Minor Project

on

Quality of Work life

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
Requirements for the award of the degree
Of

Master of Business Administration

By:
Vikas Vats (05816688513)

University School of Management Studies

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,
Dwarka, New Delhi
Year: 2013-2015

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work presented in the minor project Quality of work life in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration,
submitted in the department of University School of Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh
Indraprastha University, New Delhi, is an authentic record of my work.

Vikas Vats
(05816688513)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the minor project entitled, Quality of work life, which is submitted by
Mr. Vikas Vats in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of MBA,
University School of Management Studies affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha
University, New Delhi is authentic record of candidate work carried out by him under my
guidance. The matter embodied is original and has not been submitted for the award of any other
degree.

______________________
Dr Shilpa Jain

Executive summary
Quality of Work Life is the existence of a certain set of organizational conditions or practices. This
definition frequently argues that a high quality of work life exists when democratic management
practices are used, employees jobs are enriched, employees are treated with dignity and safe
working conditions exist. Quality of Work Life refers to the level of satisfaction, motivation,
involvement and commitment individuals experience with respect to their lives at work. Quality of
Work Life is the degree to which individuals are able to satisfy their important personal needs while
employed by the firm. Companies interested in enhancing employees Quality of Work Life
generally try to instill in employees the feelings of security, equity, pride, internal democracy,
ownership, autonomy, responsibility and flexibility.
Objective of the study is to to find out the quality of working life of the employees in
Ericsson(GNOC),to find out the challenges and difficulties faced by the management in providing
better Quality of Work Life to the employees, to help the organization to know the level of
satisfaction of the workers and executives at all hierarchical levels towards the facilities and
welfare amenities provided by them.
Most of the employees covered under my study have not been found to be feeling any stress in
their jobs and related working environment. It has been an interesting revelation that there is no
employee in Ericsson , is working here just for the sake of the job and most of the employees are
not only comfortable with Ericsson , but also feeling proud of being in the company. There
should be no communication gap between the team leader and group members. The
communication flow must be improved to make it smooth to maintain cordial inter personal
relations in the organization. The training and development programs have to be more effectively
planned and implemented.

Table of Contents
Chapter no .
Chapter-1
Chapter-2
Chapter-3
Chapter-4
Chapter-5
Chapter-6
Chapter-7
Chapter-8

Content
Introduction
Review of literature
Objectives
About organization
Methodology
Observation and analysis
Conclusion and recommendation
Bibliography

Page no
6
9
21
23
32
35
43
46

CHAPTER -1
INTRODUCTION

Introduction
The holistic and eco-systemic conception views the world as an open, living system and
emphasizes the interaction and interdependence of all phenomena which implies that the individual
organism always interacts with its physical and social environment (Capra, 1982). In a study of
quality of work life, one could adopt an eco-systemic approach and try to list all possible variables,
catalysts and influences with which someone could interact and which could contribute to his/her
general state of being. One could also try to find and elaborate on a quality, which researchers have
not yet exhausted, as a possible variable. However, perhaps it is as important to acknowledge that
there are certain concerns that all people have in common, at least to some degree. Campbell (1981)
considers twelve domains: marriage; family life; friendship; standard of living; work;
neighbourhood ; city, town or place of residence; the nation; housing; education; health; and the
self.
Nordenfelt (1993) describes a human beings life as life in an environment with many parts. He
enumerates the following -a physical environment - a habitat with its natural resources and its
climate; a cultural environment - a society with its constitutions and codes of conduct, with its
political system, its traditions and other cultural expressions; a psychological, close environment consisting of relatives, friend and co-workers. The different domains are not independent of each
other; they tend to form clusters or subsystems within a bigger system.
According to Campbell (1981), the marriage, friends and work have the greatest influence in
accounting for the level of satisfaction people feel with their lives in general. Occupation, for
example, will affect standard of living; it guarantees financial security; to a great extent it will have
something to do with how satisfied people are with themselves in terms of their achievements,
which, in turn, influences their self-esteem. Many friendships and associations are formed with
colleagues and through contact with people with common interests while at work. These domains
or subsystems are, therefore, interdependent.
Goodale, Hall, Burke and Joyner (1975) conducted interviews in which they asked the respondents
how they would define the phrase quality of life. The most frequently mentioned components
defining quality of life were psychological well-being, the work environment, realizingr working
towards ones aim in life and the social environment provided by other people. It is safe to conclude
that the work environment is not only one of the most important domains in peoples lives, but also
contains many of the components of quality of life. Therefore, this domain plays an important part
in the individuals general quality of life and sense of well-being.
Various elements of our lives are tied to the actions of organizations. Indeed,most adults organize
their lives around work. Most individuals spend a good deal of their waking hours in work or job
activities; it prescribes how their days are spent and places certain restrictions on them; it
determines their living standards and affects their friendship patterns. Work goes beyond just
7

influencing behaviour, however. It plays a major role in the adults sense of self. Work can embody
a number of stressors, but it can also provide satisfaction. Successfully managing or lacking the
ability and resources to manage work stressors affects the self-esteem and impacts on health. When
meeting a person, one of the first questions that come to mind is What do you do for a living? To
a large extent, people define themselves and others in terms of their work (Deci & Ryan, 1985).
Thus quality of work life in organizations is a major component of quality of life in general
(Lawler, Nadler & Cammann, 1980). An individuals work experience can have positive or negative
effects on other spheres of his or her life. The more direct relevance of work to the total life space is
perhaps best expressed by Walton (1975) by the concept of balance. A balanced approach to work
should incorporate work schedules, career demands and travel requirements which do not intrude
on leisure and family time on a regular basis. Even advancement in the work place should not
require repeated geographical moves. The reciprocal nature of work and family-life balance is
debatable as far as cause-and-effect or symptoms are concerned. Sometimes, the employing
organization imposes demands that seriously affect the employees ability to perform other life
roles, such as that of spouse or parent. In other cases, however, work demands are used as an
excuse to escape the responsibilities and anxieties of family roles (Walton, 1975). It is, therefore,
not always certain which is a cause and which is a symptom.
Quality of work life is, however, not only the concern of the individual and of psychological
researchers. This concern was demonstrated globally by the United Nations sponsored International
Labour Organization (ILO). At the core of the ILOs social agenda is the creation of more and
better job opportunities. As far back as 1944, the ILO adopted the Philadelphia Declarations
principles, which made improving the quality of work life a priority, and committed all its member
nations to achieving this goal through public policies and programmes. Among its aims were the
following: full employment and rising living standards; employment in occupations that enable
workers to enjoy the satisfaction of utilizing their skills and make a contribution to the common
well-being; a just distribution of wages, hours and other benefits, including training opportunities;
decent working conditions and the minimum living wage for all employed; recognition of the right
to collective bargaining and to co-operation between management and labour; and safe and healthy
work environments (Lowe, 2000).
According to Lowe (2000), these may be old themes, but they are even more relevant in todays
global economic context. He expressed the concern that quantity may have become more important
since the 1990s and that the preoccupation with it may blind managers and policy makers to
underlying problems, which can only be addressed by looking deeper than productivity. Lowe
(2000) concludes that high quality work is work that is respectable, meaningful and lifeenhancing, and, therefore, worker-centred . It, however, still offers benefits to employers and
national economic prosperity. Indeed, quality of work affects the quality of life in families and
communities, as well as the economic vitality of the nation

