QUALITY OF WORK LIFE

SUBMITTED TO : MR. AMAN KHERA HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SUBMITTED BY : HARSHMEET SINGH HARSH BANSAL JIJI ABRAHAM

DEFINITION :
Robbins defined QWL as a process by which an organisation responds to employee needs by developing mechanisms to allow them to share fully in making decisions that design their lives at WORK.

MEANING
QWL is any conscious effort for improving working conditions , work content and its safety , security , wages and benefits , etc. QWL can be said to be all the original inputs which aim at improving the employees satisfaction and enhancing organisational effectiveness

QWL is nothing but having a work environment where an employees activities become more important . This means implementing procedures or policies that make the work less routine and more rewarding for the employee . These procedures or policies include autonomy , recognition , belongingness , development and external rewards.
QWL is just humanizing the work QWL - The sum total of physical (working conditions) , psychological and economic factors which affect the job .

Quality of work life Origin of the concept

After industrial revolution ,the importance of human factor reduced because of vast mechanization. Various problems like job dissatisfaction , boredom , absenteeism , lack of commitment, etc came up. Most mgt theories gave emphasis on production , manipulating the skills of the employees

Countries that practiced QWL initially

SWEDEN DENMARK HOLLAND SWITZERLAND AUSTRALIA USA

OBJECTIVES OF QWL
To improve the standard of living of the employees To increase the productivity To create a positive attitude in the minds of the employees To increase the effectiveness of the organisation (profitability , goal accomplishment )

Specific Issues in Quality Of Work Life :

Klott , mundick and schuster suggested some major issues in quality of work life issues : Pay and stability of employment Occupational stress Organisational health problems Alternative work schedule Participative management Recognition Congenial worker supervisor relation Grievance procedure Adequacy of resources Seniority and merit in promotion Employment on permanent basis

Firms obligation towards employees :

Compensation or wages Job satisfaction Working environment Job profile Health and safety Growth prospects Job rotation

The employee should avoid the following activities while working in an organisation :

Commercial bribes and extortion Accepting gifts Employee theft Computer theft Trade secrets

Implementation of QWL
Management and employees co-operation a worker management committee on work improvement can function effectively to increase co-operation Action plans developed must be followed to completion

Support of middle managers by top management and bottom level employees to implement the programme
The objective of qwl should be a joint one , i.e , for workers is to improve qwl ; for management is to improve organisational efficiency

Companies practising quality of work life :

General motors Xerox IBM BHEL , HARIDWAR TISCO

Barriers to QWL
Resistance to change both by management and employees There is a general perception that QWL implementation will cost much to the organisation

Continuous increase in QWL may result in less productivity , i.e , after a certain level the productivity will not increase in proportion to the increase in QWL

RESULTS FOR QWL

Positive results of qwl have been supported , including :

Absenteeism Lower turnover , and Improved job satisfaction

Not only does qwl contribute to a companys ability to recruit quality people , but also it enhances a companys competitiveness

Strategies for Improving QWL

Good environment and infrastructure for improving quality of work life in an organisation Good leadership diagnosing , Adopting and communicating Open communications

Equitable reward system

A concern for employees job security Satisfying careers Participation in decision making balance between work and non work life

Measuring of QWL
Questionnaires and interviews are relevant here . In GENERAL MOTORS the management gives a questionnaire of 16 critical dimensions of QWL to its employees each year . The responses are then used to measure the employees perception of their work life .