QUALITY OF WORK LIFE
Contents
Introduction
Concepts
Objectives
Ways to achieve QWL
Significance
Importance
QWL major parts
Problems in QWL
Factors affecting
Career planning, potential appraisal, training and development
Trolls related to QWL
Case study
News
Research paper
conclusion
Quality of work life (QWL)
Q.W.L is the relationship between employees & total working
environment
A process by which an organization responds to employee needs
Varying from industry to industry
Quality of work life is any conscious effort for improving working
conditions, work content and its safety, security, wages and
benefits, etc.
Q.W.L can be said to be all the original inputs which aim at
improving the employees satisfaction and enhancing
organizational effectiveness.
Quality of Work Life- Origin of the concept
After Industrial Revolution, the importance of human factor
reduced because of the vast mechanization. Various
problems like job dissatisfaction, boredom, absenteeism,
lack of commitment etc came up.
Most management theories gave emphasis on production,
manipulating the skills of the employees.
Concept focus
Quality of work life is a concept which talks about
the overall focus on employee as a person rather
than just the work done by him/her. Quality of Work
Life is becoming an increasingly popular concept in
recent times. It basically talks about the methods in
which an organization can ensure the holistic well-
being of an employee instead of just focusing on
work-related aspects.
Introduction to Quality of Work Life (QWL):
Dissatisfaction with working life affects the workers
some time or another, regardless of position or status.
The frustration, boredom and anger common to
employees can be costly to both individuals and
organizations.
Managers seek to reduce job dissatisfaction at all
organizational levels, including their own. This is a
complex problem, however, because it is difficult to
isolate and identify the attributes which affect the quality
of working life.
Objectives
To create a Positive attitude
To increase productivity
To improve standard of living of the people
Ways to achieve quality of work life
1. Providing Job Security: If an employee is confident that his
job is secure, they are much more relaxed and can perform
better. It gives them a confidence that even if something
goes wrong by mistake, their job will not be at stake
2. Rewards and recognition: If an employee is awarded for a
good performance, its helps them to perform even better.
The leadership and top management must ensure
recognition of the efforts of subordinates. This is an
importance aspect of good governance as well.
3. Flexible work timings: Flexibility during working hours is
something which is appreciated by employees. This gives
employees a chance to do their work and also work on certain
important personal commitments. This significantly contributes
to improving the quality of work life for an employee.
Companies also promote a compressed work week concept.
4. Increased employee participation: Involving employees in
discussions, strategies & feedback is something which helps
increase the employees QWL & contribution towards a
particular role.
5. Open communication: Transparency between management
and employees & effective team management gives them
confidence as they are updated with the business and also feel
at ease being approachable
6. Career growth plans: Discussing the future of the employee
in the company, interesting aspects of the job, career
development etc are all appreciated by employees
7. Job enrichment: Companies which are able to enrich the job
with new tasks, better learning & training, more opportunities
etc are more likely to keep employees happy at work.
Quality of work life involves three major
parts:
1. Occupational health care: Safe work environment provides the basis for
people to enjoy his work. The work should not pose health hazards for the
employees.
2. Suitable working time: Companies should observe the number of working
hours and the standard limits on overtime, time of vacation and taking free
days before national holidays.
3. Appropriate salary: The employee and the employer agree upon
appropriate salary. The Government establishes the rate of minimum salary;
the employer should not pay less than that to the employee. Work
represents a role which a person has designated to himself. On the one
hand, work earns one’s living for the family, on the other hand, it is a self-
realization that provides enjoyment and satisfaction.