CHAPTER-2

REVIEW OF LITERATUREReview of
Literature
To have a good understanding of the concept Quality of Work Life (QWL), one must look into
the evolutionary stages of the concept. Even if the expression of Quality of Work Life is
relatively new, the reality it encompasses is not of recent origin.
For more than two decades a sizable volume of literature has been developed on Quality of Work
Life. In India, scholars as well as practitioners of Human Resources Management and Industrial
Relation have studied its various aspects and developed a few case studies. However, no
comprehensive attempt has been made so far in India, to objectively measure the Quality of
Work Life in those specific contexts.
Walton (1974) attributes the evolution of Quality of Work Life to various phases in history.
Legislations enacted in early twentieth century to protect employees from job-injury and to
eliminate hazardous working conditions, followed by the unionization movement in the 1930s
and 1940s were the initial steps in this direction. Emphasis was given to job security, due
process at the work place and economic gains for the worker. The 1950s and the 1960s saw the
development of different theories by psychologists proposing a positive relationship between
morale and productivity that improved human relations. Attempts at reform to acquire equal
employment opportunity and job enrichment schemes also were introduced. Finally in the 1970s
the idea of Quality of Work Life was conceived which according to Walton, is broader than these
earlier developments and is something that must include the values that were at the heart of
these earlier reform movements and human needs and aspirations.
Sekharan (1985) observes that, historically the concept of Quality of Work Life had originally
included only the issues of wages, working hours, and working conditions. However, the concept
has now been expanded to include such factors as the extent of workers involvement in the job,
their levels of satisfaction with various aspects in the work environment, their perceived job
competence, accomplishment on the job etc.
According to Keith (1989), Quality of Work Life refers to the favorableness or
unfavourableness of a job environment for people. The basic purpose in this regard is to
develop jobs aiming at Human Resource Development as well as production enhancement.
Gani (1993) in his study stated that the core of the Quality of Work Life concept is the value of
treating the worker as a human being and emphasizing changes in the socio-technical system of
thorough improvement, in physical and psychological working environment, design and redesign
of work practices, hierarchical structure and the production process brought with the active
involvement of workers in decision making.
In the words of Kumar and Tripati (1993), Quality of Work Life is a philosophy of management
that believes co-operative relationship between employees and managers and also believes that
10

every employee has the ability and right to offer his intelligence and useful inputs into decisions
at various levels in the organizations. Quality of Work Life is a process to involve employee at
every level of the organizations in the decision about their work and workplace. It refers to the
intended outcomes of practicing above philosophy and process with improvements in working
condition, working environment, working climate or work culture. The process brings ultimate
benefit to individual employee as well as to the organizations through individual development
and increasing quality and productivity respectively.
As explained by Kumar and Tripathy (1993), there are several approaches for achieving Quality
of Work Life in organizations, namely job design, workers participation, welfare and quality
circles.
Quality Circles are one of the ways of involving employees at the bottom level of the
organization in decisions affecting work and work related problems. A Quality Circle is
essentially a small group of employees who meet voluntarily on regular basis to identify, analyse
and find solutions to quality problems and other issues in their work-environment. The
employees in a Quality Circle can range from four to twelve. The Quality Circles occupy a vital
and far more specific role for aiming and achieving Quality of Work Life of workers in
organizations.
However, Singh (1983) states that, Quality of Work Life is not based on any theory. It is
concerned with overall climate of work place. Reduced supervision, increased self-regulation
and self-management are pillars of Quality of Work Life.
American Society of Training and Development (1979) presented Quality of Work Life as a
process of work organizations, which enables its members at all levels to participate actively and
efficiently in shaping the organizations environment, methods and outcomes. It is a value based
process which is aimed towards meeting the twin goals of enhanced effectiveness of
organizations, and improved quality of life at work for employees.
Cohen and Rosenthal (1980) describes Quality of Work Life as an intentionally designed effort
to bring out increased labour management, and cooperation
to jointly solve the problem of improving organizational performance and employee satisfaction.
In the opinion of Jain (1991), Quality Of Work Life represents a blending of motivational factors
of work, socio-technical system etc. which are of very real concerns for human values in todays
society with an awareness that all individuals devote the greater part of their mature lives to the
work, spending time, energy and physical and mental resources to this endeavor. Moreover, it
recognizes that, work is the chief determinant of an individuals freedom, growth and self respect
as well as his or her standard of living. Quality of Work Life denotes the experienced goodness
of working in the organizational settings.
One of the principal problems with the term is that Quality of Work Life is not a single or a
specific notion. It consists of a whole parcel of terms and notions, all of which really belong
under the working life umbrella viz; 1) Industrial effectiveness 2) Human resource development
3) Organizational effectiveness 4) Work restructure 5) Job enrichment 6) Socio-technical
11

systems 7) Working humanization 8) Group work concept 9) Labour management co- operation
10) Working together; workers involvement, workers participation 11) Co-operative work
structure.
Each of these in varying degrees of inadequacies identifies a part of the large whole that Quality
of Work Life seeks to identify. Quality of Work Life is a common concern, not only to improve
life at work, but also life outside work. After all, the two cannot be linked.
Quality of Work Life concept enumerated by Boisvert and Theriault (1974) is as structured
below:

