Quality of Work Life
Quality of Work Life
Quality of Work Life
ABSTRACT : The increased complexity of todays environment poses several challenges to hospital
management during the next decade. Trends such as changing organizational structures, increased knowledge
and specialisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, advancement of technology, new health problems and health
care policy, and sophistication in medical education have a part to play. All these affect the nursing profession
and skill requirements as well as their commitment to performance in hospitals. In view of this, hospital
management has to ensure quality of life for nurses that can provide satisfaction and enhance job performance.
In this paper, an attempt is made to review the literature on quality of life to identify the concept and
measurement variables as well its linkage with satisfaction and performance .
INTRODUCTION
The improvement of quality of work life has captured the imagination of managers and researchers
alike. A number of researchers have tried to identify the kinds of factors that determine and their effort has
resulted in different perspectives (Kahn, 1981; Kalra & Ghosh, 1984). Given the diversity in perspectives
two questions remain: what constitutes a high quality of work life? How its impact can be measured?
Researchers observed that a high quality of work life (QWL) is essential for organizations to achieve high
performance and growth in profitability. Though in the earlier stages, QWL was focused on objective criteria
like attracting talent, job security, earnings and benefits; its focus has gradually shifted to job satisfaction and
commitment (Elizur & Shye, 1990).
II.
The quality of work life (QWL) as a human resource intervention has gained significance in the USA
and Scandinavia during the 1960s -1970s. The impact of computer technology and increased automation led to a
greater de-skilling, dehumanization, and alienation at workplace. Though developed economies and their
industrial organizations have become affluent, the benefit of such affluence was not passed on to the working
class. Instead, measures like outsourcing were adopted to reduce reliance on domestic labor and reduce costs in
the name of gaining competitive cost advantage. As a result, the workers faced heavy workloads, significant
stress for meeting targets and deadlines, greater control, less autonomy and less job security than ever before.
Also the emergence of high tech jobs and the employment of 24/7 knowledge workers in IT sectors, has drawn
the attention of researchers from various disciplinary backgrounds to explore ways to create better work life
conditions. The objectives of such exercise was finding ways of motivating workers towards achieving high
performance, enhancing job satisfaction and reducing threat of employee attrition (Hannif & et.al, 2008, 272).
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The concept ``quality of work life'' was first discussed in 1972 during an international labor relations
conference. It received more attention after United Auto Workers and General Motors initiated a QWL program
for work reforms. Robbins (1989) defined QWL as ``a process by which an organization responds to employee
needs by developing mechanisms to allow them to share fully in making the decisions that design their lives at
work'' (p. 207). In other words, it refers to the relationship between a worker and his environment, that can be
broken down into different dimensions like the social, technical and economic, in which the work is normally
viewed and designed.
It is a complex, multidimensional, generic concept (Hsu & Kernohan, 2006). Most literature on the
QWL originates from the discipline of Industrial Labor Relationships (Hsu & Kernohan, 2006). QWL has been
defined by researchers in different ways, which has brought about certain equivalents such as work quality,
function of job content, employees well-being, the quality of the relationship between employees, working
environment, and the balance between job demands and decision autonomy or the balance between control need
and control capacity (Korunka, Hoonakker, & Carayon, 2008; Lewis, Brazil, Krueger, Lohfeld, & Tjam, 2001;
Schouteten, 2004; Van Laar, Edwards, & Easton, 2007) QWL is thus recognized as a multi-dimensional
construct and the categorization is neither universal or eternal.
Different researchers have come up with different categories and factors to define and measure quality
of life. Walton (1980) divided QWL main components into four categories. According to him, the affecting
factors on QWL include: work meaningfulness, work social and organizational equilibrium, work challenge and
richness.
Klatt, Murdick and Schuster (1985) have identified eleven dimensions of QWL in the year. They are:
pay, occupational stress, organizational health programmes, alternative work schedule, participate management
and control of work, recognition, superior-subordinate relations, grievance procedure, adequacy of resources,
seniority and merit in promotion and development and employment on permanent basis.
Winter et al., (2000) viewed QWL for attitudinal response among the employees which includes role
stress, job characteristics, and supervisory, structural and social characteristics to directly and in directly shape
academicians experiences, attitudes and behaviors. Mosharraf (2000) analyzed the security of employment,
job/role clarity, understanding supervisors, work not stressful, access to relevant information and social and
welfare facilities to measure the QWL in banks.
According to Nadler & Lawler the types of QWL activities can be listed as (i) Participative problem
solving, (ii) Work restructuring, (iii) Innovative rewards systems and (iv) Improving the work environment.
