The Sixth Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS6)
The Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS) is the flagship survey of employment relations in Britain that collects data from employers, employee representatives and employees in a representative sample of workplaces. It has been undertaken five times in 1980, 1984, 1990, 1998 and 2004.
Fieldwork for the sixth WERS (WERS6) is currently underway and is expected to be completed by mid 2012.
WERS6 is co-sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), Acas, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). NIESR’s involvement is made possible through funding from the Nuffield Foundation.
The main objectives of WERS are:
- To map workplace employment relations in Britain and changes over time.
- To inform policy development and stimulate and inform debate and practice.
- To provide a comprehensive and statistically reliable dataset on British workplace employment relations, which is made publicly available and easily accessible.
The overall design of WERS6 is as follows:
- The aim is to achieve an overall sample of 2,500 workplaces, which will combine 1,700 workplaces that are new to the study and repeat interviews at 800 workplaces which were first surveyed in 2004.
- At each workplace, an interview with the most senior manager responsible for employment relations and personnel issues will be conducted. A self-completion survey on financial performance will be distributed to all trading sector workplaces.
- An interview with one trade union employee representative and one non-trade union representative where present (approximately 900 interviews are anticipated).
- A self-completion survey with a representative group of up to 25 employees, randomly selected from each workplace participating in the study (approximately 23,000 completed surveys are expected).
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The study will continue to collect information in a number of areas 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
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WERS6 Instruments
There are five instruments in total, all of which are available to download:
WERS6: Key dates
| Key Milestone |
Timing |
| Main fieldwork |
mid - 2012 |
| First findings booklet published |
winter - 2012/13 |
| Data deposited at the UK Data Archive and technical report published |
winter - 2012/13 |
| Publication of WERS6 book |
winter - 2013/14 |
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Report on the WERS6 Consultation Exercise, 2010
The sponsors conducted a consultation in February to March 2010, amongst WERS users on the content of the next survey. BIS and Acas led the consultation across government and with social partners and practitioners. ESRC led a parallel consultation with academic users. The other sponsors, UKCES and NIESR, fed into the consultation process and considered the evidence assembled. The consultation concluded in April 2010 and a report can be found below.
Report on the Consultation for the 6th Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS6) (PDF, 226 Kb)
Further information
Should you require further information about WERS6 please contact:
Dr Brigid van Wanrooy
WERS6 Project Leader
Employment Relations Directorate (3rd Floor, Abbey 1)
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET
Tel: 020 7215 5890
email: brigid.vanwanrooy@bis.gsi.gov.uk
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