Employee Participation on Work Environment in Food Processing Industry in Denmark & New Zealand‪.‬

Introduction A body of evidence indicates the impact of the work environment on organisational effectiveness as well as economic and social benefits of employment practices which contribute to employee well-ness and well-being (Doucouliagos 1995, Katz, Kochan & Weber 1985, Kopelman, Brief & Guzzo 1990, Quinlan et al. 2001, Oxenburgh et al. 2004, Wright et al. 2005, Theriou & Chatzoglou 2008). At the same time, substantial evidence over a long period suggests that employee participation and influence in decision-making in the workplace, impacts positively on the broader work environment (Arthur 1994, Delaney & Huselid 1996, Meyer & Topolnytsky 2000, Markey 2001). This in turn has an impact on labour turnover and absenteeism. Boxall et al. (2003) found that the propensity to leave a job was critically affected by the work environment and job satisfaction, and mitigated by feelings of empowerment and a sense that employee contributions are valued by employers.