How Does HR Really Impact the Quality of Work Life for Employees? Let's Discuss

Hello! I need the answer to the following in detail.

What is meant by quality of work life?

What role does the HR Manager play in contributing to the QWL of employees?

Dear Niti/Colleagues,

Understanding Quality of Work Life

The issue of Quality of Work Life is a new level of reasoning in management; however, it should be noted that it has always been with us.

Firstly, there are two words involved here - Work and Life. By implication, an employee has a job (work) and certainly has a life. The bottom line is how does he combine the two successfully?

In more advanced and structured corporate environments, employees are seriously encouraged to balance these two aspects intelligently.

For instance, work resumes at 8 o'clock, and an employee reports promptly. Work closes at 5 o'clock, and he clocks out accordingly. This is based on the fact that all jobs assigned were dutifully accomplished.

The above scenario allows employees time for other personal things such as sports, general recreation, visiting, attending social functions that fall on weekdays, etc.

However, in an extreme situation, some employers of labor would expect you to work late—8:00 pm having resumed at 8:00 am—and even call you on a weekend and public holiday to be at work.

The side effect of this new scenario is that such an employee would not have time for himself, let alone a third party. He cannot recreate, socialize, or even register for a part-time executive program, and in some extreme cases, it can lead to the collapse of relationships, marriage in particular.

Flexible Working Hours as a Solution

In light of the above, some sincere and pragmatic corporate managements around the world have institutionalized flexible working hours to suit some peculiar work-life situations, e.g., offshore engineers, medical doctors/related, and lately, corporations.

This is a situation (for corporations) whereby employees can resume late or take a few hours off during the week but have to make up for such sometimes in the future.

The essence of all these is for the employee to understand the need to balance his work/career and life. One should not suffer or be neglected for the other but most essentially complement each other.

Thanks.

Hello, I would like to add to the article. As people, we all have a need for work and life, as is already mentioned.

HR Involvement in Employee Well-being

Regarding HR involvement, there needs to be a time and place to hear people's needs. Be interested in their lives away from work. For example, be aware of anniversaries, birthdays, births of babies, illnesses in the family, and more (sending cards or announcements on bulletin boards). People want to be appreciated and noticed. Giving people time to attend important events in their life away from work will have a positive effect on them as well as the business. When a company gives attention to this, the employee is more willing to work smarter, keeping in mind that the company cares about them and that they should care about the company. I hope this is of some help.

I would like to add to all your comments. While making sure that the employee has enough time to meet his social requirements, I think the quality of life at the workplace itself can be improved through simple HR initiatives. For instance, arranging short trips or annual sports events, etc. This would let the employee take his mind off work for once and enjoy himself with his colleagues. It'll also be a good team-building exercise.

Again, introducing performance rewards and providing monetary benefits like insurances, medical reimbursement, and schemes for the family will also help motivate an employee to perform better. The better your HR policies are, the lower your attrition rate will be. In fact, if you believe your HR practices offer a good quality of life to your employees, you should always publicize them. There are many institutes giving HR awards. You can apply to them and get your company's HR policies recognized!

I completely agree with your point about publicizing HR policies. In fact, our company regularly publishes HR-related articles in trade magazines. Currently, we are considering applying for some HR awards, but we are unsure which ones to pursue. Could you suggest some reputable HR awards, particularly those suitable for the manufacturing sector?

With Effective and innovative Hr Strategies the quality of work life is balance. Employees get the sense of belonging in the organization. Hats off to the HR professionals who's doing their work properly.
@ Manish I checked the site for SAIL HR award , looks promising. Such kind of awards will definitely help …