International Journal of scientific research and ma nagement (IJSRM)

||Volume|| 2||Issue|| 9||Pages|| 1383-1389||2014||

Website: www.ijsrm.in ISSN (e): 2321-3418

A Study on Employee Morale and Quality of Work Life

J.Vignesh Shankar
Research Scholar, AMET Un iversity,Chennai,Kanathur-603112.

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate and determine the qua lity of work life and morale of
employees and their effects on organizational operations. To reach the quality of work life mostly depends
upon making regular attempts from an organization, which provides their employees with more
opportunities so that they can be more effective in their organization. Quality in an organization is defined
as an advantage, as a value, as determination of conformity and as meeting customer’s expectations. Good
quality of work life is necessary for an organization to attract and to retain skilled and talented employees.
Employees are the most important assets of any organizations and its success or failure depends on their
qualifications and performance. In order to survive in the competitive market because of Liberalization,
Privatization and Globalization and to minimize the attrition rate of employees the quality of work life
initiatives are very important. Motivated employees and Satisfied customers are the backbone of any
successful organizations. This paper focuses and analyzes the literature findings which involve quality of
work life and predictors of employee motivational strategies.
Keywords : Motivation, Job Satisfaction, Job Environment, Enhancement, Empowerment

Introduction
“Human resources are the greatest assets of any Objectives of QWL
industries. You can raise tariffs or prevent MNCs The main objectives of the QWL programmes are
from entering, but one can’t stop the employees to:
from leaving if they are dissatisfied”. – Improve employee satisfaction;
N.R.Narayana Murthy, Founder of Infosys Improve physica l a nd ps yc hologica l hea lth
Technologies. It signifies the importance of of employees which creates positive
human resources in any industries. Human feelings;
resources treat them as the most powerful assets Enhance productivity of employees;
and find good reason to work towards their Reinforce workplace learning;
satisfaction. The best companies in the world are Improved management of the ongoing
those that realize the worth of their employees and change and transition; and
continue to invest in them towards their growth Build the image of the company as best in
and development. This is a conscious resource recruitment, retention, and in general
that shall fuel the growth of the company from motivation of employees. Fig.1 represents
within. Quality of work life refers to the level of the constructs of quality of work life.
satisfaction, motivation, involvement and
commitment individuals experience with respect Job Satisfaction
to their lives at work. It is the degree to which
individuals are able to satisfy their important Job satisfaction is an emotional response to a job
personal needs while employed by the firm. situation. Job satisfaction is often determined by
Companies interested in enhancing employees how well outcome meet or exceed expectations.
Quality of work life generally try to instill in For instance, if organization participants feel that
employees the feelings of security, equity, pride,
internal democracy, ownership, autonomy, they are working much harder than others in the
responsibility and flexibility. department but are receiving fewer rewards they
will probably have a negative attitudes towards

J.Vignesh Shankar, IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014 [www.ijsrm.in] Page 1383
 the work, the boss and or coworkers. On the other Figure 1 showing the constructs of Quality of
hand, if they feel they are being treated very well work life
and are being paid equitably, they are likely to
have positive attitudes towards the job. Job
satisfaction represents several related attitudes Predictors of Employee Motivational Strategies
which are most important characteristics of a job
Employee InductionTraining
about which people have effective response. Job
satisfaction cannot be talk of where there is The research indicated that induction training is
absence of motivation. Job satisfaction is so shown to positively impact on employee’s
important in that its absence often leads to productivity, which results in higher levels of
lethargy and reduced organizational commitment. employee motivation (Choo & Bowley, 2007).
Lack of job satisfaction is a predictor of quitting a Induction training provides opportunities for the
employees to broaden their knowledge and skills
job.
to engage in more efficient teamwork and achieve
Organizational Commitme nt individual growth and development. Numerous
Commitment is an attitude reflecting an studies observe that workers who receive training
employee's loyalty to the organization, and an report higher levels of job satisfaction than those
ongoing process through which organization who do not, and the development of competencies
members express their concern for the through various training programmes has a
organization and its continued success and well positive impact on employee motivation(Marie,
being. Organizational commitment is determined 1995).
by a number of factor, including personal factors
(e.g., age, tenure in the organization, disposition, Empowe ring the Employee
internal or external control attributions);
organizational factors (job design and the Empowerment ‘a process of Enhancing Feelings
leadership style of one's supervisor); non- of self Efficacy among Organisational members
organizational factors (availability of alternatives). through the identification of conditions that foster
All these things affect subsequent commitment. powerlessness, and through their removal by both
Three components of commitment: formal organisational practices and informal
 an identification with the goals and values techniques of providing efficacy information’.
of the organization;  Empowered employees have higher levels of job
 a desire to belong to the organization; and  motivation and performance primarily because of
 a willingness to display effort on behalf of their involvement in goal setting and in making
the organization.  decisions that affect their work (Ugboro & Obeng,
2000).
Quality of
Work Life Teamwork
Health and Teamwork means working together, and typically
Safety involves groups of interdependent employees who
Measures work cooperatively to achieve a common goal.
Induction
Teamwork can still be a source of employee
Training autonomy, meaningfulness, bonding with team
members, and motivation. An effective team
Motivated Job Security
working together towards a common goal can
Employees and enhance the motivational properties of work and
Satisfaction increase job motivation.

