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27 South -Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies (SAJMS) ISSN:2349-7858:SJIF:2.246:Volume 4 Issue 3

DO INDIAN WOMEN GET THIR SHARE IN QWL PIE? A

QUALITATIVE STUDY OF WORKPLACE EXPECTATIONS

First Author

Dr. Vibhuti Tripathi ,Assistant Professor

School of Management Studies

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad

Allahabad -211004, Uttar Pradesh, India

E mail- [email protected], [email protected]

Second author

Vibha Yadav

Research Scholar

School of Management Studies

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad

Allahabad -211004, Uttar Pradesh, India

E mail- [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract

Increased participation of women in economic activities has transformed the role of women in

the society and home boundaries. The necessity to trade off between work and family life domain

and declining female participation in Indian workforce over nearly one and a half decades has

necessitated a study to understand the expected dimensions of QWL in Indian working women.

As QWL is a multidimensional and context based concept, researchers have conducted a

qualitative study that explores various dimensions of QWL. Total 30 women working at different

positions in public and private organizations in different sector from two Indian cities Allahabad

and Lucknow participated in the study through a purposive sampling frame. Data were collected

using telephonic and direct interviews, and analysis was conducted in accordance with grounded

theory method. Seven dimensions of QWL were identified by conducting content analysis.

Limitations and implications are discussed along with the future research ideas. The findings of

the study would enable human resource managers, practitioners and policy makers to

understand working women needs better and assist them in designing women friendly

environment in the organization.

Key words: Indian Working Women, Quality of Work Life, Workplace Expectations

1. INTRODUCTION

“She works hard at the office all day. So does he. But guess who does all the work once they get

home? Women with jobs still do all the household chores. But, worse, most of us think that is the

way it should be” (Goodchild, The Independent, 2005).

mailto:[email protected]






Indian economy has transformed substantially since independence in 1947 and so is the situation

of women. Post globalization, the outlook of society towards women has changed significantly

as they are widely accepted in work roles (Desai et al., 2011) in different capacities. They are

actively participating in various political, social, technological, educational and economic

activities-taking up new challenging and creative roles. Higher education and awareness of

working women have played an instrumental role in securing higher positions in various

organizations but this change has taken place in a small section. Still, Indian women are doing a

tight rope walk while balancing their professional and family life. They are still burdened with

balancing old traditional conditioning and attaining the desirable change in their self-perception.

It is reflective in the steep decline of percentage of female labor force as reported by The World

Bank that Indian organizations are also not able to retain and keep pace with the transformation

and failing to provide a suitable work-environment for women which can cater their special

needs. The World Bank data reports that female participation in work force is consistently

decreasing as it fell from 27.58% in the year 1990 to 26.83% in 2007. Further, it was reported

25.93% in 2009 which declined to 25.04% in 2010. This down fall of percentage continued and

became 26.83% in 2008. The consistent decrease in percentage of women labor force was

constant and only 25.93% women were the part of Indian workforce in 2009 and only 25.04% in

2010. Further, 24.61% in 2011 and 24.12% in 2012 participation rate was recorded which

decreased to 24.17% in 2013 and continued till 2014. Sunderraj (2006) claims 60% working

women are living in nuclear family that reflects their dual responsibility. McMillen (2011)

suggests women are more distressed in comparison to men when their family life is disturbed

due to office work. In result they are grappling with the family and work responsibilities and

trying to maintain a balance between both by expending more physical and mental energy.

Though, number of dual-career couples are increasing but patriarchal status of husband and

gender based time-consuming household responsibilities and expectation of balancing work and

family has remained in a woman‘s basket (Kossek, 2005), still women are expected to manage

the responsibilities of both work and family domains (Sahu & Rath, 2003). Results show that

working women experience higher level of perceived stress and lower life satisfaction as well as

job satisfaction as they find it difficult to take care of multiple responsibilities, ranging from

taking care of elders to child care at home and enhancing job performance at work place (Desai

et al., 2011). Women attempt to be successful in all the roles and often willingly shrink their

space to accommodate comfort of ―significant‖ others. In managing their time as well as

resources between family and work, due to ambiguity and distinct segregation between work and

family domains, they become vulnerable to conflict, strain and stress (Conklin, 1973; Mies,

