A STUDY ON THE CHALLENGES ON QUALITY OF

WORKLIFE AND JOB SATISFACTION OF EMPLOYEES

OF ONLINE FOOD DELIVERY COMPANIES

INTRODUCTION

Retail food delivery is a courier service in which a restaurant, store, or

independent food delivery company delivers food to a customer. An order is typically made
either through a restaurant or grocer's website or phone, or through a food ordering
company, like Uber Eats, Dunzo, Swiggy and Zomato . The delivered items can include
entrees, sides, drinks, desserts, or grocery items and are typically delivered in boxes or
bags. The delivery person will normally drive a car, but in bigger cities where homes and
restaurants are closer together, they may use bikes or motorized scooters.
Customers depending on the delivery company, choose to pay online or in person, with
cash or card. A flat rate delivery fee is often charged with what the customer has bought.
Tips are often customary for food delivery service. Other aspects of food delivery include
catering and wholesale food service deliveries to restaurants, cafeterias, health care
facilities, and caterers by foodservice distributors.

Dunzo

Dunzo is an Indian company that provides delivery services in Bengaluru, Delhi,

Gurgaon, Pune, Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The company also operates a Bike Taxi
service in Gurgaon.It is headquartered in Bengaluru, India.In 2017, it was funded by
Google.It was founded by Kabeer Biswas, along with Co-founders Ankur Agarwal, Dalvir
Suri, and Mukund Jha, in 2014.

Zomato

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 Zomato is an Indian restaurant search and discovery service founded in 2008 by
Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah. It currently operates in 24 countries. It provides
information and reviews of restaurants, including images of menus where the restaurant
does not have its own website and also online delivery.

Uber Eats

Uber Eats' parent company Uber was founded in 2009 by Garrett Camp and Travis
Kalanick. The company made its foray into food delivery in August 2014 with the launch
of the UberFRESH service in Santa Monica, California. In 2015, the platform was
renamed to UberEATS, and the ordering software was released as its own application,
separate from their app for Uber rides. Its London operation opened in 2016. In
November 2018, the company announced plans to triple its workforce in its European
markets. As of November 2018, the company reported making food deliveries in 200
cities in 20 countries in EMEA markets.

Swiggy

Swiggy is an online food ordering and delivering service based in Bengaluru, Karnataka,
India.It was founded in 2014 by Nandan Reddy, Rahul Jaimini, and Sriharsha Majety.
Swiggy is operated by Bundl Technologies Private Limited in over 44 cities in India. Its
total valuation in the market is $3.3 billion and its total funding amount is $1.5 billion.
Swiggy operates through its website and mobile application. Users can read the menu
and place the order on its website or its Android or iOS application. Once the order is
placed, a delivery person is assigned for that order that collects the food from the
restaurant and delivers it to the location decided by the customer. Payment can be made
through cash on delivery, net banking, credit and debit cards and digital wallets.

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JOB SATISFACTION

Job satisfaction or employee satisfaction is a measure of workers'

contentedness with their job, whether or not they like the job or individual aspects or
facets of jobs, such as nature of work or supervision. Job satisfaction can be measured
in cognitive (evaluative), affective (or emotional), and behavioral components.
Researchers have also noted that job satisfaction measures vary in the extent to which
they measure feelings about the job (affective job satisfaction). or cognition about the
job (cognitive job satisfaction).

One of the most widely used definitions in organizational research is that of Locke
(1976), who defines job satisfaction as "a pleasurable or positive emotional state
resulting from the appraisal of one's job or job experiences" , Others have defined it as
simply how content an individual is with his or her job; whether he or she likes the job
or not. It is assessed at both the global level (whether or not the individual is satisfied
with the job overall), or at the facet level (whether or not the individual is satisfied
with different aspects of the job).

Job satisfaction is defined as the extent to which an employee feels self-motivated, content
& satisfied with his/her job. Job satisfaction happens when an employee feels he or she is
having job stability, career growth and a comfortable work life balance.