Management leaders hip

J.Vignesh Shankar IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014 [www.ijsrm.in] Page 1384
The relationship between leadership behaviour reward system can affect the performance of the
and job motivation has also received a great deal employees and their desire to remain employed in
of attention in past research. Prior research has the same organization. Rewards are very
examined the relationships between management important for job satisfaction because it fulfills the
leadership and job satisfaction. As leaders take basic needs as well as it helps to attain the higher
care to help and support the contact employees level of goals. Earnings is the way by which
and are concerned about their needs, these worker get to know that how much they are
employees will feel more satisfied (Church, gaining by dedicating their time, effort and skills
1995). in a job.

Employee compensation Today a major concern in business is flexibility at

work. The one thing becomes very clear that
Employee compensation systems are most money is not ultimate. Employees are willing to
frequently considered as one of the key factors trade a certain amount of money for reduced work
influencing employee satisfaction Prior researches hours in their schedules. It is argued by the
has shown that employee compensation has a researchers that reduced work hour options should
positive influence on employee job satisfaction. have the potential of win-win situation for both
individuals and organizations. Distress and fatigue
from excessive time on job can lead to decline in
Salary, Wages and Conditions of Service
performances of the employee and also it affects
the safety level. A large amount of time at work is
To use salaries as a motivator effectively,
not a good predictor of productivity and it is
personnel ma na ge rs must consider four major
observed that periods of time away from work can
components of a salary structures. These are the
be extremely beneficial to the quality of person’s
job rate, which relates to the importance the
organization attaches to each job; payment, which work.
encourages workers or groups by rewarding them
It is m ore cost-effective and productive for
according to their performance; personal or
management to design the work arrangements to
special allowances, associated with factors such as
fit the human than to force the human to fit into
scarcity of particular skills or certain categories of
the sys te m. Thus practices like learning
information professionals or librarians, or with Development,
organization, Career planning &
long service; and fringe benefits such as holidays
Work Environment, Reward system, Team Spirit,
with pay, pensions, and so on. It is also important
to ensure that the prevailing pay in other library or Quality of Work Life etc. will improve retention.
information establishments is taken into
consideration in determining the pay structure of Objectives of the study
the ir organization.
To assess the quality of work life among
employees in IT companies.
Reward System
To know the perceived link between work
life balance and team effectiveness.
Reward is something that an organization gives to
To identify the importance of work
the employee in response to their contribution or
performance so that the employees become environment towards the performance
motivated for future positive behavior. The term
‘reward’ is something which is desired by the Some major conceptual categories relating to
employees, it can be cash reward like bonus or Quality of work life
recognition such as naming a Best Employee of
the Month or Best Performer of the Month and Ade quate a nd fa ir c om pe nsa tion
free trips. It is very important that the rewards Safe and healthy working conditions
have a lasting impression on the employee and it Immediate opportunity to use and develop
will continue to substantiate the employee’s human capacities
perception that they are valued. An organization’s

J.Vignesh Shankar, IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014

[www.ijsrm.in] Page 1385
  Opportunity for continued growth and Less negative Improved relationship
security
 Social integration in the work organizational stress both on and off the
organization job
 Constitutionalism in the work
organization
Work and total life space

Proble ms of imple menting quality of work life

programmes

Managerial attitudes Study Result

Union influence Percentage NO. OF PERCE
Restrictiveness of industrial engineering
Analysis RESPONDEN NTAGE
Strategies to improve quality of work life TABLE 1 : TS
By implementing some changes, the management AGE
can create sense of involvement, commitment and
togetherness among the employees which paves BELOW 25 24 48
wa y for better Qua lity of Work Life. 25-30 17 34
Job enrichment and Job redesign
Autonomous work redesign 30-35 90 18
Opportunity for growth TOTAL 50
Administrative or organizational justice
Job security GENDER NO. OF PERCE
Suggestion s yste m
RESPONDEN NTAGE
Flexibility in work sc he dules
Employee participation TS
MALE 25 50
Work Life Balance Work Life Balance FEMALE 25 50
Benefits to the Benefits to the TOTAL 50
Orga nisation Individual
EXPERIENC NO. OF PERCE
Measured increase in More value and E RESPONDEN NTAGE
individual balance in your daily TS
productivity, life
LESS THAN 24 48
accountability and
3 YEARS 17 34
commitment 3- 6 YEARS 63 12
Better team work and Better understanding
6-9 YEARS 0 6
communication of what your
9-12 YEARS 50
individual work life
TOTAL
balance is
INCOME NO. OF PERCE
Improved morale Increased productivity
RESPONDEN NTAGE
and reduced stress TS