Global ----- Role of work in ones life

QWL-

Job and organizations physical environment

Restricted --Participation in decision making
Job -Job Content

Quality of Work Life Concept

One can notice from the figure widely divergent views of Quality of Work Life varying from the
global view of the role of work in ones life to as narrow concern as job content.
To improve the Quality of Work Life, the work satisfaction of employees is to be considered as a
motivational strategy. The improvement in the Quality of Work Life is sought to be achieved
through re-organizational and re-structuring of job content. Quality of Work Life scheme
involves changes in values, norms, systems, styles processes and structures in the organizational
process. The main thrust is in optimising the job satisfaction available to employees. In the total
system of Quality of Work Life, the process of bringing desired change itself is very important. It
has been proved that participative process where the employees concerned are involved in
bringing the change brings more effective results.
In the views of Johnston (1993), Quality of Work Life is more than simply a concept, means or
an end. It embodies the following inter-related sets of ideas:
a) Ideas dealing with a body of knowledge, concepts, experiences related to the nature, meaning,
and structure of work;

12

b) Ideas dealing with the nature and process of introducing and managing organization change;
and
c) Ideas dealing with outcomes of results of the change process.
The concept of Quality of Work Life views work as a process of interaction
and joint problem solving by working people-managers, supervisors, and workers.
Criteria for Quality of Work Life
According to Balu (2001), Quality of Work Life encompasses various aspects relating to (1)
Working Environment and (2) Employee Motivation. Employee Motivation consists of (i)
Proper Communication at Shop-level, (ii) Employee Facilities, (iii) Employee Performance
Recognition, (iv) Employee Participation with team spirit, (v) Development and Job redesign
and Job enrichment, (vi) Dynamic HRD factors, and (vii) Status of family. These
aspects are summed up as below.

(1) Quality of Working Environment

Quality of work environment is an essential element for quality of work life. The management
can normally ensure such an environment in the following way: Continuous, committed and
concerted housekeeping, safety provisions and promotion, welfare amenities upkeep and
environment, and occupational health and medical services. Safety culture is an essential
element in the quality of work life. The environmental factors like sanitation, drinking water, rest
shelters, ventilation, lighting facilities etc. do affect the quality of work life. These factors
require continuous improvements.
(2) Motivational Factors
Employee motivation is the main activity for Human Resource Development thrust on quality of
work life. The factors relating to employee motivation are: (i) Proper Communication at shop level
The main object of Human Resource Development philosophy is respect for the dignity of the
worker as a human being and motivates his enormous potential for contribution and growth.
Human resource development efforts have therefore to gain the confidence of the worker that he
is seen as a member who is important to the organization. Proper communication plays a pivotal
role to achieve results in this priority area. Besides the traditional methods of information
sharing through house journals, notice boards, shop campaigns, etc., novelty can be experienced
for orienting shop communication in tune with the process of work.
(ii) Employee facilities
Grievance redressal is a must for an organization. Grievance handling has advanced from a
formalistic system to a predictive culture. Moving close with the workers and shop grievance
enquiries reveal the problems of the workers not only at the workplace but also beyond its
periphery. Canteen facilities have become a must today. Canteen facilities form an important
13

factor in determining the estimation of worker on the companys care for him. Generally the cooperative stores are set up to enable the workers to acquire experience in the process of
management autonomy. All these efforts are made with the desire to keep the worker
constructively engaged in the work place. Provision of catering services to the shop floor and
mobile van services to scattered places are efforts to extend satisfaction levels of employees.
Home counselling is also undertaken to positively correlate the living habits with work attitudes.
(iii) Employee Performance Recognition
Recognition of employees performance increases the morale of them and stimulates an urge to
excel at the work place, spreading cheer to the families and enhancing the social status of the
employee. Sometimes photographs of good performers are displayed and also at felicitation
functions publicity in house journals, letters of appreciation- all these increase the morale of the
individual and team efforts to boost the quality of work.
(iv) Employee Participation with Team-spirit
To maximise enrichment of quality of work life, the management has to generate team spirit and
a sense of involvement among the workers. For instance the activities like celebration of the
anniversary of the commissioning the department, by involving all the staff give a sense of
togetherness among
them. Formation of participative group like quality circles enable the committed work teams,
voluntarily take up improvements in their area of work.
(v) Development and Job Enrichment
Job satisfaction increases work efficiency and hence they are indispensable elements of worklife. Initially the Human resource development aims to develop the knowledge and skills of the
worker to keep pace. Human resource development attention on shop training activities and
multi-skill development have positively shaped the attitudes and competencies of the workforce
and improved the possibilities to optimise their utilisation. Formulation, propagation and
adherence to standard operating practices on specific work positions, imparting shop based
training through unit training centres, multi-trade training and induction orientation for fresh
recruits, identification of the skill needs of the existing employees in the revised job
combinations and enrichment of their knowledge/competencies through on-the job training are
the various activities in this regard.
(vi) QWL and HRD Efforts
Evolving dynamic HRD strategies also boost the Quality of Work Life of the employees. Human
resource development philosophy strongly believes that the workers involved in the process of
work are the best qualified to bring about improvements in their area of work. Every worker has
creative abilities, which can be tapped through managerial encouragement and support. From
this angle the suggestion scheme has emerged as a dynamic Human Resource Development
mechanism. While the attraction of awards for the suggestions is an offshoot of the scheme, the
satisfaction potential inherent in the implementation of the workers own ideas of improvement
provides the drive and impetus to the improvement efforts in the shop-floor.
14

