Why You Should Follow Quality Of Work Life Theory?
Intro
Every person has different needs from their jobs. The quality level of their work-life can be assessed by whether those needs are being met or not. Quality of work life means the level of one's joy for his work. It is also referred to as the fitness or unfitness of the total job conditions of the people.
People who are satisfied with their work, have a high quality of work life. While whose needs are not fulfilled, said to have a low quality of work life. The basic aim of quality of work-life is to create jobs and work culture that matches the needs of people. It attempts to meet both, the basic needs and higher-order needs of their staff.
Value of Good Work-life Quality
Maintain a good quality of work-life to have a great impact on companies growth, workers loyalty, and company reputation etc. It enhances stakeholder relations and credibility by welcoming their views, ideas and advice on crucial matters. The workforce is more focused and productive if company policy and plans support their value, needs and goals. Work-life methods are very helpful to attract new skilled employees and keep existing ones satisfied. Congenial or flexible work practices result in low absenteeism. Good quality of work increases employee satisfaction and motivation. It also improves organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage. Below are some points to discuss on work-life balance initiatives.
1) Safe and Healthy Work Conditions
Apply some efficient ways to make employees more active, this is a great example of a strong work-life balance initiative. Companies can reimburse gym fees or organise healthy events in the workplace, such as after-hours yoga. Medical insurance benefits is another initiative for the physical well-being of workers.
2) Train Your Leaders to Help
Managers are the leaders of companies, best set to help employees improve their work-life balance. Leaders should be trained to look for problems such as burnout and overwork. Enrich their coaching and interpersonal skills. Managers must be allowed to offer specific benefits to their workforce who are struggling.
3) Encourage Vacation Time
Firms should treat vacation time as a way to increase productivity and not as solely an employee benefit. They should enforce mandatory paid leaves for our vacation time. Even the most devoted employee needs time to relax and to reduce the stress of the job. Vacations make us more motivated, more efficient and increase the level of commitment.
4) Provide educational support
Employees' commitment rises when the firms focus on their growth and learning. The firms can offer tuition fees for people pursuing ongoing education or, reimburse for attending training sessions. Organise some drill sessions to enhance their skills and wisdom.
5) Work Outside the Office
Even the office settings and work conditions are perfect. Yet there may be situations when the monotony of office scenery becomes a problem for me. Thus my outcome increases if given the opportunity to work out of the office from time to time. Being it their local coffee shop, book store or their living room, sometimes getting away can reinforce my loyalty. Having this liberty improves my innovation and creativity level.
Issue in implementing the work-life concept
Even if every company attempts to improve workforce relations via quality of work-life initiatives, problems may occur in the ineffective practice of the programmes. Some of the problems may occur because of poor reward and recognition systems in the organisation. Which ultimately affects our output and commitment to work. Monotonous jobs are another major problem. It deprives employees of self-development and growth benefits. Thus leads to high distress and disloyalty. The negative working factors also hampers staff commitment. Every employee wants peace of mind, which if not exist in the work conditions will discourage them to put their total efforts. Lack of job security is also a major concern. Since the fear of loss of a job can lead to non-commitment of employees towards administrative goals.
Verdict
Designing a work-life balance programme for employees requires a little creativity and discipline. Yet sometimes the achieved results are not as per set standards. Every firm should prioritise the quality of work-life initiatives. Since it increases my satisfaction as an employee. The output and company image also enhances. Employees are the most vital assets of the organisation. So, create a work-life balance and have the right tools to make sure that every employee is pleased.
The comfort in the job and working its conditions. The profitability of a company is directly linked with the pleasure of its workforce. A company that neglects employee satisfaction may face high employee turnover, decrease in growth rate and limited ability to attract and retain skilled employees.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2020 Prateek Jain