Quality of Work Life (QWL)

Agenda

What is QWL? Determinants of QWL New Tools of QWL Checklist of QWL goals

What is Quality of Work Life?

Quality of work life (QWL) is viewed as an

alternative to the control approach of managing people.

The QWL approach considers people as an assets to the organization rather than as

costs.

It believes that people perform better when they are allowed to participate in managing their work and make decisions.

What is Quality of Work Life?

This approach motivates people by satisfying not only their economic needs but also their social and psychological ones. To satisfy the new generation workforce, organizations need to concentrate on job designs and organization of work. Further, todays workforce is realizing the importance of relationships and is trying to strike a balance between career and personal lives

QWL means different things

to different persons

to a clerk in dispatch
To a mineworker Shop floor workers A probationary officer

Determinants of QWL

Employee pay Benefits Schedule flexibility Working conditions Johnson & Johnson, for example, reported that its employees who used flextime and family leave were absent 50 % fewer days than its regular workforce. Moreover, 71 % of those workers using benefits said that the policies were "very important" to their decision to stay with the company

Employee Involvement Practices

Quality Circle Suggestion System Employee Participation in Management Empowerment Survey Feedback Autonomous Work Teams Flexible Organization Structure

Other Tools for QWL

Flextime Flexi place Part-time Employment Job Enrichment Job Rotation Job Enlargement

Suggestion System

Direct benefits of a suggestion scheme are the following:

It can make work more easy It can make-work more safe It can remove mistakes It can improve quality It can increase efficiency It can decrease rejects It can reduce costs It can give more satisfaction to customers through better service

Suggestion System

Indirect benefits of a suggestion scheme are as follows:

It increases employees work morale It develops their capabilities It activates communication It improves human relations It identifies work-related problems It raises the level of group activities

Employee Participation in Management

Key features that enhance QWL are:

Subject matter of participation
Level of participation Personal characteristics Extent of participation

Empowerment

Merits

Speed in Decision Making Morale Compensation for limited career paths.

Demerits

Greater potential for chaos Breakdown of hierarchical control Demoralization

New Methods of QWL

Prayer and Meditation in the Workplace

The American Stock Exchange has a Torah Study Group Boeing has Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayer groups Apple Computers office has a meditation room and employees are given 30 minutes to meditate or pray. Prentice-Hall Publishing has a quiet room for employees where they can take mental retreats

Checklist of QWL goals

Decent living standard & economic security Mutual trust among employers & workers Participation in decision making Healthy & safe work environment Work-life balance Encourages initiative & creativity Building commitment to high quality work environment Negotiate clear roles & responsibilities for mgt, govt, unions, professional associations

Checklist of QWL goals

Benchmark job quality, analyzing impact on employees & results Diagnose areas of strength & weakness, develop strategies to address latter, track progress Evaluate impact of organizational change on employees & results Build quality work environment goals into business plans, showing links to results Provide incentives for managers to contribute to specific job quality goals

Thank you