Significance of Good Work-life Quality:
1. Decrease absenteeism and increase turnover,
2. Less number of accidents,
3. Improved labor relations,
4. Employee personification,
5. Positive employee attitudes toward their work and the
company,
6. Increased productivity and intrinsic motivation,
7. Enhanced organizational effectiveness and competitive
advantage, and
8. Employees gain a high sense of control over their work.
importance
1. Enhance stakeholder relations and credibility
2. Increase productivity
3. Attraction and retention
4. Reduces absenteeism
5. Improve the quality of working lives
6. Matches people who would not otherwise work with jobs
7. Benefiting families and communities
8. Job involvement
9. Job satisfaction
10. Company reputation
The following aspects improve the QWL:
1. Recognition of work life issues:
2. Commitment to improvement:
3. Quality of work life teams: Work Life Teams = Managers +
Staff
4. Training to facilitators:
5. Conduct focus groups:
6. Analyze information from focus group:
7. Identify and implement improvement opportunities:
8. Flexible work hours:
9. Autonomy to work:
These problems may occur because
of:
1. Poor reward and recognition:
2. Dead-end jobs:
3. Managing by intimidation:
4. Negative working environment:
5. No job security:
6. Negative attitude:
Factor affecting Quality of work life
Democratic management practices are prevalent in the
organization.
When employees jobs are enriching
They are treated with dignity and safe working conditions
are present
Other equate Q.W.L with the impact of working conditions
on the employee’s well-being.
Countries that the practiced Q.W.L initially
Sweden
Denmark
Holland
Switzerland
Australia
USA
Companies practicing Q.W.L
General motors
Ford Motors with UAW
XEROX
IBM
BHEL
TISCO
TROLLS RELATED TO QUALITY OF WORK
LIFE
CASE STUDY ON WASION PUBLIC
LTD.
Wasion public ltd.
Known as welfare activities and employee oriented
schemes in manufacturing industry from more than ten
decade.
The company has one registered trade union and the
relationship between the trade union and the management
is very cordial.
The company employs more than 800 workers and 150
administrative staff and 80 management level employees.
Case Facts
Place : Waison Public Ltd.
The company is not a pay master in that industry.
No. of workers involved:- more than 800 workers.
Problems: like quality issues, mismatch in packing material
incorrect labeling of material not dispatching the material on
time etc.
The management views the case as there are loop holes in
the system of various departments act hand over the
responsibility to HR department to solve the issue.
Actions taken and solutions
Employee equality is not the need for every hour. In the
above said case Waison ltd. Provided all facilities to
employees at each grade in equal manner. But still the
employees started creating certain issues like materials are
meeting the quality supply schedules is not met etc and the
HR manger said that the policy of hiring new employees for
higher post without considering old potential employees is
the major problem.
CONCLUSION OF THE CASE STUDY
“Employee recognition VS Employee equality “ as the HR
manager states that employees are not been recognized for
the potential rather company has gone for new recruitment
because of which the company faces problems.
News
Fitness improves quality of work and life :Vice president of
India Venkaiah Naidu has stressed the need to create and
nurture the culture of innovation in every organization to
tap the individual and collective potential of employees.
Goodbye , work life balance ; Hello , work life harmony.
Research Paper
Quality of Work Life among employees is important as it entails
strong participation in many of the programs organized by
firms. Moreover, having quality work life will lead to better
well being of the workers and society. This study was
conducted at one of the largest factories in northern part of
Malaysia. With a respond rate of 70%, Pearson correlation
indicates that job satisfaction, job involvement and job security
have significant relationship with quality of work life. The
study contributes to the mainstream knowledge of the work life
study as it delineates the situation from the perspectives of
locals working in multinational firm.
Career Planning ,Potential Appraisal,
Training and Development
Career is progress or general course of action of a person in
some profession or in an organization . An individual’s career
signifies the position held by him throughout his work life.
Potential appraisal is a future oriented whose main goal is to
identify and evaluate the potential of the employees to achieve
their positions and responsibilities in the organization hierarchy.
Training is a process of learning sequence of programmed
behaviour.
Development is the upgradation of existing skills and
knowledge of an individual.
Conclusion
Quality work life basically is all about employee
involvement, which consists of methods to motivate
employees to participate in decision making . This help in
building in good relationship.
To retain a good talent , organization should have low stress
level and high quality of work life.