1980). Study reports that personal time reduces from 1.5 hours to 0.9 hours for working women

once they become mother and still continue their job (Unwalla, 1977). Indian working women

get moral support from their husbands for career progression but, lack of sharing of domestic

responsibilities leads to excessive strain and stress resulting into bad performance reviews and in

extreme cases, job termination (Bharat, 1995). A study of Assocham (2009) reveals that 68% of

Indian working women are suffering from life style diseases like obesity, depression, diabetes,

hypertension and chronic backache despite of family support. Health problems are being the

reason for high absenteeism, lower productivity, low morale and commitment towards

organization and job satisfaction, in all causing adverse effect on efficiency of female workforce

(Wang et al., 2008; Dewa et al., 2007). Wethington and Kessler (1989) also claim that highly

committed women for their career are more prone to distress. Maret & Funlay (1984) opines that

autonomy, flexibility in job, support from supervisor may improve quality of life of women,



whereas insecurity in job, very strong job ethics, irregular working hours may reduce that,

Shakil, Fakhr & Ahmed (2011) argue that women may be benefitted if organizations provide

family-related resources and economic support such as income, security and social support like

reduced work time, supervisor support etc. Gupta and Hyde (2013) suggested that every

employer should consider it a prime duty to facilitate employees with good quality of work life

and quality of personal life. Further, QWL is seen as a process through which organizations

respond to employee needs by allowing them to involve and participate in decision making that

design their lives at work (Robbins, 1998). Need satisfaction through work place experiences

results into job satisfaction and overall life satisfaction (Sirgy et al., 2001). Therefore, this study

focuses on exploring expected dimensions of QWL for women. In the present study, working

women at different positions in public and private organizations in different sectors from

Allahabad and Lucknow city in India participated through a purposeful sampling frame. This

study was conducted using qualitative research methods in order to explore all possible attributes

that remotely or evidently influence Indian working women‘ s quality of work life. This study is

complementary to existing QWL literature and helps in literature building by adding an

empirical study on working women‘s expectations of QWL. It is expected that the identified

dimensions of QWL would provide managers and HR practitioners an accurate and deep

understanding of the features that are important to enhance quality of work life of working

women.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. QUALITY OF WORK LIFE

Researchers have made many attempts to define quality of work life over the period of time since

its inception in 1972 at Arden House from an international labour relations conference (Chan and

Wyatt, 2007). Observations reveal that the method to define quality of work life encompasses

various perspectives (Loscocco & Roschelle, 1991), some researchers define it on the basis of

various facets of work life whereas some have adopted a broader scope to define the concept

(Kandasamy and Ancheri, 2009). Such as, Stjernberg (1977) emphasized that quality of work life

is linked to the Quality of life (QOL), a wider notion, covering factors beyond the workplace

such as leisure, overall well being and life satisfaction. Davis (1983) defined QWL in terms of

―the quality of the relationship between employees and the total working environment with

human dimensions added to the usual technical and economic consideration‖. Sirgy et al. (2001)

used need satisfaction and spillover approach in their study and inferred that QWL is concerned

with work life satisfaction as well as non-work life satisfaction and overall satisfaction with life.

QWL affects an individual‘s professional life as well as life outside work including aspects of

his/her life such as family relations, leisure, social relations and economic status. It has influence

on employees‘ satisfaction with work life aspects as well as non-work life aspects and enhances

his/her happiness quotient and overall well-being (Sirgy et al. 2001; Zhao, 2013).

