Impact of human resource interventions on quality of work life: an exploration.
Sundaray, Bijaya Kumar ; Sahoo, Chandan Kumar ; Tripathy, Santosh Kumar 等
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the quality of work life (QWL) has increasingly
been identified as a positive indicator related to the function and
sustainability of business organisations. QWL is a philosophy, a set of
principles, which holds that people responsible and capable of making
valuable contributions and they should be treated with dignity and
respect (Straw & Heckscher, 1984). It encompasses mode of wage
payment, working conditions, working time, health and safety, financial
and non-financial benefits and managerial behaviour towards employees
(Islam & Siengthai, 2009). A high QWL is perceived to be essential
for organisations to continue to attract and retain employees. It
requires a comprehensive program designed to improve employee
satisfaction, strengthening workplace learning and helping employees
through change and transition. Dissatisfaction with the quality of work
life is a problem which affects almost all workers regardless of
position or status. According to Gadon (1984), QWL programs have two
objectives: (a) to enhance productivity; and (b) to increase the
satisfaction of employees. Thus QWL provides healthy, satisfied and
productive employees, which in turn provides efficient and profitable
organisation (Sadique, 2003).
QWL is an umbrella term which includes many concepts. Because the
perceptions held by employees play an important role in their decision
to enter, stay with or leave an organisation, it is important that
employees' perceptions be included when assessing QWL (Yoder,
1995). Improved quality of work life promotes the best use of existing
workforce skills and increases employees' involvement. Most
importantly, it encourages and supports the enhancement of the internal
skills base to create a more professional, motivated and efficient
working environment. Thus, QWL is defined as the quality of the
relationship between the employees and the total working environment. It
is concerned with the overall climate of work and the impact on work and
people as well as on organisational effectiveness.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
The evolution of QWL began in late 1960s emphasising the human
dimensions of work that was focused on the quality of the relationship
between the worker and the working environment (Rose et al., 2006). But
the term 'quality of work life' was first introduced in 1972
during an international labour relations conference. The selected
participants assembled there concluded in their final remarks that
"improving the place, the organisation, and the nature of work can
lead to better work performance and a better quality of life in the
society" (Gadon, 1984; Sadique, 2003; Rose et al., 2006; Islam
& Siengthai, 2009). QWL received more attention after the United
Auto Workers and General Motors initiated a QWL program for work
reforms. Robbins (1989) defined QWL as "a process by which an
organisation responds to employee needs by developing mechanisms to
allow them to share fully in making the decisions that design their
lives at work". QWL is the perception to which the organisational
environment meets the full range of employees' needs for their
well-being at work (Cascio, 2006). Katzell et al., (1975) viewed quality
of work life more broadly as an individual's evaluation of the
outcome of the work relationship. They observed that an employee may be
said to enjoy a high quality of working life when he or she has positive
feelings towards his job and its future prospects. As a result of this,
employees are motivated to stay on the job and perform well, feeling
that their working lives fit well with their private lives, affording a
balance between the two in terms of personal values.
Walton (1975) proposed eight major conceptual categories relating
to QWL as: (1) adequate and fair compensation; (2) safe and healthy
working conditions; (3) immediate opportunity to use and develop human
capacities; (4) opportunity for continued growth and security; (5)
social integration in the work organisation; (6) constitutionalism in
the work organisation; (7) work and total life space; and (8) social
relevance of work life. According to Gadon (1984), QWL efforts include
the areas of personal and professional development, work redesign, team
building, work scheduling, and total organisational change. The key
elements of QWL include job security, job satisfaction, better reward
system, employee benefits, employee involvement and organisational
performance (Havlovic, 1991). Skinner and Ivancevich (2008) urged that
QWL is associated with adequate and fair compensation, safe and healthy
working conditions, opportunities to develop human capacities,
opportunities for continuous growth and job security, more flexible work
scheduling and job assignment, careful attention to job design and
workflow, better union-management cooperation, and less structural
supervision and development of effective work teams. QWL is defined as
the favourable condition and environment of employee benefits,
employees' welfare and management attitudes towards operational
workers as well as employees in general (Islam & Siengthai, 2009).