(vii) QWL and Increasing the Status of the family

The family of the employees may not have a proper understanding of the work place in which
the employee spends a major portion of the day and earns living. Hence the family members may
not know his pressures of work, day to day stresses and strains, the nature of his responsibility
and the implications of his job accountability. He goes from home everyday not merely to earn
their livelihood but to play a meaningful role as a strong link in the human chain of the company.
Thus, he lives in between two worlds, that is, his sphere of activities at the work-place and a
different world at home. Human Resource Development takes care of the responsibility of
unifying these two worlds. The interactions of managers with the family members and the
warmth of hospitality create a climate of homeliness in the shopfloor. This practice has brought
the families closer to the company and enabled them to develop right attitudes to the working
life of the employees.
Walton (1974a) has identified eight dimensions, which make up the quality of working life
framework. They are as follows:
(i)Adequate Income and Fair Compensation
Motivation experts believe that money is still an important motive, which makes people work on
the job. However, people also want to see fairness and adequacy in their pay rewards. Equal pay
for equal work and pay that is linked to responsibility, skill, performance and individual
accomplishment are viewed with great importance. Pay must also be competitive with the
external labor market and should be responsive to prevailing practices and changing economic
conditions.
(ii) Safe and Healthy Working Conditions.
An organization must create working conditions that are physically and psychologically safe for
its workers. The emergence of ergonomics in the 1950s has significantly improved equipment
design and plant layout to enhance the physical as well as psychological comfort and safety of
the workers.
(iii) Immediate Opportunity to Use and Develop Human Capacities.
Development of its workers involves training, skill developments, recognition, and promotion.
Work assignments should be made challenging enough to expand skills, abilities, and
knowledge. They should create a positive effect on self-esteem, autonomy, involvement and
motivation.
(iv) Opportunity for Continued Growth and Security
There must be employment, which provides for continual growth and job & income security.
Opportunities for training and advancement should be
15

considered.
(v) Social Integration in the Work Organization
The work environment should provide opportunities for preserving an employees personal
identity and self-esteem through freedom from prejudice, a sense of community interpersonal
openness and the absence of stratification in the organization.
(vi) Constitutionalism in the Work Organization
There should be the right to personal privacy, free speech and equitable treatment, in the
workplace.
(vii) Work and the Total Life Space
A persons work should not overbalance his life. Ideally, work schedules, career demands and
travel requirements should not take up too much of his leisure and family life.
(viii) Social Relevance of Work Life
The standing of an organization in society can influence an employees value of his work and
career. The workers perceive the organization to be socially responsible in its products, waste
disposal, marketing techniques, employment practices and so forth.
Other studies done by different authors are as followsGanguli and Joseph (1976) studied Quality of Working Life among young workers in Air India
with special reference to life and job satisfaction issues. Findings indicate that, of the various
physical and psychological working conditions, pride in organization, job earned community
respect, reasonable working hours, etc. are some variables positively correlated with job
satisfaction than friendship with colleagues, good work location, physical strain, variety of skills
and risks of injury. Data also indicate that strong family ties and rural background are more
positively correlated with life and job satisfaction. Expectation and aspiration of young workers
also found affecting the quality of working life.
The unauthorised absenteeism rates in two large textile factories at Isfahan in Iran were
compared by Kavoussi et.al. (1978). The working conditions in the study factory were
unsatisfactory, unlike the control factory. Findings show significantly higher absenteeism rates in
the study factory. In view of the widespread consequences of such absenteeism, it is
recommended that closer attention be paid for improving the quality of working life. National
Seminar on improving the quality of working life (1982) was convened to enquire into the
direction of Quality of Work Life activities in India and prepare an action plan for implementing
the Quality of Work Life concepts. The recommendation from the National seminar published in
the Journal of Productivity (1982) states that at the enterprise level, improvement of quality of
work life should be through the co-operative endeavor between management and unions. The
conference pointed out that the Government could help in improving Quality of Work Life
16

through legislation, executive policy and action through its entrepreneurial role in the public
sector. It recommended the need for engaging and involving shop-floor level staff in the
management and policy decisions for improvement in Quality of Work Life.
Based on his various studies and wide experiences, Mehta (1982) indicated that work does not
occupy a central place in the life space of the Indian worker. According to him, in the present
context, where hard economic factors like monetary compensations, fringe benefits and work
amenities are dominant, nature and design of jobs may not be a significant factor in the current
ethos. It did not show a clear linkage between job satisfaction and a general sense of life
satisfaction. One important finding of this research is that the younger entrance to work
organization and younger employees showed greater work-related dissatisfaction tended to
decrease with increasing age of employees.
In an endeavor to analyse the conceptual aspect of improving quality of life in working
environment and the experiments done in Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Ltd, Sanyal and
Singh (1982) ascertained that the term improving the quality of working life is basically
concerned with improving the work satisfaction of employees as an effective corporate
motivational strategy. It is sought to be achieved through re-orientation and restructuring of job
content.
With an interest in Job Satisfaction, within the work setting, Lynch and Verdin (1983) studied
the Job Satisfaction differences among library units and among occupational groups within
libraries. The relationships of sex, age and tenure to the Job Satisfaction of library employees
also were explored. The results suggests that the chief satisfying factors were achievement and
recognition, and the chief dissatisfying factors were Institutional Policy and Administration,
Supervision and interpersonal relationships. The reference librarians working in academic
libraries were more satisfied than catalog librarian. No significant differences were found
between Age and Job Satisfaction or between Tenure and Job Satisfaction. Satisfaction tended to
increase with Experience, Mobility, with Seniority of the post and with Managerial level.
An explorative study has been made by Nitish (1984) to develop various criteria for a good work
life and life generally and sets forth some organizational methods by which these can be
achieved at the level of organizational unit, the country and the world. He has identified some
dimensions of Quality of Work Life in respect of organizational form, hierarchy and staffing
pattern, work group size, internal network and communication concern for quality, concern for
people, ideals and values etc. According to him lesser the managers and supervisors level is in an
organization, the better would be the Quality of Work Life.
Uma Sekaran (1985) has examined the Quality of Work Life in the Indian (Nationalized)
banking industry as perceived by organizational members at different organizational levels and
in different job positions. She found that Quality of Work Life in the banking profession is not
high. The recruitment of overqualified personnel for rather routine job, inequitable reward
system which demotivate the better performing employees, frustration experienced due to lack of
alternative job avenues, scarce chance of promotion, alienation from work etc. are pointed out as
the reasons for poor Quality of Work Life in banks. The study suggests that greater
decentralization, more autonomy, power and control will facilitate the individual banks to recruit
17