Some scholars opine that QWL attributes can be industry specific also. Walton (1975) mentioned

in the study that satisfaction of social needs at work, adequate and fair compensation,

opportunities for personal growth and development, safe and healthy working conditions,

compatibility between work and non-work responsibilities, protection of employee rights, and the

social relevance of work life are QWL dimensions. Another study points out that physical and

social work environment, organization‘s administrative system, task and relationship between on

the job and off the job life, are the important elements for an individual‘s QWL (Cunningham



and Eberle, 1990). Lau and May (1998) opine that QWL is a dynamic concept and includes

elements such as opportunities for development and career growth, rewards, job security,

involvement in decision making. Whereas, others have considered a particular context or certain

attributes in defining QWL such as Nachmias (1988) defined QWL capturing five specific

dimensions of work life: relationship with supervisor and coworkers, job related task, economic

well being and work-group relations. Ghosh (1992) included elements like work environment,

monetary compensations for work, working hours, growth opportunity and other benefits in

QWL definitions. Lewis et al. (2001) measured the QWL by using extrinsic factors like

economic and other tangible benefits, intrinsic factors such as level of authority, challenges in

job, level of skill requirement and prior traits. Rose et al. (2006) defined QWL in terms of career

growth and organizational environment. In most of the studies, approach and methodology has

loomed over the broader definition of QWL. It has been observed that today‘s working women

are struggling and trying to participate with utmost zeal and enthusiasm at both the fronts- work

and family, there is still not much effort made to understand and explore her expectations of

QWL. The present study is an attempt to deal with gap and identify the expectations and

determinants of QWL in working women. Knowing these determinants would enhance our

understanding of expected QWL constructs of working women from their work environment.

2.2. EMPLOYEE EXPECTATIONS

Employees join the organization to fulfill their basic needs through their work and they

experience job satisfaction up to the extent to which their jobs meet their needs (Sirgy et al.,

2001). Along with rising globalization and changed process of restructuring, downsizing, and

reengineering in the organization- tendency of having low commitment for a particular

organization amongst employees is increasing when their existing jobs are not able to meet their

expectations (Tulgan, 2004). Unmet employee expectations is ―discrepancy between what a

person encounters on the job in the way of positive and negative experiences and what he

expected to encounter‖ (Porter and Steers, 1973, p. 152). Therefore, associated belief about the

prospective future (Geers et al., 2005) and anticipation (Webster‘s, 1995) can be defined as

expectation. Studies reveal that unmet expectations result into various negative outcome such as

emotional exhaustion (Cherniss, 1980; Schwab et al., 1986), low job satisfaction and

organizational commitment (Wanous et al., 1992; Irving and Montes, 2009), high turnover

intentions (Lee and Mowday, 1987; Major et al., 1995; Pearson, 1995; Janssen et al., 1999;

Houkes et al., 2003; Turnley and Feldman, 2000; Taris et al., 2006; Proost et al., 2012) and low

job perforrmance (Wanous et al., 1992), anxiety and frustration (e.g. Worsley et al., 2009).

Now-a-days, employees prefer to do the job that motivates them intrinsically (Ng and Feldman,

2014). Therefore fulfilling employees‘ expectation has become an imperative endeavor for any

organization as failing to it may lead to increased cost and burden (Houkes et al., 2003; Proost et

al., 2012). Study reveals that career expectations and work experiences influence employees‘

quality of work life (Chatman, 1989). Since, it has been reported that employee expectation

influences employee‘s job satisfaction and turnover intention, this study attempts to determine

the quality of work life dimensions amongst working women from varied walks of life.

3. METHOD

The above discussion offers a purpose for this study to examine the elements that affect the

QWL of working women. Though, large number of study are conducted on QWL but the studies

are sparse on Indian working women, thus phenomenological inquiry method may help in



exploring the determinants of quality of work life which may not have been included by

researchers in varied research contexts. Thereby, qualitative Phenomenological research method

is adopted by the researchers due to its appropriateness and affordability to derive the important

determinants of QWL amongst working women. Phenomenological research helps to understand

―lived experiences‖ of respondents (Creswell, 2013).