Rice et al., (1985) emphasized the relationship between work
satisfaction and quality of people's lives. They concluded that
work experiences and outcomes can affect person's general quality
of life, both directly and indirectly through their effects on family
interactions, leisure activities and levels of health and energy. Singh
(1983) conducted studies in chemical and textile factories in India,
stressing the reorganisation of work and the introduction of
participatory management to improve employees' quality of work
life. Bhatia and Valecha (1981) studied the absenteeism rates of textile
factory and recommended that closer attention should be paid to
improving the quality of work life. Cascio (2006) defined quality of
work life as a set of objectives, organisational conditions and
practices designed to foster quality relationships within the
organisation. Therefore, employees perceive that they are safe,
relatively well satisfied, they have reasonable work-life balance and
they are able to grow and develop as human beings.
QWL is the degree to which the organisational environment meets the
full range of human needs and provides workers the opportunity to make
decisions about their job, the design of their workplace, and what they
need to make products or to deliver services more effectively. It also
requires managers to treat workers with dignity. Thus QWL is defined as
the sum total of healthy and satisfying experiences that individuals
experience in the various facets of their life (Sekaran, 2007). It aims
at improving the inherent nature of the job as well as the job
environment so as to make employees more satisfied in their jobs and
productive for the organisation.
OBJECTIVES
The basic purpose of this study is to explore the various factors
affecting the quality of work life, impact of HR interventions on QWL
and outcomes of QWL (individual employee well-being and achievement of
organisational strategic business objectives). This paper contributes to
the ongoing discussion of strategic initiatives for better QWL. The
objectives of this study are:
* To study the various factors influencing quality of work life.
* To impact on HR interventions to improve quality of work life.
* To validate the outcomes of a QWL model developed from the
findings of previous research works.
FACTORS AFFECTING QWL
The nine factors (figure 1) that influence and decide the perceived
degree of QWL are discussed below:
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
Environment
The environment, if positive, prepares a person both mentally and
physically to perform effectively and the reverse is true when it is
negative. The work environment is relevant to an individual's
quality of work life and the relationship between life on and off the
job (Cunningham & Eberle, 1990). According to Payne (1987), the
physical environment is likely to make an impact upon a person's
achievement, affective satisfaction and psychological strain.
Opportunities
Some jobs offer opportunities for learning, research, discovery,
self-development, enhancement of skills, room for innovation, public
recognition, exploration, celebrity status and fame. Others are
monotonous, repetitive, dull, routine, no room for improvement and in
every sense boring. Naturally the former are interesting and rewarding
whereas the latter are de-motivating and contribute to poor QWL. Workers
reporting no opportunities to use their abilities in their jobs
exhibited significantly lower satisfaction (Warr, 1987).
Nature of job
The major determinant of QWL is the job itself. A job which is
interesting, challenging, that provides status and pride, entails
involvement and makes employees feel pride is considered to be the ideal
one. Davies et al. (1984) identified jobs with greater variety,
challenge, autonomy, future opportunities and contribution to the
society as the most significant predictors of quality of work life. Jobs
should provide sufficient opportunities to employees for better
utilisation of their skills, knowledge and creativity.
Growth and development
The organisation should have the environment for the fulfilment of
employees' needs and aspirations. The right kind of practices must
be exercised to help the employees in meeting their career goals.
Everybody wants to go ahead in the career path, if an organisation does
not give chance for growth and personal development it is very difficult
to retain talented personnel and also to find new talent with experience
and skill (Stein, 1983).
Challenges
The job should offer some challenge to make it more interesting,
enabling an employee to upgrade his/her knowledge, skills and
capabilities; on the other hand, monotony makes a person dull,
non-enthusiastic, dissatisfied, frustrating, complacent, less initiative
and uninteresting. The amount of challenge a person has in a job is
noticeable in development of abilities, freedom to decide on work
control method, degree of interesting work and a chance to see the
results of the work (Chelte, 1983).
