ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the potential of European Union's (EU) regulatory impact to harmonise or converge member states' policies and practices in the areas of workplace innovation and job quality, vis-a-vis the reality of diversity in job quality indicators and outcomes across European countries. It considers the theoretical framing grounded in the micro–macro linkages in employment systems. The chapter also considers the key areas of EU regulation that are likely to have a substantial and direct impact on innovative HR practices. It explores evidence from the European Working Conditions Survey to chart the empirical trends in key areas of job quality across Europe. The chapter also examines indicators of skills utilisation and development, task discretion and autonomy, the physical environment, employee participation, absence of discrimination, and working time quality. It analyses the initial questions of how macro-level regulation interacts with workplace-level practices and whether there has been a convergence or 'Europeanisation' of human resources management (HRM) in different countries.