3.1. SAMPLING AND DATA COLLECTION

Sample included doctors, news and media persons, airline professionals, technical employees in

hospitals, banking and insurance professionals, school teachers, IT professionals and marketing

professional. Only those respondents were chosen who had minimum four years of work

experience to enhance the reliability of the data. 20% of the respondents belonged to the age

groups of 30 years or under it, 46.7 % fell between 31-40 years of age and 33.3% belonged to

more than 40 years. Amongst all 86.7% respondents were married while 13.3% were unmarried,

whereas 66.7% were mothers. Unlike quantitative investigation, qualitative study aims to reveal

meaning and significance and sample size required largely depends on the testimony of the

people included in sample, how rich is the collected data and the amount of data that can be

acquired without replication, thereby, qualitative research can be conducted by involving very

low number of people, it can be only one or two also (Corney, 2008). In this study 30 working

women were asked to participate on the basis of their interest and researchers‘ personal judgment

about their representation and productivity (Field & Morse, 1985). Purposive sampling technique

is adopted in the study to contract utmost variation in sampling and capture most of the attributes

related to QWL, aiming to attain the basic purpose of the research (Erlandson et al., 1993).

Participants were informed about the purpose of the study and confidentiality was promised

before data collection. Data collection method for the study involved direct or telephonic

interviews.

3.1.1. Interviews

Interview method was used to collect data for the study. Interviewing is a process which involves

an interviewer who attempts to obtain information from another person, to gain understanding of

the person, by having verbal exchange (Rowley, 2012). Interview is an important method to

collect data in qualitative research and provides a useful way for researchers to explore others

perspective and understand the individual‘s context-sensitive attributes of a research phenomena

(Creswell, 2013; Qu & Dumay, 2011). To provide them full opportunity to explain their

experiences freely, open ended questions were asked during interviews such as ―Can you think

of some experiences that made you feel good about your work life?‖ Before starting interviews,

participants were given a brief idea about the concept to develop an understanding about the

information being requested by interviewer to enhance the validity and reliability of the data

(Saunders, 2011) and prior consent of participants was obtained. Rowley (2012) suggested that

new researchers should aim for about 12 interviews and each should last for around 30 minutes

or the equivalent. This way researcher gets maximum flow of information and recording ensures

accuracy of raw data that can be accessed any time (Corney, 2008). Total 30 respondents

participated in the study and each interview approximately continued for 20-30 minutes and

recorded. As described by Strauss and Corbin (1990) the interviews were recorded, transcribed,

significant statements were extracted and coded. Participants having difficulty for face-to-face

interview were interviewed over telephone that removes interviewer bias up to some extent



(Bryman, 2003). After completing the interview, a brief summary of each interview was

prepared and discussed with participants to confirm the content validity.

4. ANALYSIS

4.1. QWL CONSTRUCT DEVELOPMENT: AN OVERVIEW

A grounded theory approach wherein, an attempt is made to develop a theory of a phenomenon

grounded in participants‘ views through a systematic data collection and analysis (Strauss and

Corbin, 1990; Cresswell, 2013) is applied in the study. Collected data was analyzed by

researcher and an expert, having in-depth knowledge of grounded theory methods. Collecting

data and classification of items both the processes were conducted at the same time. Reflexive

and flexible coding at early phase allowed data to have an idea about themes and their

interrelation, leading towards the emerging theory and need for further data collection. Microsoft

Excel software was used for text analysis as purpose of the study was:

a) Listing and classification of the emerging themes instead of calculating frequency of a theme.

b) With the progression of analysis and comparison of themes, spreadsheet offered a glance of

the emerging categories and themes within the categories.

c) Categories and themes insertion into spreadsheet and alphabetical arrangement was possible

with the help of this software.

Statements were classified on the basis of the understanding of its content. Items related to an

existing dimension were sub-classified under the existing dimension as themes, whereas if

statements were not related to the existing dimension they were marked as new dimension.

Further, classification for theme was conducted using the same logic, if items were related to

existing theme then clubbed with the theme but, unrelated items were labeled as a new theme.

Similarities and differences across the emergent theme was the strategy adopted for data

categorization (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2005). Seven dimensions were identified as QWL

construct in this study. All emerged themes and dimensions are summarized and given in table 1.

