In cooperation with the Vienna Chamber of Labour (AK Wien), St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences’ HCI team evaluated the information section for works council representatives on the Vienna Chamber of Labour’s website.
In cooperation with the Vienna Chamber of Labour, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences’ HCI team evaluated the information section for works council representatives on the Vienna Chamber of Labour’s website.

Austria’s Chambers of Labour are legal bodies that represent the interests of workers and consumers. As part of their service they provide information and training for works council representatives. Works council representatives are appointed to speak for and promote the economic, social, health-related and culturally-related interests of employees. Works council representatives who sit on their company’s supervisory board need specific information and training. As member of the supervisory board, they fulfil an expert role within a company. 

An evaluation of the information section for works council representatives on the Vienna Chamber of Labour’s website, focusing on the specific needs of the target group, is currently underway. 

It is addressing the following questions. 

• What information do works council representatives expect and need?
• For which situations, via which channels and in which cycles should this information be provided?
• How can useful and easy to find information be made available for works council representatives who sit on supervisory boards? 

Web analytics of data from the current site is being conducted to identify problem areas. In cooperation with the Vienna Chamber of Labour, the reasons for using the website and the significance of these reasons will be analysed. The web analytics results will be used to design an online survey to be completed by works council representatives and members of supervisory boards. The design process will involve the Vienna Chamber of Labour in order that ambiguities in interpreting the web analytics data can be resolved and the research team can gather additional information about the target group. Finally, two focus groups, each consisting of eight to ten people, will be conducted: one made up of works council representatives and the other made up of members of supervisory boards. The focus groups will be used to validate the conclusions of the first two stages of the process, and to identify specific needs the target group may have relating to the online information provided by the Vienna Chamber of Labour.