QWL

INTRODUCTION

The quality of working life is a generic phrase that covers a person’s feelings
about every dimensions of work, including economic rewards and benefits,
security, working condition, organizational ad interpersonal relationships and its
intrinsic meaning in a persons life

The term refers to the favourableness or unfavourableness of a total job

environment for people. QWL programs are another way in which organisations
recognise their responsibility to develop jobs and working conditions that are
excellent for people as well as for economic health of the organisation. The
elements in a typical QWL program include – open communications, equitable
reward systems, a concern for employee job security and satisfying careers and
participation in decision making. Many early QWL efforts focus on job
enrichment. In addition to improving the work system, QWL programs usually
emphasise development of employee skills, the reduction of occupational stress
and the development of more co-operative labour-management relations.

QWL means having good supervision, good working conditions, good pay and
benefits and an interesting, challenging and rewarding job. High QWL is sought
through an employee relations philosophy that encourages the use of QWL
efforts, which are systematic attempts by an organisation to give workers greater
opportunities to affect their jobs and their contributions to the organisation’s
overall effectiveness

The concept of Quality of working life

 Process by which an org. attempts to unleash the creative potential of its

personal

 The essential component of any QWL improvement program is the

existence of a genuine opportunity for individuals or task groups
  It is a degree to which members of a work organization are able to satisfy
their personal needs through their experience in the organization

Scope of QWL
Work plays a central role in the life of the workers in a productive org.

It has an impact on

a) Shaping his personality

b) Determining his performance

c) Commitment to fellow employees

d) Commitment to the org. and the society

PRINCIPLES OF QWL

 Principles of security: working condition must be safe, employee does not

have fear etc

 Principles of equity: eliminate discrimination between people doing same

work

 Principles of individualism: individual have the opportunity to develop his

potential

 Principles of democracy: greater authority & responsibility to employees

Approaches to QWL
There are number of factors involved in improving the
QWL as below
‡ Flexibility in work schedule :-Employees want
flexibility in work schedule with regard to.. Working
hours, working days etc.
‡ Autonomous work group:-Employees must be
given freedom to choose there work teams.
‡ Job enrichment:-It attempts to design job in such a
way so that it makes work more challenging and
interesting.
‡ Participation:-in decision-making

Specific issues in QWL

 Pay and stability of employment
 Occupational stress
 Organisational health programmes
 Alternative work schedule
 Participative management and control of work
 Recognition

Techniques for improving QWL:-

‡ Self managed work teams:-also called autonomous
work teams. Each team perform activities and are
rewarded individually and group performance.

‡ 1 Job redesign and enrichment.

‡ 2 Effective leadership and group behaviour.

‡ 3 Career development.

‡ 4 Alternative work schedule.

‡ 5 Job security.

‡ 6 Administrative justice.

‡ 7 Participative management

Quality circle
Definition :- a quality circle is a small group of employees doing similar
or related work who meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve
product quality problems and to improve general operations.

The concept of quality circle emerged from quality control.

Features of quality circle

1. A quality circle is a voluntary group.

2. It represent a collective effort.

 3. It intends to improve the quality of output.

4. It coordinates activities of members towards improving the

quality of work in workshop.

It has no discrimination among age,sex and position

 Concept of Quality circles

Quality circles are an alternative to the dehumanising concept of the
division of labor, where workers or individuals are treated like robots. They
bring back the concept of craftsmanship, which when operated on an
individual basis is uneconomic, but when used in group form (as is the case
with quality circles), it can be devastatingly powerful and enables the
enrichment of the lives of the workers or students and creates harmony and
high performance in the workplace. Typical topics are
improving occupational safety and health, improving product design, and
improvement in the workplace and manufacturing processes.