the right people, design the jobs as best, and reward employees based on performance and thus
enhance the Quality of Work Life in banks.
Nzotta (1987) undertook the study about the librarians working in University college of
Education, College of technology/polykehmi, public and speech libraries in Nigeria to find out
their job satisfaction level. This comparative study categorises librarians into three groups viz.
public services librarians, technical services librarians and Management (administrative services)
librarians. This was also an attempt to expand the scope of the study of job satisfaction in the
library and Information field by making it more interested. A 342 mail questionnaire were used
to collect data for the study. 214 numbers of usable responses were analysed. The first part of the
questionnaire sought the background information about the respondents their demographic and
job characteristics. The second part was designed to measure about 21 dimensions of job
satisfaction activity, independence, variety, social status, supervision-human relations,
supervision technical, moral values security, social service, authority, ability utilisation, library
or institutional policies, compensational advancement, working condition and general
satisfaction. The dimensions were measured on a Likert-type five point scales of agreement. The
study revealed that the Management Librarians and the public service librarians desire greater
satisfaction from their social status than the Technical Service Librarians. The two groups have
greater opportunities than the Technical Librarians.
Lahri (1988) conducted an empirical study on the personnels attitudes and experiences with
library system in Manipur, based on Herzbergs theory. It examined the library professionals of
Manipur from two angles. First through their interaction with todays library system based on
Herbergs hygiene factors and second through their feedback in the form of suggestions for a
better network of tomorrow, based on Herxbergs motivational factors. The study of hygiene
factors, however leads us to the proposition that there is formidable ground for dissatisfaction. It
was pointed out that a combination of economic factors, pressure, and recognition along with
personal feeling of success, accomplishment and self satisfaction were dominant concerns of the
employees.
Etuk (1989) successfully investigated job satisfaction of the junior library staff in the University
of Calabar Library in Nigeria. The study was aimed to examine the factors that influence the
work attitude of the Junior Staff in the University of Calabar Library. Data was gathered by a
questionnaire from a 30 selected samples from the staff of University Library. The major factors
taken into account for investigating the Job Satisfaction of the Library staff were Pay, Job
Security, Extent of fairness of the management, Working Condition, Participation in decision
making. Making use of individual talent, recognition and Praise one get from their boss etc. The
analysis of the data reveals that most of the staff were not satisfied with their Pay, Working
conditions, Lack of facilities to improve their talents etc. It suggests improved interactions
between the Subordinates and Supervisors involvement of junior staff in planning, decision
making etc.
Pelsma (1989) administered quality of teachers work life survey on 227 teachers to examine the
life satisfaction. The result indicated to factors contributing to Teachers Satisfaction.
Quality Circles have been suggested as a technique by Elizur (1990) for enhancing employees
quality of work life and satisfaction with their work. This study attempts to analyse the
18

relationships between employees perception in quality circles, their sense of Quality of Work
Life, perceived job enforcement capacity and job satisfaction. 143 employees of a large
industrial Corporation in Israel, half of them regularly participating in quality circles an
half not participating were surveyed. A positive relationship was found between participation in
quality circles and various aspects of quality of work life.
Fitch (1990) used the Job Descriptive Index in her survey of Alabama paraprofessional job
satisfaction. She made an effort to look at how institutional differences such as size of university
and extent of library automation affected job satisfaction. She found that pay and promotion
were the least satisfying areas.
Navalani (1990) has conducted a survey to measure the level of satisfaction of the professional
and semi professional manpower working in the university libraries in India with various
characteristics of job study. The researcher administered questionnaires to 353 professionals and
semiprofessionals chosen from 23 selected universities in India for the collection of data for the
study. Of the population 216 were males and 137 females. 154 seniors and 199 juniors. The
questionnaire covered mainly 10 dimensions of the job such as professional work, planning and
policies working conditions, supervision and management, communication, salary, promotion,
user services and status. The study reveals that majority of the professionals are satisfied with
most of the attributes of their work, but there is a difference in the perception of men and women
and seniors and juniors.
Jain (1991) has made an attempt to identify the potential dimensions of Quality of Work Life in
the sample unit for all hierarchical levels in a large private industry and to study the quality of
Work Life at various hierarchical levels for understanding different effect of Quality of Work
Life dimensions. Studying the hierarchical effects in viewing the Quality of Working Life and
the effect of Quality of Working Life on Group Behaviour were the twin goals taken for the
study. The investigation was concentrated on the administration, shipping, sales, carpentry,
security, plant, painting and stores departments of the industry. The population studied had a
strength of 644 employees spread over the eight departments in the industry. A questionnaire
(QWL Scale) developed by the investigator was used to collect data on QWL. The scale
includes eight basic major factors (1) Adequate Income and Fair Compensation, (2) Safe and
Healthy Working Conditions, (3) Immediate Opportunities to use human capacities, (4)
opportunity for Continued Growth and Security, (5) Social Integration in the work organization,
(6) Constitutionalism in work organization, (7) Work and Total Life Space, and (8) Social
Relevance of Working Life. The data were collected through questionnaire from five stratas of
the employees, namely Executives, Supervisors, Skilled Workers, Semiskilled workers and
Unskilled workers across the eight departments. The questionnaire was administered
individually and instructions, which were very simple, were conveyed to the individuals verbally
with assurance of keeping the anonymity of the name and the information furnished. The
responses were obtained on seven point dimensions i.e. Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Slightly
Disagree, Neither Agree Nor Disagree, Slightly Agree, Agree, and Strongly Agree. On the
hierarchical effects of QWL, it was found that there were differences at various hierarchical
levels of the organization in perceiving their working life. Higher levels were found to have
better perception regarding their working life than workers level on all the sub factors of QWL
and overall QWL. On the effect of QWL on group behaviour, it was observed that some QWL
19