Table.1 Summary of emerged dimensions and themes

Dimensions Themes

1 Job characteristics Challenge in task

intrinsically satisfying and Interesting

work

Manageable workload

Lengthy, unpredictable work hours

Autonomy

Flexibility

2 Person-job fit Qualification match

Individual interest match

3 Work group relationship Team spirit

Cooperation

Trust

Responsible

Respect

Support( supervisor & Coworker)



Communication

4 HR practices Fair and adequate compensation

Opportunities for growth

Performance appraisal

Participation

Fringe benefits

5 Relationship with customers

6 Work-life balance Time to fulfill family responsibilities

Time for recreational activities

7 Working conditions Better resource allocation

4.2. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF EMERGED CONSTRUCTS OF QWL

4.2.1. Job characteristics

After analyzing responses it appears that most of the respondents prefer taking up challenging

tasks and interesting work that gives them intrinsic satisfaction. These responses are in

congruence with the emotions of employees working in IT industry, reflecting that a job lacks

challenge is one of the most important reasons for employees‘ high turnover (Korunka et al.,

2008 ) whereas Mumford (2006) suggest that challenging and interesting work would lead to

employee‘s high level of satisfaction. One respondent employed in aviation industry has

expressed her views reflecting this aspect of job;

―Earlier I was doing a routine and monotonous job that was reducing my performance. Now my

supervisor puts me in different job positions where I get to learn new skills as well as try out new

ways to fulfill job requirements and the thrill involve in the job gives me a sense of achievement

and motivates me to perform better‖ (Interesting and challenging work). Most of the respondents

supported that they do not mind working for 8-9 hours but, work load more than that they can

handle and extended working hours leads to mental and physical tiredness, reduced efficiency

and affects well being. These responses reflect the employees‘ perception, contemplating that

work overload would have negative impact on their mental and physical health and affect their

work life (Macdermid and Wittenborn, 2007). Nevertheless, study involving librarians of public

universities reveal that time involvement with work effects individual‘s QWL effectively as

work time reduces the time available for non-work activities (Aziz et al., 2011). A quote from

response of an IT professional echoes this;

―I always want to take up work with which I can do justice and my supervisor pushes me to do

more work then I feel stressed and not able to give my best performance‖ (Manageable work

load). Most of the employees expressed that freedom to handle work related problems which can

be solved at their level gives them a sense of independence and fulfillment and also motivates

them to perform better. An excerpt from a doctor response echoes this view;

―. . . as we are working in government hospital, we are allowed to prescribe only certain kind of

medicine to our patients. Sometimes we know that patient needs to have higher dose medicines



but we cannot prescribe them, that leads to prolonged health problems of patients and we feel

frustrated and depressed‖ (Autonomy and Freedom). Empirical studies have shown that in the

absence of job characteristics such as challenge, autonomy and substantial complexity, emotional

well being of employees suffers (Loscocco & Spitze, 1990; Adelmann, 1987).

4.2.2. Person job-fit

Another important dimension that emerged from the study is the need of congruence between

individuals‘ needs and rewards of job. Emerged themes reflect that employees prefer a job that

matches their qualification and interest. A positive outcome of this fit is indicated through a

response of a media professional

―. . . I was elated and excited when my supervisor accepted my request and transferred me from

entertainment section to political section which is an area of my expertise and interest. I was not

able to focus on my work since I was placed in entertainment section‖ (intrinsic satisfaction).

Such responses uphold the job fit theory and suggest that every individual has unique

experiences, abilities and dispositions that make them suitable for a kind of job (Starks, 2007)

and experience job satisfaction, high commitment and motivated to perform better when they are

into compatible jobs (Nur Iplik, Can Kilic, & Yalcin, 2011).