Importance of Job Satisfaction

A satisfied employee is always important for an organization as he/she aims to

deliver the best of their capability. Every employee wants a strong career growth and
work life balance at workplace. If an employee feels happy with their company &
work, they look to give back to the company with all their efforts. Importance of job
satisfaction can be seen from two perspectives i.e. from employee and employer
perspective:

For Employees: Job satisfaction from an employee perspective is to earn a good gross
salary, have job stability, have a steady career growth, get rewards & recognition and
constantly have new opportunities.
For Employers: For an employer, job satisfaction for an employee is an important
aspect to get the best out of them. A satisfied employee always contributes more to the
company, helps control attrition & helps the company grow. Employers needs to
ensure a good job description to attract employees and constantly give opportunities
to individuals to learn and grow.

The positive effects of job satisfaction include:

1. More efficiency of employees of workplace if they are satisfied with their job.

2. Higher employee loyalty leading to more commitment.

3. Job satisfaction of employees eventually results in higher profits for companies.

4. High employee retention is possible if employees are happy.

The employee’s attitude towards the job and organization as well becomes positive
when they realize that their job facilitates them in achieving their needs and values,
directly (by performing it) or indirectly (by the package they get). In short, it
represents the difference between employee’s expectations and experience he/she
derives from the job. The wider the gap, the more is the dissatisfaction.

Job Satisfaction Factors

Job satisfaction is related to the psychology of an employee. A happy & content

employee at a job is always motivated to contribute more. On the other hand, a
dissatisfied employee is lethargic, makes mistakes & becomes a burden to the
company. The elements & factors which contribute to job satisfaction are:

1. Compensation & Working conditions: One of the biggest factors of job satisfaction
are the compensation and benefits given to an employee. An employee with a good
salary, incentives, bonuses, healthcare options etc is
 happier with their job as compared to someone who doesn’t have the same. A
healthy workplace environment also adds value to an employee.

2. Work life balance: Every individual wants to have a good workplace which allow
them time to spend with their family & friends. Job satisfaction for employees is
often due a good work life balance policy, which ensures that an employee spends
quality time with their family along with doing their work. This improves the
employee's quality of work life.

3. Respect & Recognition: Any individual appreciates and feels motivated if they are
respected at their workplace. Also, if they are awarded for their hard work, it further
motivates employees. Hence recognition is one of the job satisfaction factors.

4. Job security: If an employee is assured that the company would retain them even if
the market is turbulent, it gives them immense confidence. Job security is one of the
main reasons for job satisfaction for employees.

5. Challenges: Monotonous work activities can lead to dissatisfied employees. Hence,

things like job rotation, job enrichment etc can help in job satisfaction of employees
as well.

6. Career Growth: Employees always keep their career growth part as a high priority
in their life. Hence, if a company helps groom employees and gives them newer job
roles, it enhances the job satisfaction as they know they would get a boost in their
career.

The employee’s attitude towards the job and organization as well becomes positive
when they realize that their job facilitates them in achieving their needs and values,
directly (by performing it) or indirectly (by the package they get). In short, it
represents the difference between employee’s expectations and experience he/she
derives from the job. The wider the gap, the more is the dissatisfaction.
QUALITY OF WORKLIFE

Quality of work life (QWL) refers to the favourableness or unfavourableness of a job

environment for the people working in an organisation. The period of scientific
management which focused solely on specialisation and efficiency, has undergone a
revolutionary change

Various authors and researchers have proposed models of quality of working life –
also referred to as quality of worklife – which include a wide range of factors,
sometimes classified as "motivator factors" which if present can make the job
experience a positive one, and "hygiene factors" which if lacking are more associated
with dissatisfaction. A number of rating scales have been developed aiming to
measure overall quality of working life or certain aspects thereof. Some publications
have drawn attention to the importance of QWL for both employees and employers,
and also for national economic performance.

Dissatisfaction with working life affects the workers some time or another, regardless
of position or status. The frustration, boredom and anger common to employees can
be costly to both individuals and organisations.

