The 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS)
Sixth employment relations survey of a representative sample of 2,680 British workplaces between March 2011 and June 2012.
Applies to England and Wales
Documents
Details
The 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study (also known as WERS6) is the sixth survey in a series of national surveys of employment relations at the workplace level.
Further information on the 2011 study including methodological details can be found on the WERs 2011 website.
It contains data from a representative sample of 2,680 British workplaces collected from:
- 2,680 workplace managers responsible for employment relations and personnel
- 1,002 worker representatives
- 21,981 employees
Reporting
The 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study: first findings report was published on 23 January 2013.
An updated version of the report with revised data was completed in July 2014.
Accompanying the book and first findings are the underlying tables and further breakdown of key data items across workplace size, industry, sector and union recognition. The 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS) transparency data includes:
- 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study standard comparison tables
- parts 1, 2 and 3 of the underlying data to the first findings
Key outputs and dates
| Key milestone | Timing |
|---|---|
| Main fieldwork | mid - 2012 |
| Publication of ‘The 2011 Workplace Employment Relations: first findings report’ | 23 January 2013 |
| 2011 WERS data made available to the public through the UK Data Archive | February 2013 |
| Publication of the book ‘Employment relations in the shadow of recession: findings from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study’ (ISBN 978-1-137-27576-9, Palgrave Macmillan) | 25 November 2013 |
Design of the 2011 WERS
At each workplace, an interview was conducted with the most senior manager responsible for employment relations and personnel issues. A self-completion questionnaire was distributed before the interview to collect information on the basic characteristics of the workforce, and a second questionnaire was given to all trading sector workplaces at the end of the interview to collect data on financial performance.
At workplaces with worker representatives, the manager was asked for consent to interview one trade union employee representative and one non-trade union representative.
Also with the manager’s consent, self-completion questionnaires were distributed to a randomly selected representative sample of up to 25 employees.
The 2011 WERS covers key aspects of employment relations, including:
- establishment and organisational characteristics
- management of employment relations
- recruitment and training
- information, consultation and communication
- employee representation
- payment systems and pay determination
- collective disputes and procedures
- redundancies, grievance and discipline
- equal opportunities
- work-life balance and well-being
- health and safety
- flexibility and performance
- business strategy and workplace change
- employee engagement and job satisfaction
2011 WERS instruments
There are 5 instruments in total, all of which are available to download:
- Employee profile questionnaire (EPQ) – self-completion questionnaire given to the manager respondent prior to the interview
- Management questionnaire (MQ) – face-to-face interview with the most senior manager responsible for staff and employment relations at the workplace
- Financial performance questionnaire (FPQ) – self-completion questionnaire distributed after the management interview
- Worker representative questionnaire (WRQ) – face-to-face or telephone interview with the most senior representative of the largest recognised (or if none present, non-recognised) trade-union and most senior non-union representative at the workplace
- Survey of employees questionnaire (SEQ) – self-completion questionnaire distributed to up to 25 employees in the workplace
Report on the 2011 WERS consultation exercise
At the preliminary stages of the 2011 WERS, the sponsors conducted a consultation on the content of the next survey. The consultation report was published in August 2010 and is available to download.
Further Information about the 2011 WERS
For further information contact:
Helen Wrathall
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
1 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0ET
Tel: 0207 215 1255
Email: helen.wrathall@beis.gov.uk or wers@beis.gov.uk
Updates to this page
Published 23 January 2013Last updated 28 July 2014 + show all updates
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4th edition of 'The 2011 Workplace Employment Relations: first findings report' published
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WERS 2011 first findings report published
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First published.