QUALITY OF WORK LIFE
Integration:
There has been much concern today about decent wages, convenient working hours, conducive working conditions etc. Their term “Quality of work life” has appeared in research journals and the press in USA only in 1970s. There is no generally acceptable definition about this term. However, some attempts were made to describe the term quality of work life (QWL). It refers to the favourableness or unfavourableness of a job environment for people. QWL means different things to different people. J. Richard and J. Loy define QWL as “the degree to which members of a work organization are able to satisfy important personnel needs through their experience in the organization.”
Quality of work life improvements are defined as any activity which takes place at every level of an organization, which seeks greater organizational effectiveness through the enhancement of human dignity and growth … a process through which the stockholders in the organization management, unions and employees — learn how to work together better to determine for themselves what actions, changes and improvements are desirable and workable in order to achieve the twin and simultaneous goals of an improved quality of life at work for all members of the organization and greater effectiveness for both the company and the unions.
Richard E. Walton explains quality of work life in terms of eight broad conditions of employment that constitute desirable quality of work life. He proposed the same criteria for measuring QWL. Those criteria include:
(i) Adequate and Fair Compensation: There are different opinions about adequate compensation. The committee on Fair Wages defined fair wage as” . . . the wage which is above the minimum wage, but below the living wage.”
(ii) Safe and Healthy Working Conditions: Most of the organizations provide safe and healthy working conditions due to humanitarian requirements and/or legal requirements. In fact , these conditions are a matter or enlightened self interest.
(iii) Opportunity to Use and Develop Human Capacities: Contrary to the traditional assumptions, QWL is improved… “to the extent that the worker can exercise more control over his or her work, and the degree to which the job embraces and entire meaningful task” … but not a part of it. Further, QWL provides for opportunities like autonomy in work and participation in planning in order to use human capabilities.
(iv) Opportunity for Career Growth: Opportunities for promotions are limited in case of all categories of employees either due to educational barriers or due to limited openings at the higher level. QWL provides future opportunity for continued growth and security by expanding one’s capabilities, knowledge and qualifications.
(v) Social Integration in the Work Force: Social integration in the work force can be established by creating freedom from prejudice, supporting primary work groups, a sense of community and inter-personnel openness, legalitarianism and upward mobility.
(vi) Constitutionalism in the Work Organization: QWL provides constitutional protection to the employees only to the level of desirability as it hampers workers. It happens because the management’s action is challenged in every action and bureaucratic procedures need to be followed lat that level. Constitutional protection is provided to employees on such matters as privacy, free speech, equity and due process.
(vii) Work and Quality of Life: QWL provides for the balanced relationship among work, non-work and family aspects of life. In other words family life and social life should not be strained by working hours including overtime work, work during inconvenient hours, business travel, transfers, vacations etc.
(viii) Social Relevance of Work: QWL is concerned about the establishment of social relevance to work in a socially beneficial manner. The workers’ self esteem would be high if his work is useful to the society and the vice versa is also true.
Quality Circles: Quality circles which have been popularized by Japanese firms are being used all over the world because of the benefits that accrue to the firm. A quality circle involves participation from a small group of employees doing the same type of work. They meet regularly to identify, analyze and solve the problems that arise during the course of their work and their association with the organization.
The basic objectives of quality circles are to develop and utilize human resources effectively, to develop quality products, improve the quality of work life and sharpen and utilize an individual’s creative abilities. There are different steps involved in the development of quality circles from getting started to problem-solving. Communicating the importance of quality circles to the employees is of prime importance.
The next step is the composition of a quality circle. Then the stage of initial problem solving through which employee suggestions are presented, follows. The suggestions are then evaluated and the best one, chosen by consensus, is implemented. Various techniques like brainstorming sessions, fish bone diagram and sampling and charting methods, are used in quality circles.
Problems arise in the implementation of quality circles because of lack of understanding regarding the concepts, low education levels and training, delays in execution and operational problems. Most of these problems can be resolved through effective training of employees and management support.
Industrial Relations: The concept of industrial relations means the relationship between employees and the management in the day-to-day working of the industry. But the concept has a wide meaning. When taken in the wider sense, industrial relations is a “set of functional interdependence involving historical, economic, social, psychological, demographic, technological, occupational, political and legal variables.” According to Dale Yoder, industrial relations is a “whole field of relationship that exists because of the necessary collaboration of men and women in the employment process of an industry.”
According to the international Labour Organisaton (ILO), “Industrial Relations deal with either the relationship between the state and employers’ and workers’ organizations or the relation between the occupational organizations themselves.” The concept of industrial relations has been extended to denote the relations of the joint consultations between employers and people at their organizations. The subject there fore includes individual relations of the joint consultations between employers and people at their work place, collective relations between em0ployers and their organizations and trade unions and the part played by the State in regulating these relations.
Characteristics of Industrial Relations: Characteristics of industrial rations include:
i. Industrial relations are the outcome of employment relationship in an industrial enterprise.
ii. Industrial relations develop the skills and methods of adjusting to and co-operating with each other.
iii. Industrial relations system creates complex rules and regulations to maintain harmonious relations.
iv. The Government involves to shape the industrial relations through laws, rules, agreements, awards etc.
v. The important factors of industrial relations are: employees and their organizations, employer and their associations and the Government.
Factors of Industrial Relations: Industrial relations are influenced by various factors, viz., institutional factors, economic factors and technological factors.
1. Institutional factors: These factors include government policy, labour legislations, voluntary courts, collective agreement, employee courts, employers’ federations, social institutions like community, caste, joint family, creed, system of beliefs, attitudes of works, system of power status etc.
2. Economic factors: These factors include economic organization, like capitalist, communist mixed etc,. The structure of labour force, demand for and supply of labour force etc.
3. Technological factors: These factors include mechanization, automation, rationalization, computation etc.,
4. Social and cultural factors: These factors include population, customs and traditions of people, ethnic groups, cultures of various groups of people etc.
5. Political factors: These factors include political system in the country, political parties and their ideologies, their growth, mode of achievement of their policies, involvement in trade unions etc.
6. Government factors: These factors include governmental policies like industrial policy, economic policy, labour policy, export policy etc.
Objectives of Industrial Relations: The primary objective of industrial relations is to maintain congenial relations between employees and the employer. And the other objectives are:
i. To promote and develop congenial labour management relations;
ii. To enhance the economic status of the worker by improving wages, benefits and by helping the worker in evolving sound budget;
iii. To regulate the production by minimizing industrial conflicts through state control;
iv. To socialize industries by making the government as an employer;
v. To provide and opportunity to the workers to have a say in the management and decision-making;
vi. To improve worker’s strength with a view to solve their problems through mutual negotiations and consultation with the management;
vii. To encourage and develop trade unions in order to improve the workers’ strength;
viii. To avoid industrial conflict and their consequences and
ix. To extend and maintain industrial democracy.
DEFINITION OF A DISPUTE/CONFLICT
According to the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, Section 2 (k), “Industrial dispute means any dispute of difference between employers and employers, or between employers and workmen or between workmen and workmen, which is connected with the employment or non-employment or terms of employment or