Under pressure to provide increasingly flexible work arrangements, leverage artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and wade into contentious social issues, how are European employers responding?

Littler’s sixth annual European Employer Survey – completed by 780 human resources executives, in-house attorneys and business leaders – investigates this critical question, exploring how today’s employers are responding to widespread shifts in workplace management, policy and culture.

This year’s report finds that flexible work models are here to stay. The breakdown between in-person and remote work has remained steady since last year’s survey, with 30% of organisations now requiring fully in-person work and the majority (58%) offering a hybrid model. Some employers are going even further in their flexible arrangements, be it considering a four-day workweek or allowing employees to work remotely from different countries.

The survey also looks at how European employers are incorporating AI tools into HR functions. While most organisations (61%) report using predictive AI tools – such as for recruiting and hiring – and 59% report using generative AI for HR purposes, there is a meaningful contingent declining to use such tools at all.

Marking another key shift, workplace legal issues are commanding more attention at the leadership level, with 64% of respondents reporting that such issues are increasingly viewed as areas with potentially high-stakes consequences. Among them: managing differing social and political beliefs in the workplace, new regulatory directives regarding pay transparency and whistleblower protections, and employee privacy and data security.

The survey report also includes comparisons between U.S. and European employers where applicable and breaks out country-specific analyses for Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the U.K.

View Littler's 2023 European Employer Survey Report

Disclaimer
The survey questions and their resulting findings cover issues that are governed by differing rules from European governments and certain actions may not be permissible depending on the country. The content does not convey or constitute legal advice, nor is it intended to be acted upon as such.