4.2.3. Workgroup relationship

Almost all the participants have mentioned that attributes of other workers at workplace affect

their work life. Excerpts that substantiate this are:

―. . . we work as a team, understand each other‘s problem and adjust our schedule accordingly. If

my colleague wants to do morning shift due to some personal work we exchange shift and our

supervisor also understand and support unless the work is not being compromised. . .‖ (co-

operation, supervisor support), ―afternoons are very busy at our workplace as most of the

departures are during that time of the day. Whenever there is mess at the counter, anyone of us

who is free would go and help the counter staff as its our work not mine or yours‖ (co-operation,

team spirit). Studies endorse such experiences and demonstrate that co-worker support reduces

burnout among employees (Jackson et al., 1986; Eastburg et al., 1994). Phrases like ―friendly

atmosphere‘, ‗team spirit‘, ‗co-operation‘, ‗responsible colleagues‘, ‗good communication‘,

‗mutual respect‘, ‗ no back biting‘, ‗respect for others‘, ‗supportive co-workers and supervisors‖

reflect the expected attributes from the co-workers. Previous researches have established that

positive relationships at workplace enhance job satisfaction, increase performance and reduce

work-related stress (Tyagi, 1985; Kirmeyer and Dougherty, 1988).

4.2.4. H R policies

―HR policies‖ has emerged from the study as a potential influencer on quality of work life.

Themes drawn from the statements are discussed below.

4.2.4.1. Adequate and fair compensation

Most of the respondents considered fair and adequate compensation as per industry norms as a

significant reason to stay with the organization. The following comment by one of the

respondent illustrate this,



―. . .. my company pays me better than the other‘s in the industry, though we work extra

sometimes even more than 11-12 hours but, we don‘t mind as long as we are getting

compensation based on our performance and recognition for extra effort that we put in‖. Many

respondents synonymously agreed that they do not have problems in putting extra time and effort

but organization should provide compensation and give them due recognition as incentives and

gesture of recognition work as a motivator.

Majority of the respondents confessed that lack of acknowledgement and rewards for their

efforts acts as a source of dissatisfaction and low motivation. Such apprehensions seem to

validate Mitchell (2002) observations that many organizations are ignoring to recognize a job

well done. Moreover, evidences from Mosadeghrad et al., (2011) study reveal that inadequate

pay and lack of recognition both are major source of job stress that affects employee turnover

intention positively.

4.2.4.2. Opportunities for training and development

A sluggish career growth, lack of opportunity and training is evident from the responses of

working women especially married and having children. One of the respondent‘s comment from

service industry illustrate this concern-

― . . . . after marriage my manager stopped referring my name for any training programs,

workshops, seminars even for promotions etc. which were relevant and useful for my career

growth as he presumed that due to my marriage I would not be able to travel and workforce long

hours on the contrary I love travelling and was ready to spend more time for my career‖.

Besides this, it appears from the responses that necessary opportunities provided for career

advancement give a sense of satisfaction and motivation. This echo the observation of

Eisenberger et al (1986) that providing opportunity to participate in training and development

program is a way to convey the message to employees that organization cares for them and is

ready to take necessary steps for their career progression. Moreover, employees expect career

advancement opportunities in exchange of time, skill and effort invested in the organization.

Statements such as ‗more training programs should be conducted in the organization ‖, ―ongoing

training programs should be there in the company‖ and ―opportunities should be provided for

skill development‖ purport this evidently. Responses reflect that organization‘s effort to upgrade

its employees‘ skill make them feel happy and loyal for the organization.

4.2.4.3. Performance appraisal

A commonly voiced theme that came from all participants was performance appraisal as they all

appeared excited to be appraised. Responses like ―fair appraisal‖, ―systematic appraisal‖,

―feedback‖, and statements such as ―. . . there should be a system for fair and systematic

feedback‖ reveals the importance of transparent and objective appraisal system. ―. . . our

manager discusses the outcomes of appraisal with us and corrective measures are taken

together‖ a response that concurs with the observations of Mullins (2007), that effective

appraisal process work as a motivator for employees (Clegg, 2001), a well timed positive

feedback reduces occupational stress.

4.2.4.4. Participation



One more aspect that has been discussed in literature as a significant construct of QWL is

Participation. Employees viewed that management should involve them in decision making

process for the issues concerning them. One of the respondent, a school teacher, retorted ―. . .

without understanding our views management takes decision and then we have to face problems.

They should at least listen to our opinion . . When something goes wrong the blame come to us

not on the management that had taken decision without knowing the actual situation‖. This view

approves the suggestion made by Lewis et al. (2001) that decision authority or discretion plays

an important role in determining QWL.