factors were positively contributing towards group cohesiveness. For instance, in the shipping
department, maximum number of significant correlations was observed between QWL factors
and Group Cohesiveness, which has been ascribed to the functional peculiarities of this group.
Painting, store and security departments on the other hand failed to show such significant
relationship. Based on these findings the investigator states that the Quality of Work Life factors
get moderated by functional peculiarities of any work group and have differential effects on
Group Cohesiveness.
Siggins (1991) has made a study of Job Satisfaction and performance in a changing environment
in the Research and Academic libraries subjecting the survey conducted by the Association of
Research Libraries. In the study 80 persons responded are analysed. In his attempt, Siggins
portray the changing scenario in the library profession which demands for the retension of only
effective staff who have the skills to respond to the changing circumstances. The elements of job
satisfaction and their relationships to the performance output are also analysed. Accordingly
there is a strong connection between work related attitudes and performance attitudes towards
ones job. Of this the most significant is job satisfaction. There are individual and organizational
factors that may purport job performance and satisfaction. It has found that librarians group is
professionals motivated to serve others. They enjoy their roles as providers of information and
participants in larger purpose of education and research. He concluded that any improvement in
the performance of librarians likely to be due to job enrichment and not simply to the fact that a
change has occurred at any level.
Suri et.al. (1991) undertook a survey to study about the quality of work life practices in the
Indian Industry. The organizations covered were manufacturing and service sectors. The result of
the study indicated that there are several trends, which have implications for Quality of Work life
practices and their outcomes. Both public and private sector organizations least preferred the job
and workplace redesign programmes. Organizations prefer system wide practices to isolated
experiments, which are limited to certain section or departments.
Thapisa (1989) conducted an investigation into Library Assistants perceptions about the
characteristics of their employment. As per the report of the results of the investigation, some of
the job characteristics which effect the perception of work were found to include Pay,
Satisfaction, Promotional Opportunities, Satisfaction with the work itself, Skill variety, Task
identity, Supervision, Task significance and Autonomy. This report shows that Pay, Performance
and Work experience appear to be very important considerations for Library Assistants. In an
enquiry into the incentives for professional staff working in college and university libraries,

20

21

CHAPTER-3
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

22

Objective of the study

To find out the quality of working life of the employees in Ericsson (GNOC)
To find out the challenges and difficulties faced by the management in providing better
Quality of Work Life to the employees.

To help the organization to know the level of satisfaction of the workers and executives at
all hierarchical levels towards the facilities and welfare amenities provided by them.

23

CHAPTER-4
ABOUT ORGANIZATION

24

Organization under study

To study the quality of work life in 24*7 job Ericsson GNOC is taken under study. Ericsson has
global presence and have world largest GNOC in Noida. All the employee under GNOC are in
24*7 operations.
About Ericsson
Ericsson (Telefonaktiebolaget L. M. Ericsson) is a Swedish multinational provider of
communications technology and services. The offering comprises services, software and
infrastructure within Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for telecom operators
and other industries, including telecommunications and IP networking equipment, mobile and
fixed broadband, operations and business support solutions, cable TV, IPTV, video systems, and
an extensive services operation. Ericsson is the world leader in the 2G/3G/4G mobile network
infrastructure market (35% in 2012).
Ericsson is one of the strongest holder of essential patents in the wireless industry and have
approximately 33,000 granted patents in 2012. Ericsson complies with terms that are fair,
reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) for its patent licensing programs and is a net
receiver of licensing royalties.
Founded in 1876 by Lars Magnus Ericsson, the company is today headquartered in Stockholm,
Sweden. The company employs more than 110,000 people and work with customers in more
than 180 countries, including the US, China, India, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, Australia,
Germany, Italy, the UK, and Sweden.
Quick Facts

Global headquarters:

Stockholm, Sweden

President and CEO:

Hans Vestberg

Employees:

114,340 (Dec 31, 2013)

R&D employees:

24 100 (December 31, 2012)

25

Global headquarters:

Stockholm, Sweden

Net sales, YTD Dec 31. 2013:

SEK 227.4 billion/USD 34.9 billion

Operating income, YTD Dec. 31,

SEK 10.5 billion/USD 1.61 billion
2013:

Listed:

NASDAQ OMX Stockholm and NASDAQ

New York

Chairman of the Board:

Leif Johansson

What is GNOC and its functions

GNOC stands for Global network operation center . NOCs are implemented by business
organizations, public utilities, universities, and government agencies that over see
complex networking environments that require high availability. NOC personnel are responsible
for monitoring one or many networks for certain conditions that may require special attention to
avoid degraded service. Organizations may operate more than one NOC, either to manage
different networks or to provide geographic redundancy in the event of one site becoming
unavailable. In addition to monitoring internal and external networks of related infrastructure,
NOCs can monitor social networks to get a head-start on disruptive event.
NOCs analyze problems, perform troubleshooting, communicate with site technicians and other
NOCs, and track problems through resolution. When necessary, NOCs escalate problems to the
appropriate stakeholders. For severe conditions that are impossible to anticipate, such as a power
failure or a cut optical fiber cable, NOCs have procedures in place to immediately contact
technicians to remedy the problem.
Primary responsibilities of NOC personnel may include:

Network monitoring
26

Incident response

Communications management

Reporting

NOCs often escalate issues in a hierarchic manner, so if an issue is not resolved in a specific time
frame, the next level is informed to speed up problem remediation. NOCs sometimes have
multiple tiers of personnel, which define how experienced and/or skilled a NOC technician is. A
newly hired NOC technician might be considered a "tier 1", whereas a technician that has several
years of experience may be considered "tier 3" or "tier 4". As such, some problems are escalated
within a NOC before a site technician or other network engineer is contacted.
NOC personnel may perform extra duties; a network with equipment in public areas (such as a
mobile network Base Transceiver Station) may be required to have a telephone number attached
to the equipment for emergencies; as the NOC may be the only continuously staffed part of the
business, these calls will often be answered there.
So basically GNOC employees works 24*7 in 3 different shifts namely morning ,evening and
night ,so have no fixed week offs and no national and regional holidays, however compensatory
offs are given to employees who are present on these holidays .GNOC employees are choose
here to analyse the quality of work life .
QUALITY OF WORKLIFE AT ERICSSON
Compensation and Benefits Policy
Ericsson focused on compensation as being integral to our work and recognizing talent.
Philosophy
Salaries vary according to the various departments, designations, qualification, previous work
experiences and a successful, stable work record. Compensation for one particular job or
classification cannot be compared as being relative to any other.
For GNOC, salary is set into fixed levels depending on designation. These levels will change at
least annually based on market conditions. Promotion to the next designations is accompanied
by a commensurate increase in salary and promotions are based entirely on individual
performance and contribution to the company.

