The importance and advantages of improving the quality of worklife

I. Introduction to quality of work life

II. Definition and concept of quality of work life

III. Methods to improve QWL

A. Flex time
B. Alternative work schedules
C. Part time employment
D. Compressed workweek
E. Job enrichment
F. Job rotation
G. Job enlargement
H. Autonomous work groups/self managed teams
I. Socio technical systems
II. Benefits of QWL programs

III. Challenges in implementing QWL programs

IV. The role of the supervisor in QWL

V. Key supervisory role

A. Consideration
B. Facilitation
II. HR focus: Private sector

III. Employee participation in management

IV. Empowerment

A. Merits of empowerment
B. Demerits of empowerment
C. Requisites for the success of empowerment
II. Autonomous work teams

III. Flexible organisation structure

IV. Socio-technical systems

V. Quality of Work Life (QWL) measurement

VI. Data analysis and interpretation

VII. Findings of the study

VIII. Limitations

IX. Suggestions and recommendations

X. Conclusion
 XI. Questionnaire

Abstract : Research paper

It was around 1900 that F.W. Taylor developed what are commonly known as the Principles
of Scientific Management which till today form the basis for designing jobs in most
organizations. The traditional job design of scientific management focuses mostly on division
of labor, hierarchy, close supervision and the one best way of doing work. This, no doubt,
has brought several benefits to society but its disadvantage has been its high human cost.
The highly specialized jobs have made workers socially isolated from their fellow workers,
weakened their community of interest in the whole product and deskilled them to such an
extent that workers have lost pride in their work. The system of hierarchy has made workers
totally dependent upon their superiors. It is always the superior and not his subordinates who
initiates actions and controls the working environment. Close supervision further accentuates
workers dependence on their superiors. The result is high turnover and absenteeism. Quality
declines and workers become alienated.

Workers are becoming more and more educated; skilled, affluent and unionized the above
dysfunctional consequences of work are becoming less and less acceptable. It is no longer
possible to design jobs solely according to the needs of technology completely overlooking
the needs of workers. The jobs need to be excellent both from the point of view of
technology and human needs. The traditional job design needs to be replaced by enriched
job design. This demand for redesigning of jobs has come to be known as quality of work life.
It enjoins management to treat workers as human resources that are to be developed rather
than simply used.

The scope of QWL movement which originally included only job redesign efforts based on
the socio-technical systems approach has gradually widened very much so as the include a
wide variety of interventions such as quality circles, suggestion schemes, employee
participation, empowerment, autonomous work teams etc. Interventions vary in each case
the common elements in all these interventions seem to be as under.

Tags: Importance of quality work life, Advantages of quality of work life, Quality work life in
the present situation

More abstract from The importance and advantages of improving the quality of

worklife

[...] What would make the quality of work life better in the company? |Responsibility|Good |
Motivation |Team work |Others | | |compensation | | | | |22% |25% |30% |23% |0% |
INTERPRETATION The above analysis shows that the employees found that team work,
motivation, good compensation, responsibility are important for quality of work life.
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY 1. The overall impact of QWL is found to be very satisfying for
more than 90 percent of the employees. There are very few exceptions for employees rating
it monotonous. [...]
[...] These people have a broad view of the organization and of their role in it. 6. Trust and
support of management: Empowerment rests on the trust of top management. Hence it can
be destroyed in moments when top managers lose trust and become uncomfortable with
shared control and grab back the authority they had delegated. AUTONOMOUS WORK
TEAMS An autonomous work team is one which can plan, regulate and control its own work
world. The management only specifies the goals-that too in collaboration with the team. [...]

[...] Do you feel that assessment of your performance is objective? (a) Strongly Agree (b)
Agree (c) Neither Agree nor Disagree (d) Disagree (e) Strongly Disagree 19. What would
make the quality of work life better in the company? (a) Responsibility (b) Good
compensation (c) Motivation (d) Team work (e) others Indicative bibliography proposed by
Oboulo.com http://www.chrmglobal.com/Articles/183/1/Quality-of-Work-Life.html Managing
Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits by Wayne Cascio Quality of
Work Life Assessment: A Survey-Based Approach by James L. Bowditch and Anthony F. [...]

[...] It offers a morally attractive solution to many of the problems of industrial life. Expectancy
theory suggests that participation might lead to higher productivity if it contributes to workers
perceiving that increased effort will lead to increased performance, increased performance
will lead to satisfaction of important needs, and the satisfaction obtained from this effort is
sufficiently great to make effort worthwhile. Finally participation may also affect the
“psychological bargain” between the organization and its employees. Each and every
company is capable to undertake the quality review of work programmer. [...]

[...] The importance and advantages of improving the quality of worklife INTRODUCTION TO
QUALITY OF WORK LIFE It was around 1900 that F.W. Taylor developed what are
commonly known as the Principles of Scientific Management which till today form the basis
for designing jobs in most organizations. The traditional job design of scientific management
focuses mostly on division of labor, hierarchy, close supervision and the one best way of
doing work. This, no doubt, has brought several benefits to society but its disadvantage has
been its high human cost. [...]