Social-work theory and practice have always been closely related to the ideology and social context of the welfare state. A recent shift that has important consequences for European social work is the growing emphasis on the activation of people in poverty. For European countries, social work is challenged when confronted with the need to ‘activate’ people falling through the cracks of the labour market. In this article, we investigate the perceptions of social workers regarding activation. Furthermore, we analyse the organisational context to explain differences among social workers on how they activate their clients. The role of three organisational characteristics is central: participation in decision making, leadership and support from colleagues. We conduct qualitative research at a Belgian Public Centre of Social Welfare (PCSW). We interview social workers who provide financial support to social-assistance clients and try to facilitate the labour-market transition of social-assistance clients. The results show that an empowerment approach is emphasised by social workers experiencing a high degree of participation in decision making and support from their co-ordinator and colleagues. Social workers with a disciplinary approach to activation experience a less empowering work environment, less participation and less support from the co-ordinator and colleagues. These workers adopt fatalistic attitudes towards their job and clients.