S01E04 - Understanding and Managing Works Councils

Welcome to the Wild Side, a podcast that discusses the world of modern employee relations ten minutes at a time. In this episode, host Alan Wild discusses Works Councils and how to manage them. Alan is the Global Affairs Director of the HR Policy Association, the leading voice of chief human resources offices today.

Works councils have a long history. They exist largely in Europe and in different forms elsewhere, even in China. They are made up of either elected employee representatives, trade union representatives, or more commonly a mix of both. All Works Councils are not equal. But, in every country, they are the heart of introducing change at work.

Key Takeaways:

• A brief history of work councils. [:29]
• Looking at the global economic competitiveness and comparative labor flexibility of Denmark, the UK, Germany, France, and Spain. [2:28]
• Works Councils commonalities. [4:07]
• How works councils are triggered, who the members are, and what their powers are. [5:39]
• An example of the process a company must follow when working with a works council. [11:27]