A Study On Quality Of Work Life: Key Elements & It’s Implications

Abstract
The Quality of Work Life refers to all the organizational inputs that aim at the employees’ satisfaction and
enhancing organizational effectiveness. In the present business scenario, the success of the organisation is
depending on the employee performance. Thus, studying the concepts related to quality of work life has
become essential. Hence the following article deals with the issue of the quality of work life and its impact
on work performance. The aim is to determine the importance assigned to individual factors of the working
life quality (QWL) in terms of their potential impact on the individual performance of various groups of
workers. The basic purpose is to study the jobs and working conditions that are important for employees as
well as economic health of organization. This article also finds the understanding the level of satisfaction,
motivation, commitment and involvement an individual experience with respect to their line at the work and
the satisfaction derived from the work.
Keywords: Quality of work life, Performance, Work satisfaction, Motivation, Job Security

INTRODUCTION
Quality of Work Life is the existence of a certain set of organizational conditions or practices. This
definition frequently argues that a high quality of work life exists when democratic management practices
are used, employee’s jobs are enriched, employees are treated with dignity and safe working conditions
exist. In recent years the phrase “Quality of life” has been used with increasing frequency to describe
certain environmental and humanistic values neglected by industrial productivity and economic growth.
Within business organizations attention has been focused on the Quality of human experience in the work
place. At the same time many firms have questioned their viability in increasingly competitive world
markets. These dual concerns have created a growing interest in the possibilities of redesigning the nature of
work. Many current organizational experiments seek to improve both productivity for the organization and
the quality of working life for its members.
Quality can be assessed by factors like performance, reliability, aesthetics, and complying with
customer requirements. Quality refers to “freedom from wastage, freedom from trouble and freedom from
failure”.
Quality of Work Life refers to the level of satisfaction, motivation, involvement and commitment
individuals experience with respect to their lives at work.
Quality of Work Life is the degree to which individuals are able to satisfy their important personal
needs while employed by the firm. Companies interested in enhancing employees Quality of Work Life
generally try to instill in employees the feelings of security, equity, pride, internal democracy, ownership,
autonomy, responsibility and flexibility. They try to treat employees in a fair and supportive manner, open
communication channels at all levels, offer employees opportunities to participate in decisions affecting
them and empower them to carry on with their assignments. It has also been associated with organizational
changes aimed at increasing the levels of job widening (greater horizontal task flexibility) and job
enrichment (greater vertical task flexibility including the taking on of new responsibilities including those
formerly undertaken by supervisory or managerial personnel). Crucially, the idea is that of attaining higher
levels of involvement and thereby motivation by improving the attractiveness of the work itself rather than
through improving the terms and conditions of work (Hertzberg). Quality of life phenomena explored in
early studies included job satisfaction (measured by employee turnover, absenteeism or attitude surveys),
organizational climate and the learning of new tasks.
Literature Review
The concept of Quality of Work Life (QWL) focuses on studying and analyzing the contents and processes
that management implement to provide employees with the best of career life in order to improve
organizational performance and satisfy workers’ needs and wants. According to several researchers, QWL is
a comprehensive program that focuses on work conditions and environment in a given organization to
improve job satisfaction among employees. It looks at employees as assets rather than a cost to the
organizations. Thus, its main purpose is to “develop work environment that are excellent for employees as
well as for organization”. Earlier researchers mentioned that this terminology was first used in 1972 during
an international industrial relations conference. However, Tabassum et al., said it was introduced at the
Forty-Third American Assembly on the Changing World of Work at Columbia University’s Arden House.
Since then, it has developed approaches like the Re-engineering HR technique, which appeared during
1990s. The authors related the growth of QWL importance to the prosperity of the community, suggesting
that greater worker prosperity corresponded to greater expectations to have satisfied and meaningful jobs.
QWL contains provision of workers with the opportunities to take any decisions related to their jobs,
workplace designs, and materials they need to produce their final products or services. Therefore, Quality of
Work Life referred to securing good work environment and supervision, salary, wages, fringe benefits and
compensations, appropriate job importance and challenges, and supporting good relationships among
employees in order to provide workers with enough opportunities to influence their jobs and participate
effectively at the organization. On the other hand, low levels of QWL create problems for organizations
since theyaffect all employees in different positions. Furthermore, some authors believed that QWL affects
not only work life but several social life domains as well. Also, Horst et al., found that both work and non-
work factors influence QWL.
Definition