J.Vignesh Shankar, IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014

[www.ijsrm.in] Page 1385
UPTO 11 22 and Experience.
2,00,000 19 38 Ha: There is a significance
2,00,000- 11 22 difference between Job security JOB
4,00,000 3 6 and Experience. SECURITY
4,00,000- 4 8
6,00,000 2 4 IN YEARS
6,00,000- 50 Chi-square 22.800 23.120

8,00,000 df 3 1
8,00,000-
Asymp. Sig. .000 .000
10,00,000
The asymptotic significance is less than 0.05, the
ABOVE difference between observed and expected
10,00,000 frequencies is significant. Therefore the null
hypothesis is rejected. Therefore there is the
TOTAL significance relationship between Experience and
JOB NO. OF PERCE Job Security.
SECURITY RESPONDEN NTAGE TABLE: 3
Ho: There is no significance
TS
difference between Inter
YES 42 84
relationship and Age.
NO 8 16
Ha: There is no significance
TOTAL 50
difference between Inter IN YEARS
MOTIVATIO NO. OF PERCE
relationship and Age.
N RESPONDEN NTAGE
TS
INTER RELATIONSHIP
EXTREMLY 21 42
Chi-square 32.000 6.760
MOTIVATING 21 42
Df 1 2
FAIRLY 8 16
50 Asymp. Sig. .000 .034
MOTIVATING
NEITHER The asymptotic significance is less than 0.34
which is greater than 0.05, the difference between
MOTIVATING observed and expected frequencies is
NOR insignificant. Therefore the null hypothesis is
accepted. Therefore there is no significance
TOTAL
relationship between Inter Relationship and Age.

TABLE: 2 Chi- Square Analysis TABLE: 4

Ho: There is no significance
Ho: There is no significance difference between Motivation
difference between Job security and Income.

J.Vignesh Shankar, IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014

[www.ijsrm.in] Page 1386
Ha: There is a significance critical element of emotional intelligence. High self
– awareness helps an individual to monitor the
difference between Motivation IN RUPEES actions and try to rectify it if required, self-
and Income. awareness guides an individual to fine tune the job
performance style and become more acceptable and
socially networked. Further it also helps employees,
MOTIVATION use their emotions to facilitate performance by
directing them toward Constructive activities and
Chi-square 6.760 25.840 improving personal performance. Any person highly
Df 2 5 capable in this dimension would be able to
encourage him or herself to do better continuously
Asymp. Sig. .034 .000 and direct his or her emotions in positive and
The asymptotic significance is less than 0.000 productive directions. Hence emotionalIntelligence
which is less than 0.05, the difference between will help an employee experience better work – life
observed and expected frequencies is significant. balance.
Therefore the null hypothesis is rejected.
Therefore there is a significance relationship Conclusion
between Motivation and Income.
TABLE: 5 Quality of Work Life (QWL) is a comprehensive
construct that includes an individual’s job related
Ho: There is no significance
well being and the extent to which work
difference between Co-operation experiences are rewarding, fulfilling and devoid of
stress and other negative personal consequences.
and Gender.
All over the world people are craving for their
Ha: There is a significance human dignity and respect. Besides their
aspirations and expectations are rising along with
difference between Co-operation GENDER rapid changes in times and technologies. There is
and Gender. growing significance attached to human resources.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure quality work
life for all- round peace and prosperity. Better
CO-OPERATION quality of work life leads to increased employee
morale. It minimizes attrition and checks labor
Chi-square 20.480 .000 turnover and absenteeism. There will be better
Df 1 1 communication and understanding among all
employees leading to cordial relations. It enhances
Asymp. Sig. .000 1.000 the brand image for the company as that, in turn,
The asymptotic significance is less than 1.000 encourages entry of new talent into the
which is less than 0.05, the difference between organizations work environment means the
observed and expected frequencies is milieus around a person. It is the social and
insignificant. Therefore the null hypothesis is professional environment in which employees’ are
accepted. Therefore there is no significance supposed to interact with a number of people.
relationship between Co-operation and Gender. Employees’ are supposed to co-ordinate with each
other in one way or the other. They may be
Improving Worklife Balance working in a team or in dependent. It depends
upon their position and status in their work place.
IT organizations should take up the initiative of It is not important that an office would always be
improving and enhancing the emotional called the work place. It can either be home
intelligence of their employees. This can be done environment where they use to work for all the
by designing and providing effective training to time where they were supposed to interact with
their employees. This will help enhance the skills your family members by and by. Work
of the employees with regard to “self – environment does not only count the living world
awareness” self – awareness forms the most

