The 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey Basic Workforce Sheet
Creators
Department of Trade and Industry
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
Subjects
Employment
Skills
Health
Description
The WERS 98 cross-section survey contains data from interviews held with managers and worker representatives, as well as information from a self-completion questionnaire which employees in the selected workplace were invited to complete. The sample covered British workplaces with at least 10 employees.
Managers participating in the survey were usually the most senior manager at the workplace with responsibility for employment relations. They were asked mainly factual questions covering a wide range of issues that deal with the employment relationship. Some examples include: recruitment and training; consultation and communication; worker representation; payment systems; equal opportunities; health and safety; flexibility and performance; change; and attitudes to work. The cross-sectional management questionnaire for this survey also comprises Wave 1 of the Workplace Employee Relations Survey, 2004: Panel Survey, 1998-2004 (WERS 2004). Wave 2 of the 1998-2004 panel is held with the rest of the WERS 2004 data under SN 5294.
Worker representatives were interviewed where there was a lay representative of a recognised union at the workplace or, if there was no recognised union, with the senior employee representative of any joint consultative committee operating at the workplace. An interview was only conducted with the permission of management. Representatives were asked about the duties they performed when dealing with management and employees.
Employees were randomly selected by the interviewer from a list of all employees provided by the management respondent. A maximum of 25 employees were selected, however, in workplaces with fewer than 25 employees, all were asked to complete the questionnaire. Questions asked were predominantly concerned with the employees attitudes and impressions of work covering issues such as satisfaction and commitment.
Publishers
United Kingdom Data Service
Contributors
Economic and Social Research Council
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
Policy Studies Institute
Department of Trade and Industry
Social and Community Planning Research