Managers seek to reduce job dissatisfaction at all organizational levels, including their
own. This is a complex problem, however, because it is difficult to isolate and identify
the attributes which affect the quality of working life.

Profitability of a company is linked to satisfaction of its work force. A company that

does not measure and improve employee satisfaction may face increasing turnover,
declining productivity and limited ability to attract and retain qualified replacements.

Employee satisfaction and quality of work life directly affect company’s ability to
serve its customers. Efforts towards QWL measurement help in efficient and effective
allocation of resources to enhance productivity and stability of the workforce.
Quality of work life is the quality of relationship between employees and total
working environment. A Great Place to work is where “You Trust the people you
work for, have pride in what you do, and enjoy the people you work with.”

It leads to:

i. Positive employee attitudes toward their work and the company.

ii. Increased productivity and intrinsic motivation.

iii. Enhanced organizational effectiveness and competitive advantage.

Quality of work life involves three major parts:

1. Occupational health care:

Safe work environment provides the basis for people to enjoy his work. The work
should not pose health hazards for the employees.

2. Suitable working time:

Companies should observe the number of working hours and the standard limits on
overtime, time of vacation and taking free days before national holidays.

3. Appropriate salary:

The employee and the employer agree upon appropriate salary. The Government
establishes the rate of minimum salary; the employer should not pay less than that
to the employee. Work represents a role which a person has designated to himself.
On the one hand, work earns one’s living for the family, on the other hand, it is a
self-realization that provides enjoyment and satisfaction.

Work-Life Quality — defined, as the balance between an employee’s work demands

and outside interests or pressures — is a long-standing but ever-evolving area of
corporate social responsibility. Some organizations view QWL as important, but do
not formally link it to their strategic or business plans.
"QWL is the degree to which members of a work organisation are able to satisfy
important personal needs through their experiences in the organisation".

While the task force set in 1979 by the American Society for Training and
Development [ASTD] defined QWL as a process of work organisation which
enables its members at all levels of to actively participate in shaping the
organisation's environments, methods and outcomes. This value based process is
aimed towards meeteing the twin goals of enhanced effectiveness of organisation
and improved quality of life at work for employees. Quality of work life efforts are
systematic efforts made by an organisation to give its employees a greater
opportunity to affect the way in which they do their jobs and the contributions they
make to the overall effectiveness of their organisation.

The factors that influence and decide the Quality of work life are:

 Attitude

 Environment

 Opportunities

 Nature of Job

 People

 Stress Level

 Career Prospects

 Challenges

 Growth and Development

 Risk Involved and Reward

Attitude: The person who is entrusted with a particular job needs to have sufficient
knowledge, required skill and expertise, enough experience, enthusiasm, energy
level, willingness to learn new things, dynamism, sense of belongingness in the
organization, involvement in the job, inter personnel relations, adaptability to
changes in the situation, openness for innovative ideas, competitiveness, zeal,
ability to work under pressure, leadership qualities and team-spirit.

Environment: The job may involve dealing with customers who have varied
tolerance level, preferences, behavioral pattern, level of understanding; or it may
involve working with dangerous machines like drilling pipes, cranes, lathe
machines, welding and soldering machines, or even with animals where maximum
safety precautions have to be observed which needs lot of concentration, alertness,
presence of mind, quick with involuntary actions, synchronization of eyes, hands
and body, sometimes high level of patience, tactfulness, empathy and compassion
and control over emotions.

Opportunities: Some jobs offer opportunities for learning, research, discovery,

self-development, enhancement of skills, room for innovation, public recognition,
exploration, celebrity-status and loads and loads of fame. Others are monotonous,
repetitive, dull, routine, no room for improvement and in every sense boring.
Naturally the former ones are interesting and very much rewarding also.