27

Compensation Structure
Monthly compensation components include:

Gross salary

Annual Benefits

Retirement Benefits

Other Benefits

Gross Salary includes:

Basic Salary -The Basic Salary is the remuneration that is paid to all employees based on
position, rank and performance. The basic is generally 40% to 45% of the Gross. Other
allowances and perquisites are linked to the basic salary.
House Rent Allowance (HRA)-HRA is paid monthly to all employees and is linked to the Base
Pay. In cases where HRA is non taxable, employees may seek reimbursement by submitting
Rent receipts to the Accounts department. The amount of tax exemptible House Rent Allowance
shall be as per the Indian Income Tax rules. HRA is 25% to 30% of the gross salary.

Conveyance Allowance (CA)-Conveyance Allowance is given to employees for the purpose of

helping them meet the expenditure incurred pertaining to conveyance in their performance of
official duties. Generally CA is 10% to 15% of Gross.
City Compensation Allowance (CCA)-CCA is an allowance payable, every month; to bear the
day to day local expenses. This is fixed at 10% of the Gross and shall be as indicated in their
salary structure.
Other Allowance-Other Allowances is an additional allowance payable every month to
employees and shall be as indicated in their salary structure. OA is 5% of the Gross.

28

Night shift allowance-As employees under GNOC comes in 3 different shifts viz morning,
evening and night .Fix night allowances are given to employees based on their designation.

Annual Benefits:

Statutory Bonus: All employees of Ericsson are eligible to get a statutory bonus.

Performance Linked Variable Compensation: All employees are eligible to receive 8%

on Basic annually.

Retention/Performance Bonus: All Employees are eligible for a Retention/Performance

Bonus. This bonus is entirely at the discretion of the company. This bonus is paid either
annually or semi-annually depending on department and designation.

Retirement Benefits include:

Gratuity: This is a statutory obligation to the employer to pay gratuity to the employee
who is completed 5 years of service and leaving the company.

Provident Fund: The Provident Fund is a mandatory savings account made up of

contributions deducted from the employees salary monthly equal to 13.5% of base pay
and an equal amount of contribution by Ericsson. The combined amount is remitted to
the Provident Fund Account of the employee.

Thus the PF Account at any given time consists of:

Employers contribution
Employees contribution
Other Benefits:
Medical claim: The premium amount is shown as deduction to those employees whose gross is
above Rs.7500.
29

LTA: All employees who have completed 2 years in Ericsson are eligible to claim LTA at 4% to
5% of Basic.

Probation and Confirmation:

A probation period helps the company to monitor the performance of new employees and to take
developmental/corrective action at the initial stage of employment. All newly hired employees
of Ericsson will be on probation for a period of 6 months from the date of their appointment.
If the management considers it necessary, the probation period can be extended and if the
employees performance were still not found satisfactory, the services of the employee would be
discontinued.
The employee will be informed of his/her probation period through the appointment letter. A
probationer will be deemed to be confirmed in his/her job, only when the Human Resources
Department informs him/her of the same in writing.
Employee Benefits:
The following are the Existing Benefits/Best Practices at Ericsson
1. ESI & PF Statutory benefits
2. Personal Accident Insurance to all the employees
3. Medical claim Policy up to 4 family members including employee (for people not
covered under ESI)
4. Subsidized Meal & Free hot/cold beverages
5. 9 Public Holidays & 2 Optional Holidays
6. Over time for working extra hours/weekly offs or holidays
7. Extensive Departmental Training Programs
30

8. Confirmation/Promotion notices to employees, in advance

9. Committees/Clubs/Competitions
10. Cultural Celebrations
11. Picnics/Outings
12. HR mail ID for any sort of grievances, criticism & suggestions from employees
Separation from the Firm - Not everyone who joins us will spend an entire career with our
firm. Although separation from the firm, like other times of transition, can be difficult at the
time, we recognize the value of each persons decision.
Employee Initiated Separation/Resignation:
When the employee wishes to terminate his employment with the company, He/she needs to
inform manager. A written notice of your intention to leave and, if agreed, the date of your last
working day in the office must also be provided. The letter of resignation can only be
acknowledged by the appointing authority/duly authorized signatory.
On receipt of the letter, the respective head of department will provide details of procedures,
which need to be completed prior to leaving the company. You will need to get the No-Dues
Certificate duly filled in and send it to the HR Department before your full and final settlement
will be done.
Company Initiated Separation/Termination:
Termination of service is a conscious act on the part of the company and generally results from a
disciplinary action, except where it is the termination or non-renewal of a contract of
employment for a specific period. The HR, as directed by the Divisional Heads, will handle all
cases of termination of service and will ensure compliance with all legal formalities while
undertaking these actions.
Leave Policy:There are 5 types of leaves at Ericsson

31

 Casual Leave
Sick Leave
Earned Leave
Maternity Leave
Paternity Leave
Employee Welfare Programs-Keeping in mind the need to expand Ericsson cultural
enthusiasm, initiativeness and employee interaction, in a defined manner, we have come up with
various Clubs with the employees taking charge of it.
The various clubs are as follows:
Sports Club -For all sporting activities in the organization
Cultural Club - It takes care of employee recreation and takes responsible for organizing annual
day cultural events.
Community Service Club By this we involve in many activities for social causes like
orphanage visits, Blood donation camps etc.
Grievances:
If there is any problems, complaints or suggestions can be post to the organizations ID and they
will assure to take care of it.

32

CHAPTER-5
METHODOLOGY USED

33

Methodolgy used

The study will be covered based on the following steps:

A) Data collection : The data will be collected from the two main sources of data namely:
Primary Source of data
Secondary Source of data
Primary source-Primary source will include the data that will be collected from Ericsson and
selected respondents. The required information will be collected in the following ways:
Administered a structured questionnaire i.e a questionnaire of around 70 questions is made
and given to employees selected to get their feedback about the questions asked.
On the basis of observation i.e observations are to be made based on age ,gender and
designations they are in at time of survey
By interacting with the concerned employees i.e by taking one to one interview and
knowing the mental states and views about the organization and quality of work life
Secondary source -Secondary source will be that information that is obtained from those sources
other than direct sources and the information will be collected through the mentioned ways.
Companys Website.
Magazines and Journals.
Text books published on Human Resource Management.