Career prospects
Competency development is operationalised as the nature of the job
that provides opportunities and stimulates growth in skills and
knowledge either for a career or organisational development (Javernpaa
& Eloranta, 2001). Status improvements plus effective, timely
recognition and appreciation from the management are the motivating
factors for anyone to take a keen interest in his/her job. The work
environment must be conducive to achieve the organisational goal as well
as individual development. It is a win-win situation for both the
parties where good work, extra efforts and sincerity need to be
rewarded.
People and human relations
Almost everyone has to deal with a set of people in the workplace.
Those are namely boss, co-workers and subordinates. Many occupations
also require interaction with a range of other people, depending on the
nature and objective of the organisation. These situations demand a high
level of prudence, cool tempered, tactfulness, humour, kindness,
diplomacy and sensitiveness to improve human relations. The ways members
of work organisation relate to one another about their ideas and
feelings can have a positive effect (Walton, 1975). A pattern of
reciprocal help, socio-emotional support and affirmation of the
uniqueness of each individual can enhance an individual's quality
of work life (Payne, 1987).
Risk and reward attached
Generally reward and compensation are directly proportional to the
quantum of work, employee hours, nature and extent of responsibility,
accountability, delegated powers, authority of position in the
organisational chart, the risk involved, level of expected commitment,
deadlines and targets, demand and supply of skilled labour, and even
political stability and economic policies. Some degree of risk is
involved in every job, while rewards should be based on performance
indicators that reflect a person's effort and competence (Yukl,
1998). However, both are influences on QWL.
Stress level
All factors mentioned above are interrelated and interdependent.
Stress level need not be directly proportionate to compensation. Stress
is of different types--mental stress/physical stress/psychological or
emotional stress. Enjoyable work, better relationships, trust,
involvement in decision-making, better wages, etc. reduce stress levels.
Pelsma et al., (1989) and Hart (1994) found that stress level is
inversely and significantly related to QWL. They determined that in the
work climate of an occupation, QWL can be assessed by combining the
amount and the degree of stress and the degree of satisfaction
experienced by the individual within his/her occupational role.
Hypothesis 1: There is a significant relationship between QWL and
factors affecting it.
HRM INTERVENTIONS AND QWL
The functions of human resource management (HRM) are not only to
select and recruit people but also to pursue excellence of people
through enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes. The ultimate aim is
to seek committed and motivated human resources through intense
participation in achieving organisation goals. The human resource (HR)
interventions in the organisations should necessarily be directed
towards improving the quality of work life of employees. Managers must
realize that a dynamic and vibrant organisation is one which is in touch
with people and is alive with their aspirations. They have to work like
team leaders rather than bosses and must take positive steps for
bringing about perceptive improvement in the quality of work life of the
members. Emphasis should be given by the HR professionals in the
following areas for improving the quality of work life of employees as
depicted in figure 2.
[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]
Safe and healthy work environment
It is widely accepted that workers should not be exposed to
physical conditions that are unduly hazardous or detrimental to their
health (Walton, 1975). It is also a fact that safe and healthy work
conditions enhance worker's interest in work and improve the
performance level (Thurman, 1977).
Adequate and fair compensation
Adequacy of income from work and fairness of compensation are two
important determinants of quality of work life. Motivation experts
believe that money is still an important motive. However, people also
want to see fairness and adequacy in their pay rewards. Equal pay for
equal work and pay that is linked to responsibility, skill, performance
and individual accomplishment are viewed with great importance. Pay must
also be competitive with the external labour market and should be
responsive to prevailing practices and changing economic conditions
(Warr, 1987).
Promotion prospects
Promotion opportunities have significant effects on outcomes such
as quality of work life, organisational commitment, job satisfaction and
turnover intent. An employee having the necessary experience and
qualification (as per promotion policy) for his/her job is always
concerned about the possibilities of promotion. According to Gattiker
and Larwood (1988), the frequency of promotion is a valuable indicator
for assessing career mobility and success.