4.2.4.5. Fringe benefits

Fringe benefits like ―good cafeteria‖, ―child care facility‖ and ―maternity leave‖ offered by

employers seem to affect participants‘ quality of work life directly. Employees endure physical

and mental stress due to prolong working and need to de-stress from time to time which

necessitates the availability of rejuvenation area at the work place. Interviewees reveal that

provision of child care facility, maternity leave helps them to focus on their work. The excerpt

from an interview of an IT professional makes the notion obvious

―. . . we are able to concentrate more on our work as we know that whenever our child need us,

we are there to take care. Leaving children in other‘s hand is very stressful‖.

Participants reveal that staff cafeteria and recreational activity centre help in creating a healthy

atmosphere in the organization. This idea is mirrored a comment of a medical professional

―. . we sit in staff cafeteria or do recreational activities together, during that we share ideas, take

advice, resolve nitty-gritty conflicts‖.

The response supports the findings of Iwasaki et al. (2002) which suggest that leisure reduces

work related stress as it helps in enhancing mood and facilitates companionship. Other fringe

benefits mentioned by respondents that add to a good quality of work life were ‗medical

facilities‘, ‗ retirement benefits‘, ‗transportation facilities‘, ‗‗staff quarters‘, ‗good transfer

policy‘, and ‗ health, life and dental insurance‘. All of them seemed to enhance participants‘

perception towards their work life, as professed by Kirketerp (2001) that fringe benefits support

in reducing employee turnover.

4.2.5. Interaction with customers

Many respondents aired similar emotion that complicated customers are source of stress and

shared many instances when rude customers affected their work performance and well-being at

work. Furthermore, participants also pointed out that a positive interaction with the customer

creates a significant impact on their motivation and performance. A teacher illustrated this in her

experience ―. . one of my student when came and praised my effort after achieving his goal, I

was elated‖. An airline staff expressed her feeling that, ― sometimes my manager is not

appreciative of my efforts, but when a guest praises my services, it acts as a morale booster and

gives a sense of satisfaction and happiness‖. However, some instances narrated by respondents

reveal that customer behavior frustrates them. An example, demonstrate this best‖. . we provide

the best banking services inspite of that the guest keeps fussing over trivial issues. . . so our

mood is off for the whole day‖.



―. . sometime customers complaint to our manager for silly reason..‖, ―. . few customers use

abusive language‖. Participants invariably felt that the experience of interacting with customers

affect their mental and emotional well being, affecting the quality of life at work. This

observation is inconsistence with the findings of Macdonald (1999), Louis and Smith (1990) that

teachers as service provider experienced dissatisfaction due to unfulfilling interaction with

students as customers.

4.2.6. Work-life balance

Work-life balance is the most concerned area that impinges on the work life of the working

women irrespective of the kind of work they are involved in. Difficulties women are facing in

balancing their work-life is expressed in the responses like, ―no spare time for family‖, ―I was

not available when my son was not well and needed me most‖ and also the desire was expressed

to maintain a balance between work and family life. In line with this one of the respondent, an

academic professional, shared her experience during interview, that; ―I was posted in different

city when my daughter was trying to make her career and no one was there to guide her‖

similarly, one more respondent shared that, ―. . . for one year I used to meet my daughter only on

Thursday only for few hours as it was my weekly off, despite of my request I was not given my

weekly off on weekend...‖Respondents agreed that though in this competitive world work

demands are high, yet organizations can develop a system and procedures and bestow them with

alternatives that may help them in maintaining work-life balance. From almost all the interviews

it was inferred that opportunity to maintain work-life balance enhances the work life experiences

greatly as suggested by Arif and Ilyas (2013).

4.2.7. Physical working conditions

Almost all the respondents expressed similar views and seemed to agree synonymously that

organization should provide a good working condition to its employees (e.g., adequate lighting,

proper work space, clean and hygienic toilets, ventilation etc.) as it had a positive effect on their

work life experiences. These responses are aligned with the observation of Gavhed and

Toomingas (2007) that employees expect from employers to take necessary steps to ameliorate

physical working conditions in order to enhance their comfort and satisfaction.