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 organisation can ensure the holistic well-being of an
employee instead of just focusing on work-related aspects.
Objectives of Quality of Work Life:
 To increase in individual productivity, accountability and commitment.
 For better teamwork and communication.
 For improving the morale of employees.
 To reduce organizational stress.
 To improve relationships both on and off the job.
 To improve the safety working conditions.
 To provide adequate Human Resource Development Programs.
 To improve employee satisfaction.
 To strengthen workplace learning.
 To better manage on-going change and transition.
 To participate in management at all levels in shaping the organization.
Research methodology
A Research is a careful investigation or inquiry; especially through search for new facts in any branch of
knowledge. It is a systemized effort to gain more knowledge. ‘Research methodology is a way to
systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is
done scientifically. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research methods or technique but
also the methodology. Researcheralways needs to understand the assumption underline various technique
and they need to know the criteria by which they can decide that certain technique and procedures will be
applicable to certain problems and other will not. It explained about the nature of research work to be done
such as descriptive nature of research, which is used in this study.
The researcher has adopted descriptive research design for the purpose of this survey. Descriptive studies
are those studies which is concerned with describing the characteristics of a particular individual, or of a
group

Importance of Quality of Work Life:
Improved Quality of Work Life was not considered as important factor in India until recently as there
were important impending factors like resource deficiency, environmental threats and some services of
financial problems.
Quality of Work Life program has become important in work place for the following reasons:
1. Increase demands at work
2. Loss of long term employee guarantees
3. The need for enhanced work place skills
4. Greater competition for talent
5. Increased women in work force
Good quality of Work Life leads to an atmosphere of good impersonal relations and highly motivated
employees who strive for their development. Though monetary benefits still occupy the first place in the
cost of elements like physical working conditions, job restructuring and job re-designing, career
development, promotional opportunities etc. are gaining importance rapidly. As such, workers expect the
management to improve all these facilities which thereby improve Quality of Work life. If provided with
good Quality of Work Life, employees concentrate more on both individual as well as group development
which in turn leads to overall development.
About QWL Strategy:
• Improve communication with employees
• Strengthen family friendly programs
• Provide all employees with Internet access
• Increase investment in workplace learning
• Improve the effectiveness of supervisors and team leaders
• Evaluate the effectiveness of diversity management practices and
• Improve ability to manage change and transition
The programs, policies and services through Quality of Work life Programs:
 Support faculty and staff efforts to manage the competing demands of work and personal life
  Support health promotions and wellness
 Express appreciation for faculty and staff contribution to the university, highlight outstanding
individual contributions and recognize long term commitment.
Quality of Work Life as a process:
The concept of Quality of Work Life views a work as a process of interaction and joint problem solving by
work in people, managers, supervisors and workers.
This process is:
i. Co-operative rather than authoritarian
ii. Evolutionary and changing rather than static
iii. Open rather than rigid
iv. Informal rather than rule based
v. Problem solving
Quality of Work life programme has become important in the work place for the following reasons:
o Increased women in work force
o Increased male involvement in dependant care activities
o Increased responsibilities for elders
o Increased demand at work
o Loss of long term employment guarantees
o The need for enhanced work place skills
o Greater competition for talent
The following are the some of the specific issues in Quality of Work life
o Pay and stability of employment
o Occupational stress
o Organizational health programme
o Alternative work schedules
o Participative management and control of work
o Recognition
o Grievance procedure
o Adequacy of resources
o Seniority and merit in promotions
Problems of implementing Quality of Work Life programmes:
Bohlander has identified three common problems of implementing Quality of Work Life programme. The
three areas are:
 Managerial attitudes
 Union influence
 Restrictiveness of industrial engineering

Strategies to improve Quality of Work Life:

By implementing some changes, the management can create sense of involvement, commitment and togetherness
among the employees which paves way for better Quality of Work Life.
a. Job enrichment and Job redesign
b. Autonomous work redesign
 c. Opportunity for growth
d. Administrative or organizational justice
e. Job security
f. Suggestion system
g. Flexibility in work schedules
h. Employee participation
Quality of Work life improvements are defined as any activity which takes place at every level of an organization
which seeks greater organizational effectiveness through the enhancement of human dignity and growth. A
process through which the state holders in the organization, management, unions and employees - learn how to
work together better to determine for themselves what actions, changes and improvements are desirable and
workable in order to achieve the win and simultaneous goals of an improved quality of life at work for all
members of the organization and greater effectiveness for both the company and the unions.
Conclusion
Every organization has to satisfy some of the basic needs and demands of its employees because the
satisfied and motivated employees are the source of achieving the organizational goals and objectives. In
order to use the maximum potential of the human resource, the organization has to provide them with
the best quality of their working life. Therefore, every organization needs to update and improve the
quality of work life of the employees.

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