Nature of Job: For example, a driller in the oil drilling unit, a diver, a fire-fighter,
traffic policeman, tram engine driver, construction laborers, welder, miner, lathe
mechanic have to do dangerous jobs and have to be more alert in order to avoid any
loss of limb, or loss of life which is irreparable; whereas a pilot, doctor, judge,
journalist have to be more prudent and tactful in handling the situation; a CEO, a
professor, a teacher have more responsibility and accountability but safe working
environment; a cashier or a security guard cannot afford to be careless in his job as
it involves loss of money, property and wealth; a politician or a public figure cannot
afford to be careless, for his reputation and goodwill is at stake. Some jobs need soft
skills, leadership qualities, intelligence, decision making abilities, abilities to tram
and extract work from others; other jobs need forethought, vision and yet other jobs
need motor skills, perfection and extreme carefulness.

People: Almost everyone has to deal with three set of people in the work place.
Those are namely boss, co-workers in the same level and subordinates. Apart from
this, some professions need interaction with people like patients, media persons,
public, customers, thieves, robbers, physically disabled people, mentally
challenged, children, foreign delegates, gangsters, politicians, public figures and
celebrities. These situations demand high level of prudence, cool temper,
tactfulness, humor, kindness, diplomacy and sensitiveness.

Stress Level: All these above mentioned factors are inter-related and inter-
dependant. Stress level need not be directly proportional to the compensation. Stress
is of different types - mental stress/physical stress and psychological or emotional
stress. A Managing Director of a company will have mental stress, a laborer will
have physical stress, a psychiatrist will have emotional stress. Mental stress and
Emotional stress cause more damage than physical stress.

Career Prospects: Every job should offer career development. That is an important
factor which decides the quality of work life. Status improvement, more recognition
from the Management, appreciations are the motivating factors for anyone to take
keen interest in his job. The work atmosphere should be conducive to achieve
organizational goal as well as individual development. It is a win-win situation for
both the parties; an employee should be rewarded appropriately for his good work,
extra efforts, sincerity and at the same time a lethargic and careless employee
should be penalized suitably; this will motivate the former to work with more zeal
and deter the latter from being so, and strive for better performance.

Challenges: The job should offer some challenges at least to make it interesting;
That enables an employee to upgrade his knowledge and skill and capabilities;
whereas the monotony of the job makes a person dull, non-enthusiastic, dissatisfied,
frustrating, complacent, initiative - less and uninteresting. Challenge is the fire that
keeps the innovation and thrill alive. A well-accomplished challenging job yields
greater satisfaction than a monetary perk; it boosts the self-confidence also.

Growth and Development: If an organization does not give chance for growth and
personal development it is very difficult to retain the talented personnel and also to
find new talent with experience and skill.

Risk Involved and Reward: Generally reward or compensation is directly

proportional to the quantum of work, man-hours, nature and extent of responsibility,
accountability, delegated powers, authority of position in the organizational chart,
risk involved, level of expected commitment, deadlines and targets, industry,
country, demand and supply of skilled manpower and even political stability and
economic policies of a nation. Although risk is involved in every job its nature and
degree varies in them; All said and done, reward is a key criteria to lure a
prospective worker to accept the offer.

Subsequently, the basics need to have a high "quality of work life" varies from an
individual to another. Regardless of their standards, those with a high quality of
work life usually make enough to live comfortably, find their work to be engaging
or interesting and achieve a level of personal satisfaction or fulfillment from the job
that they do. In the other word, those employees that are generally happy with their
job are said to have a high quality of work life, while for those that are unhappy or
unfulfilled by their job are said to have a low quality of work life.

To achieve a high quality of work life, it is important to choose a suitable job that
can fulfills our needs and not to be forced to do the jobs. An important thing that we
need to determine is what those needs are. If we want a job that is challenging and
engages our mind, it is important to consider that in future you still might be able to
handle it and you have the strength and qualification which allow you to obtain such
a job. Further is the discussion on Quality Work Life model that might be helpful to
understand a job needs that you are interested in.
NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