J.Vignesh Shankar, IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014 [www.ijsrm.in] Page 1387
things but also the materialistic world stuff. It may Certo, S. C. (2004). Modern Management:
count the room or home where they are working. quality, Ethics and the Global Environment.
It may counts the things that they are using in one Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
way or the other. It is all about things and livings
that are around the employees’ where they are Che Rose, R., & Beh, L. S., Uli, J., & Idris, K.
working. It finally concluded that work (2006 A). An Analysis of Quality of Work Life
environment, job analysis, satisfaction and (QWL) and Career- Related Variables. American
motivation are the four major which dominates all Journal of Applied Sciences, 3(12), 2151-2159.
the other factors and helps the employees for their
better performance in the organization. Choo, S., & Bowley, C. (2007). Using training
and development to affect job satisfaction within
Techniques to improve quality of work life franchising. Journal of Small Business and
include job redesign, career development, flexible Enterprise Development, 14(2), 339–352.
work schedules, job security and the like. If any
organization properly adopts these techniques, the Church, A.H. (1995). Linking leadership
quality of work life will certainly be improved to behaviours to service performance: Do managers
the desired levels. Employee satisfaction make a difference? Managing Service Quality,
encompasses numerous benefits to the 5(6), 26–31.
organisations as stated in the paper. By
encouraging management leaders to better take Drobnic, S., Behan, B., & Prag, P. (2010). Good
care of employees is important way to improve job, good life? Working conditions and quality of
satisfaction. Establishing a long-term relationship life in Europe. Social Indicators Research, 99(2),
between management and employees can enhance 205-225.
satisfaction. Employee empowerment, employee
compensation, teamwork and management Hosseini, S. M. (2010). Quality of work life
leadership are good predictors of employee (QWL) and its relationship with performance.
satisfaction. Advanced Management Science, 1, 559-562.

References Iacovides, A., K.N., Fountoulakis, G.K., St.

Kaprins, 2003. “The Relationship between Job
Alvesson, M. (2002). Unde rsta nding Stress, Burnout and Clinical Depression”. Journal
organizational culture. London:Sage Publications. of Affective Disorders, 75, pp 209221.

Arnold, H.J. & Feldman, D.C. (1986). Joshi, G. Garment Industry in South Asia,
Organizational behavior.New York: McGraw- International Labour Organization, New Delhi:
Hill. 2002, 87-229

Becker, T.E,; Randal, D.M, & Riegel, Khan. A (2007) Performance Appraisals Relation
C.D.(1995).The multidimensional view of with Productivity and Job Satisfaction Journal of
commitment and theory of reasoned action: A Managerial Sciences 1 (2):100-114.
comparative evaluation: Journal of Management
21 (4), 617–638. Malik, M. I., Saleem, F., & Ahmad, M., (2010).
Work - Life Balance and Job Satisfaction among
Bogler, R. (2002). Two profiles of schoolteachers: Doctors in Pakistan. South Asian Journal of
A discriminate analysis of job satisfaction. Management, 17(2), 112-
Teaching and Teacher Education, 18(6), 665-673. 123.

Bard, M. & Moore, E. (2000). Mentoring and self- Marie, W. (1995). The effects of self- regulatory
managed learning: Professional development for coping orientation on newcomer adjustment and
the market research industry. International Journal job survival. Personnel Psychology, 48(3), 633–
of Market Research, 42(3):255– 265. 650.

Page 1388
Noor, S. M., & Abdullah, M. A. (2012). Quality Shamir, B. and I. Salomon, 1985. Workathome
Work Life among Factory Workers in Malaysia. and the quality of working life. Acad. Manag., 10:
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 35, pp 455464.
739-745.
Ugboro, I.O., & Obeng, K. (2000). Top
Oshagbemi, T. (2000). How satisfied are management leadership, employee empowerment,
academics with their primary tasks of teaching job satisfaction, and customer satisfaction in TQM
research and administration and management. organisations: An empirical study. Journal of
International Sustainable in Higher Education Quality Management, 5(2), 247–272.
1(2), 124 -136.
Watson, I., J., Buchanan, I., Campbell, and C.,
Rao, T.V. Readings in Human Resource Briggs, 2003. “Fragmented Futures: New
Development, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co, New Challenges in Working Life”. Sydney, New South
Delhi, 2004. Wales: The Federation Press.

Rothmann, S. & Coetzer, E.P. (2002). The

relationship between personality dimensions and
job satisfaction. Bestuursdinamika, 11(1):29–42.

J.Vignesh Shankar, IJSRM volume 2 issue 9 September 2014 [www.ijsrm.in] Page 1389