commercial
ist’ academic discourses on good jobs Cleaning, Contract Catering, Green Con-
(mainly obtained from quantitative sur- Under the first pillar, in-depth analyses struction, Mobile Elderly Care and Waste
veys) quite distant from the preoccupa- of the most important European data Management. Moreover, these sectors
tions of the workers interviewed in these sources, such as EU-LFS, EWCS, EU- address basic human needs and are dif-
four countries. Researchers appeared SILC and ESQL were used to identify ficult to delocalise. The main findings
to observe a ‘retraditionalisation’ of ‘new and growing’ jobs and to assess and recommendations were summa-
employment preferences (security-ori- the quality of jobs and life in these rised in five sectoral brochures on good
ented: full-time work with permanent growth areas, particularly with regard working practices and social dialogue
contracts and appropriate wages) and to jobs with problematic working condi- issues ( 123 ). This included an analysis of
found sectoral and company type fea- tions in the service and manufacturing particularly vulnerable groups, such as
tures to be more defining for job quality industries ( ). Pillar 2 performed insti- young workers, older workers, migrants
121
124
than the national contexts. tutional analysis and action research to and some groups of women ( ).
120
( ) http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=2 ( ) See for example ‘Synthesis report on sector
122
( ) Key final reports include: ‘Comparative specifics in stakeholder policies and quality
121
analysis of employment expansion and of work and life’, available at
( ) Kovacs with Hilbert, Veselkova and Virag (2012) of job characteristics in selected business http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=32
118
functions’, ‘Comparative analyses of job
123
( ) ‘Travelling back in time? Job Quality in quality in new growth jobs’, and ‘Secondary ( ) Available at: http://ww.walqing.eu/webresource
119
Europe as seen from below’, Kovacs with analysis on working conditions and quality of ( ) See for example ‘Integrated report on
124
Hilbert, Veselkova and Virag (2014) — life’ (all available at http://www.walqing.eu/ organisational case studies’, available at:
http://www.neujobs.eu/ index.php?id=29). http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=34
177