In today’s scenario where there is no dearth of competitors in the market, it is essential

that employees work with dedication and sincerity. How do you expect a new joinee to
develop a sense of loyalty and attachment towards the organization all of a sudden?
The poor fellow does not know much about your company and it does take time for
everyone to adjust in the system. Respect towards the organization comes with due
course of time only when the employee is treated well by his superiors.
The importance of my research is to study the quality of worklife and job
contentedness of online food delivery companies, especially the employees and the HR
mangers in the company.Recently, there were so much of issues regarding the payment
and the difficulties that are faced by the employees and employers. The study defines
the main issues and circumstances that are faced by the employees especially regarding
their salary and shift problems. The employees work day and night and finds it difficult
when it comes to certain situations.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Job satisfaction is an important aspect of any company. When there is a problem with
job satisfaction, there can be decreased work flow, or workers who just do not care. A
management led focus group or a survey is one way to find out how satisfied or
unsatisfied and employee is. You can then work to rectify the situations that are
causing distress. By reading and listening to statements, you can then turn things
around.
In recent years the Quality of Work Life (QWL) has become an important tool in the
struggle for best employees. Organizations are seeking the ways for increasing the
QWL in order to retain the best employees and attract the most talented employees.
Traditionally used transaction rewards are easily imitable and have lost their power,
especially in knowledge-based economy. This is the main reason why many
corporations attempt to find appropriate methods for increasing the QWL.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Title
To study on quality of work life and job contentedness of online food delivery
companies.
General Objective

To study the level of job satisfaction of the employees of online food delivery
companies and also to know more about the quality of work life of the employees.

Specific Objective

1. To understand the difficulties that are faced by the employees inside and outside the
company.
2. To know the quality of work life the employees have and how much they are
satisfied.
3. To find out the relationship between the employees and the employers in the various
companies.
4. To study the Challenges on work life as well as job satisfaction.

Definitions

Conceptual Definitions
According to Weiss (2002, p. 174) and cites Locke (1969) “who defines job
satisfaction as feelings of contentment derived from the appraisal of one’s job and the
understanding that the job is assisting in achieving one’s goals. Job dissatisfaction is
the unpleasant affections that one feels if one appraises the job as a barrier in achieving
one’s values.” Locke (1969, p. 316) “states that three factors exist in any appraisal
process of the job: the perception about the facet of the job, a value system, and an
evaluation of the relationship between the perception and the value system. People
have set goals and values in mind. If their job assists them in achieving those goals,
they are satisfied.”
Quality of work life is a concept which talks about the overall focus on employee as a
person rather than just the work done by him/her. Quality of Work Life is becoming an
increasingly popular concept in recent times. It basically talks about the methods in
which an organisation can ensure the holistic well-being of an employee instead of just
focusing on work-related aspects.

Operational Definitions
Job satisfaction is a term used to describe how content an individual is with his/her job.
Operationalization of Job Satisfaction Operational definitions include Indicators like:
Attitude toward present job, Satisfaction with pay, Satisfaction with promotion
opportunities, Satisfaction with coworkers, Satisfaction with supervisor.
Quality of work life (QWL) refers to the favourableness or unfavourableness of a job
environment for the people working in an organisation. The period of scientific
management which focused solely on specialisation and efficiency, has undergone a
revolutionary change. The traditional management (like scientific management) gave
inadequate attention to human values. In the present scenario, needs and aspirations of
the employees are changing. Employers are now redesigning jobs for better QWL.

Field of study
The field of study will be with the major food delivery companies like swiggy,
zomato, uber eats, dunzo and employees.

Research design
The researcher planned to use descriptive research design. Descriptive research
design is a scientific method which involves observing and describing the
behaviour of a subject without influencing it in anyway.

Sampling Design
Probability sampling is a sampling technique which researcher is going to use to
choose the samples from a larger population based on the theory of probability.
The most important requirement of probability sampling is that every individual
has a known and an equal chance of getting selected.
Systematic random sampling is a type of probability sampling method which
researcher is going use it to select sample members from a larger population.
The sample will be every ‘nth’ individual.

Universe of the study

The universe of my study is employees of various online food delivery
companies including men and women.

Sample Size
The sample size will be 150 respondents.
5 HR managers
100 employees
(25 employees each from Dunzo, Uber eats, Swiggy and Zomato)