Job redesign
Job redesign is the process of deciding on the content of a job in
terms of its duties and responsibilities, on the methods to be used in
carrying out the job in terms of techniques, systems and procedures and
the relationship that should exist between the job holders, superiors,
subordinates and colleagues. It is a deliberate and systematic attempt
to structure the technical and social aspect of work so as to improve
technical efficiency and job satisfaction.
Employee welfare
Top management and HR professionals must take adequate measures for
the wellbeing of employees. These measures should include better working
facilities, health care programs, employee counselling, information
sharing and other benefits. These measures would motivate the employees
for better work performance (Herzberg, 1968). Organisations that take
care of employees' welfare have benefited from improved morale,
increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, and lower turnover rates
(Thomson et al., 2004).
Growth and development opportunities
Opportunity for growth is important for achievement-oriented
employees. If employees are provided opportunities for their advancement
and growth and to develop their personality, they should feel highly
motivated. Their commitment to the job and the organisation should also
increase. Training and development programs need to be conducted to
improve the knowledge, skill and attitudes of employees, as well as to
provide opportunities for their continuous growth. To improve QWL,
companies should adopt career development policies in alignment with the
needs of the employees (Wetprasit, 2006).
Team building
Team building is the greatest task in the organisation which brings
up the quality of work life of employees. Team building is an effort
which unifies variant individual energies, direct these energies towards
valuable goals and outputs and link these results to organisational
efforts. It develops trust, cohesiveness and mutual sense of
responsibility among the employees (Parker, 2006). Employee talents are
also effectively utilized by teams (Robbins, 2003). The organisation
should focus on team building interventions to improve its ability to
work together, its communication, problem solving capabilities and
decision-making (Kouzes & Posner, 2007).
Employee empowerment
This aims at providing better autonomy to the employees through the
sharing of relevant information and provision of control over factors
affecting job performance and satisfaction (Halvorsen, 2005; Kirkman
&Rosen, 1999). Managers can share power with subordinates by sharing
resources with them, allowing them to participate in the decision making
process, and giving them access to relevant and important information.
Empowerment aims at competency development and skill enhancement of
employees, creation of facilities for further education and training and
also allows employees more control over their jobs. It helps employees
achieve job mastery through active participation.
Suggestion system
Marx (1995) defines a staff suggestion scheme as a formalized
procedure to encourage employees to think creatively about their jobs
and job environment, and to come forward with ideas for which they will
be rewarded on a specific basis, if acceptable and to the advantage of
the organisation. It creates a climate of trust and confidence, job
satisfaction and continuous improvement in the company (Yusof &
Aspinwall, 2000).
Grievance procedure
Grievance procedures represent a systematic attempt to listen to
the problems of the subordinates and take necessary action. It is
expected that all organisations would develop their grievance machinery
suited to their technology and environment. Grievance handling machinery
does not make sense unless the grievances are processed and decisions
are taken in the shortest possible time and at the level at which the
grievance has arisen. Management and employees have benefited from the
effective grievance management system (Gordon & Fryxell, 1993). It
creates a condition under which the affairs of the organisation are not
interrupted as a result of employee disaffection or dissatisfaction.
Communication
To make QWL worthwhile, effective two way communication is
necessary. It is through communication that employees learn what goals
they are to strive for, what is expected of them, how to accomplish
these goals and how to get feedback on the achievement of goals.
Distribution and reception of information play an important role in
organisational life and contribute to the satisfaction of the members of
the organisation. Orpen (1997) found that among the managers, both job
satisfaction and work motivation were positively affected by the quality
of communication within their firms.
Stress management
Stress and strain are incidental to any workplace. Elangovan (2001)
has indicated strong causal links between stress and job satisfaction
(higher stress leads to lower satisfaction). HR Professionals should
introduce such methods and facilities within the workplace which will
enable the employees to manage stress.