Bhanugopan & Fish (2008) suggested indicators like lack of job stress, lack of job burnout, lack of
turnover intentions and job satisfaction. They included measures like job satisfaction, earning money,
membership in successful teams, job security & job growth. Connell & Hannif (2009) reported three factors
(i) Job content; (ii) Working hours and work-life balance; and (iii) Managerial/supervisory style and strategies.
They believe key concepts tend to include job security, reward systems, pay and opportunity for growth among
other factors. Measures of Quality of Work Life according to Adhikari & Gautam (2010) are: adequate pay and
benefits, job security, safe and health working condition, meaningful job and autonomy in the job.
Measures of Quality of Work Life include - (i) increased worker involvement, participation and power,
(ii) Increased emphasis on employee skill development, (iii) Increased autonomy for action and decision making
at worker level and (iv) Reduced status distinctions among levels in hierarchy.
Mirsepasi, (2006), having examined the different views and observed that QWL is explained by the
following factors: (i) Fair and proper payment for good performance (ii) Safe and secure work situation, (iii)
The possibility of learning and using new skills, (iv) Establishing social integration in the organization, (v)
Keeping individual rights, (vi) Equilibrium in job divisions and unemployment and (vii) Creating work and
organizational commitment.
According to Casio (1998) quality of work life comprises both the mental and objective aspects of
work life. The objective ones emphasize the circumstances and procedures relating to promotion policies,
participatory supervision, and safe working conditions, whereas the subjective relate to supervision,
communication, leadership etc. He identified 8 factors that determine quality of work life as given under.
Communication, employee involvement, desire and motivation to work, job security, career progress, solving
problems, salary, and pride of a job.
Schermernrhorn & John (1989) opined that the following factors must exist in the organization - fair
and adequate pay , health and safety of working conditions ,creating opportunities to learn, growth in the
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Dimension
Job design
Work environment
and facilities
Job security
Health, stress and
safety
Fair and adequate pay , fair and proper payment for good performance,
Innovative rewards systems, the circumstances and procedures relating to
promotion policies, seniority and merit in promotion and development.
Conflict
Learning and
development
Leadership and
employee
empowerment
Job satisfaction
Recognition and appreciation of the work inside and outside the organization,
membership in successful teams, proud of the job, and lack of turnover
intentions.
IV.
QWL is defined as the favorable conditions and environments of a workplace that support and promote
employee satisfaction by providing them with rewards, job security, and growth opportunities. However, some
researchers point out that Quality of Work Life (QWL) is not only related to personnels well-being and their
attitudes and feelings towards their job (Beaudoin & Edgar, 2003) but also goes beyond job satisfaction (BoZnadh, 1998; Cheung & Tang, 2009; Sirgy, Efraty, Siegel, & Lee, 2001).
Job satisfaction facet:
Locke (1976) defined employee satisfaction (often referred to as job satisfaction) as ``a pleasurable or
positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experiences'' (p. 1300). Employee needs
and wants are satisfied when they perceive that rewards from the organization, including compensation,
promotion, recognition, development, and meaningful work, meet or exceed their expectation (Hackman and
Oldham, 1980).
Largely, it appears that the main outcomes of an effective QWL program are improved working
conditions for employees and greater organizational effectiveness for employers. (Adhikari Gautam, 2010).
QWL positively facilitates the creation of a more flexible, loyal, and motivated workforce, and thereby
determines the companys competitiveness.
Great place to work -Quality of Work Life of secondary teachers and principals was investigated by
Rossmiller (1992). It was found that QWL positively influenced the respect accorded to teachers, teacher
participation in decisions affecting their work, professional collaboration and interaction, use of skills and
knowledge and the teaching learning environment.
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V.
CONCLUSION
The above discussion has helped us to conclude that the identification of the measures of quality of life
is indeed a difficult task, though there is a sort of common agreement on its concept of employee well being.
Evidently there are objective (physical and structural design) factors that provide work place setting and
intervening policy factors that affect work processes of employees. As regards the outcome factors the
immediate effects on psychology of employees (positive attitudes, commitment, and satisfaction) and ultimate
effects on performance of organisation are being considered by researchers. Figure -1 provides a diagrammatic
view of the linkages QWL has with satisfaction and performance based on the above discussion.
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Job satisfaction
Great place to work
without stress, better
motivation and
satisfaction, reduced
absenteeism, lower
turnover.
Performance
Growth in sales, assets
and ROAG,
stakeholder value,
business sustainability,
competitive advantage,
employee knowledge,
technological
leadership and
flexibility.
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