Responses like ―all the latest technology equipments are provided to facilitate my work‖, ―the

workplace is ergonomically designed‖, ―use of latest technology helps me in finishing my work

on time‖ sound plausible as comfortable workplace, use of latest equipment may help working

women in balancing their work and family life and prevent them from undue strain. Such

assumptions align with the conclusion of Axelsson (2000) that ergonomic consideration while

designing the workplace and work may promote employees‘ health, increase productivity and

quality and also help in new recruitment.

5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This study is a step towards better understanding of antecedents and expectations from quality of

work life of working women. Based on grounded theory, the study investigated the attributes that

were expected from the participants and were indicators of good work life. The content analysis

identified seven dimensions of quality of work life person-job fit, job characteristics, physical



working conditions, HR policies, work group relationship and interaction with customers and

work-life balance.

It appears that despite of a tight rope walk Indian women are ready to take the challenging and

interesting job, give time to their work as most of the participants were ready to do 9-10hr shift.

On the contrary, low salary, extra workload and lack of recognition appeared to repulse them.

Most of the participants showed their inclination towards a job that matches their qualification

and interest. It emerged that absence of career growth plan and objective appraisal system is

prevalent in the organizations. Respondents also viewed that participation in decision making

process give them a sense of control over their work and freedom. Ergonomically designed work

place, use of latest technology equipped instruments seemed to enhance the work life

experiences as they augmented their efficiency. Furthermore, a need of regular training for the up

gradation of skills and knowledge was highlighted as it motivated them to remain with the

organization. Respondents emphasized on supportive and friendly environment that allows them

to de-stress and facilitates in managing their work-life.

Most of the participants deemed fringe benefits as a way to enhance quality of work life. A keen

desire to balance their work-life was indicated in the study. Subsequently, participants admitted

that interaction with customers influenced significantly their mental and emotional well being at

the work place. A small gesture of appreciation heightened their spirit whereas, inappropriate

behavior of customers results into frustration and hurts emotional well being.

One factor that was hardly mentioned by the respondents as an impediment to the quality of

work life was ―job security‖. This observation seems to enunciate that it is a beginning of new

kind of relationship between employees and organization in terms of loyalty. Though, several

dimensions captured in this study had already been mentioned in prior definitions (Walton, 1975;

Cunningham and Eberle, 1990; Lau and May, 1998), job security, a prevailing attribute of

quality of work life in prior studies was missing. Furthermore, ‗interaction with customers‘

surfaced as an attribute affecting participants‘ quality of work life. Thus, the findings reflect the

subjective nature of quality of work life. The observed dimensions may differ due to systematic

contextual differences from previous studies.

6. IMPLICATION

The findings of the study offer numerous implications for managers. The dimensions emerged in

the study seemed relevant to work life of Indian women and it is well discussed in earlier studies

that employees feel motivated, satisfied and more committed to the organization when they

perceive a high quality of work life. However, the consistent decline of women‘s participation in

Indian workforce denotes that Indian organizations are still not able to recognize and address

their problem in realistic manner. Indian women are still juggling between work and family

responsibilities that leads to mental and physical health problems. It appears that unlike

organizations worldwide, Indian organizations are lacking women oriented policies and

procedures and facing high turnover of female employees. The study advocates that

organizations can reduce the turnover of women employees by adopting changes in their work

environment that facilitates women in managing their work as well as family life by providing

options like telecommuting, adaptable work hours, job-sharing, work from home, part time, child

day care etc. and affect the synchronization of employees‘ work-life. Organization‘s intervention



endorsing opportunities to their women employees may help them to retain valuable and skilled

women employees who are ready to take on multiple roles and responsibilities.

7. LIMITATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

It is accepted that, being a qualitative nature of the study, conclusions drawn cannot be

generalized to all situations where women are working. Future research may be carried out to

develop a more comprehensive understanding of working woman‘s quality of work life. Further

exploration of the concept on the basis of socio-cultural background may offer a considerable

insight into working women‘s work life quality. Finally, intervention studies, on the basis of

findings of this study, are suggested.

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