Hypothesis 2: HR interventions can significantly influence the
degree of perceived quality of work life.
OUTCOMES OF QWL
The importance of QWL in most research has been linked to
employees' job outcomes such as productivity, job satisfaction,
employees' commitment, and increased retention. The research
findings from Lau and May (1998) suggest that companies with high QWL
can also have high customer satisfaction which will provide higher
growth and profitability to the companies. Louis (1998) reported that
QWL is strongly related to work commitment and the sense of efficacy.
Huang et al., (2007) highlighted that the perception of QWL has a
significant impact on organisational commitment. They also show that the
perception of balancing family and work life has a very strong positive
effect on reducing employee's intention to leave a company. Tang
(2007) reported the positive relation between job satisfaction and
quality of life. That is, if a person is happy with the job, he/she also
enjoys his/her quality of life. Quality of work life is important to
organisational performance (Grayson, 1973). Walton (1975) mentioned that
dissatisfaction with working life is a problem which affects almost all
workers at one time or another, regardless of position or status. The
frustration, boredom, and anger common to employees disenchanted with
their work life can be costly for both individual and organisation. Thus
QWL stimulates employee satisfaction (Ruzevicius, 2007) and is essential
for improving organisational and operational productivity (Sink &
Tuttle, 1989). QWL programs can improve employee morale and
organisational effectiveness (Hanlon and Gladstein, 1984). Moreover, QWL
has a direct impact on human outcomes and it significantly reduces
absenteeism, minor accidents, grievances and exits (Havlovic, 1991). It
is found that employee turnover can be minimized with better QWL (Newaz
et al., 2007). Thus it can be said that QWL can develop jobs and working
conditions that are excellent for people as well as for the economic
health of the organisation (Kanagalakshmi & Devei, 2003). The
benefits of quality of work life are summarised in the model (figure 3)
given below.
[FIGURE 3 OMITTED]
Hypothesis 3: Quality of work life has positive impact on
individual employee and organisational outcomes.
METHODOLOGY
The study was conducted in two major industrial units of the power
sector in the Indian state of Orissa: Talcher Thermal Power Station
(TTPS), a unit of National Thermal Power Corporation, a central Public
Sector Undertaking (PSU); and Orissa Power Transmission Corporation Ltd.
(OPTCL), a state owned PSU. Orissa has conducted a major restructuring
of its power sector. Therefore, it provides an appropriate location to
study the factors and HR interventions influencing the degree of quality
of work life of employees after such restructuring. During the study 350
interview schedules were administered among the respondents while active
responses of 265 respondents were collected. A structured interview
schedule administered among respondents for collection of primary data
was accompanied by a fivepoint scale, including strongly agree (5),
agree (4), undecided (3), disagree (2), and strongly disagree (1).
Methods of direct observation and informal focused group discussion with
the employees were also followed to know the feelings of the
respondents. The responses were recorded and systematically analyzed to
draw a clear picture of the study.
ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
One-way analysis of variance was calculated to find out the factors
which are affecting QWL and examined the significance of mean
difference. The results of ANOVA are presented in Table-1. This table
reveals that, all the nine factors which are affecting better quality of
work life are significant as (p < 0.05).
It has been observed in Table 2 that, out of the twelve items, the
mean score of the sixth item (employee suggestion) is highest followed
by growth and development (mean = 4.359). Similarly, the standard
deviation of the seventh item is maximum (1.086), which indicates there
is a lack of consistency of respondents' responses. But the
standard deviation relating to the item 'communication' is
minimum (0.681) reveals that there is a consistency of respondents'
views. Further, in Table 2 the t-test has been done on all the items
relating to HR interventions those influencing quality of work life of
employees. The p-values of the t-test of the twelve constituent
variables are significant at 1 per cent and 5 per cent levels. Thus, all
the above HR interventions influence the quality of work life.
[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]
The path diagram illustrates the multidimensional model of the
outcomes of QWL (Table--3). Various HR interventions improve the quality
of work life of employees which enhances individual benefits as well as
organisational performances. The dimensions of outcomes are measured by
a series of indicators such as RMR = 0.165, GFI = 0.281, AGFI = 0.214,
PGFI = 0.257 (Table--4). Thus, proper emphasis on better perceived QWL
must influence the individual employee expectations and organisational
outcomes.
CONCLUSION
Quality of work life is a very broad and comprehensive concept. The
scope and sphere of activities cannot merely be confined to a set of
programs and processes at the work place. Rather, these activities in
essence seek to improve large aspects of quality of life (QL) of human
beings as a whole. QWL is the shared responsibility not only of
management and employees, but also of the society. As a concept, QWL
aims at improving the work environment in which the employees feel
satisfied, motivated and committed to work with zeal and efficiency
which may lead to greater productivity and organisational effectiveness.
To improve quality of work life, management first has to identify and
then try to satisfy employees' important needs through their
experience in their working environment. This paper has focused on
various factors that influence quality of work life and it has also
suggested some HR interventions that need to be practised effectively to
improve the quality of work life of employees. Concerted and concrete
efforts for the enhancement of quality of work life would do a lot to
improve the morale and motivation of employees and as a result there
would be an improvement in the health of organisations.
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Bijaya Kumar Sundaray
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Chandan Kumar Sahoo
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Santosh Kumar Tripathy
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Table 1: Factors affecting QWL based on ANOVA
Sum of D. F. Mean F Significance
Squares Square (p < 0.05)
Sample between 120.543 8 15.07 239.206 0.000
Sample within 16.089 257 .063
Total 120.606 265
Table 2: HR Interventions and QWL
Sl. Items T P-Value Mean SD
No. Score
1 Safe and Healthy Work 1.253 0.001 * 4.094 0.720
Environment
2 Promotion Prospect 2.341 0.000 ** 3.541 0.802
3 Job Redesign 6.519 0.000 ** 3.329 0.902
4 Employee Welfare 1.276 0.003 * 3.75 0.930
5 Growth and Development 2.676 0.008 * 4.359 0.916
6 Employee Suggestions 2.713 0.009 * 4.382 0.934
7 Adequate and Fair 3.872 0.000 ** 4.178 1.086
Compensation
8 Stress Management 7.859 0.000 ** 3.526 1.012
9 Communication 6.416 0.000 ** 3.878 0.681
10 Grievance Procedure 7.706 0.000 ** 3.632 0.925
11 Employee Empowerment 3.234 0.001 * 4.102 0.854
12 Team Building 9.009 0.000 ** 3.988 0.863
** Significant at 1 percent level, * significant at 5 percent level
Table 3: Path analysis of SEM for outcome of QWL
Items Estimate S.E. C.R. P Label
HR Intervention (HR_IR) 0.216 0.088 7.754 ***
Quality of Work Life (QWL) 0.068 0.066 9.435 ***
Motivation (MO) 0.09 0.058 10.589 ***
Commitment (CO) 0.071 0.094 3.395 ***
Satisfaction (SA) 0.034 0.061 7.447 ***
Loyal (LO) 0.14 0.058 5.776 ***
Secured job (SJ) 0.167 0.065 6.406 ***
Higher performance (HP) 0.242 0.093 5.363 ***
Higher profits & 0.071 0.052 7.281 ***
productivity
Improved quality (IQ) 0.211 0.064 6.926 ***
Satisfied/Loyal customers 0.054 0.073 8.79 ***
(SLC)
Less absenteeism (LAB) -0.012 0.063 9.555 ***
Increased retention (IRN) -0.022 0.072 3.782 ***
Revenue growth (RVG) 0.114 0.087 3.969 ***
*** Significant at 1 percent level
Table 4: Fitness of the Structured Model
Model RMR GFI AGFI PGFI
Default model .165 .281 .214 .257
Saturated model .000 1.000
Independence model .168 .252 .218 .241