34

 Websites and Search engines.

Other records.

B) Sample selection:
The number of units in the sample is known as the sample size. In this study a sample size
of 70 is selected, and surveyed. Here, in this context a sample refers to the employees of
the related departments i.e GNOC employees who work in 24*7 shifts job are covered by
the study.
C) Analysis:
SPPS will be used for analysis purpose. SPSS is a Windows based program that can be used
to perform data entry and analysis and to create tables and graphs. SPSS is capable of
handling large amounts of data and can perform all of the analyses covered in the text and
much more. SPSS is commonly used in the Social Sciences and in the business world. SPSS
is a widely used program for statistical analysis in social science. It is also used by market
researchers, health researchers, survey companies, government, education researchers,
marketing organizations, data miners, and others. The original SPSS manual (Nie, Bent &
Hull, 1970) has been described as one of "sociology's most influential books" for allowing
ordinary researchers to do their own statistical analysis. In addition to statistical analysis,
data management (case selection, file reshaping, creating derived data) and data
documentation (a metadata dictionary is stored in the data file) are features of the base
software.

35

CHAPTER-6
OBSERVATIONS & ANALYSIS

36

Observations & Analysis

Observations For observation purpose count of 70 employees of GNOC Ericsson are selected
and a questionnaire of 79 questions adopted from QWL module (NIOSH) is given to get the
feedback. Questions are selected to take appropriate opinion on quality of work life. Questions are
prepared to observe and sum up with following 6 factors viz.
1. Home-Work Interface (HWI) -This factor explain how much time will employee
have for the family after fulfilling the responsibilities of job .
2. Job and Career Satisfaction (JCS)This factor explain the job nature i.e if Job
offering challenges for employees so that they can learn and grow.
3. Working Conditions (WCS)- this factor explain the safety concerns during the Job
4. Control at Work (CAW)-it explains overall structure of work and culture.
5. Opportunities of personal growth- it explains the opportunities of personal growth
within the organisation.
6. Stress-it explains the overall stress factor during the work.ors
Whole questionnaire is designed to the above six factors. Questionnaire attached in annexture.
These six factors can be viewed as follows1.Home-Work

Interface (HWI)

Home-work interface is related to work life balance and is about having a measure of control
over when, where and how you work. It is achieved when you feel you have a fulfilled life
inside and outside paid work, to the mutual benefit of you and your work. A poor work-life
balance can have negative effects on your well-being. measures the extent to which an employer
is perceived to support the family and home life of employees. This factor explores the
interrelationship between home and work life domains. Issues that appear to influence employee
HWI include adequate facilities at work, flexible working hours and the understanding of
managers.

37

Question no 13,14,15 and 16 are designed to get the feed back for HWI queries.
a. when asked about the time gap during the working hours in which employees can have
some time for family as well then about 50 % employees says that its somewhat easy to
get the time during working hours and 33 % says its hard to get some time during
working hours.
b. When asked how often do the demands of your job interfere with your family life-then
44% employees think job does not interfere with family life and 30 % percent think it
happens rarely.
c. When asked how often do the demands of your family interfere with your work on the
job-then almost 60 % employees think that family matters rarely interfere with job
d. When asked about after an average work day, about how many hours do you have to
relax or pursue activities that you enjoy then on 70 % employees says that they get 3 to 4
hrs daily after job hours.
Overall experience about the home work interface can be better explained by pie chat as

7%

Satisfied

29%

Unsatisfied
Can,t say
64%

38

2. Job and Career Satisfaction (JCS)

The extent to which you are content with your job and your prospects at work. Job and Career
Satisfaction is a very important factor in overall quality of working life. How you score on the
Job and Career Satisfaction (JCS) factor relates to whether you feel the workplace provides you
with the best things at work - the things that make you feel good, such as: a sense of
achievement, high self esteem, fulfilment of potential, etc. Within the Work-Related Quality of
Life (QoWL) measure, JCS is reflected by questions asking how satisfied people feel about their
work.
Questions from 23 to 26 are kept in questionnaire to get the feed back on Job and Career
Satisfaction (JCS)
a. When asked if they know exactly what is expected from them then 88%
employees agreed and have knowledge of their work and expectations .
b. About the skills and abilities used in job ,64 % employees strongly agrees that
job uses their skills and help them to grow more
c. When asked about place where I work, I am treated with respect 100 %
employees responded with positive reply and have a good respect at their work
place.
d. When asked whether they trust the management at the place where they work 94
% employees showed full confidence on management
So overall JCS criteria can be seen as

7%
14%
satisfied
unsatisfied
need some changes
79%

39

3. Working Conditions (WCS)

The extent to which you are satisfied with the conditions in which you work score for the WCS
factor indicates the extent to which employees are satisfied with the fundamental resources,
working conditions and security necessary to do their job effectively. This includes aspects of
the work environment such as noise and temperature, shift patterns and working hours, pay, tools
and equipment, safety and security. The WCS factor is related to JCS, in that JCS reflects the
degree to which the workplace provides you with the best things at work, whilst the WCS factor
by contrast, reflects the degree to which the workplace meets your basic requirements.
Questions 27,28,29,30 are made and asked to know about the working conditions at work.
a. When surveyed on point whether the safety of workers is a high priority with
management then 80% employees agreed upon this fact .
b. On the issue if there are no significant compromises or shortcuts taken when
worker safety is at stake then around 79% employees says they are safer.
c. When asked about employees and management engagement in ensuring the safey
measures ,then 50 percent agreed wheres 28 % says the combined engagement is
less .
d. Safety and health conditions at work is supported by almost 100 % employees .
Working condition are good at Ericsson and can also be vied upon by below pie chart as

14%

satisfied
unsatisfied

86%

40

4. Control at Work (CAW)

It explains how far a employees feel they are involved in decisions that affect them at work.
Control at Work (CAW) reflects the level to which employees feel they can exercise what they
consider to be an appropriate level of control within their work environment. That perception of
control might be linked to various aspects of work, including the opportunity to contribute to the
process of decision making that affects them. Leading authors in the field suggest that
perception of personal control can strongly affect both an individuals experience of stress and
their health. Research also suggests that there is a strong link between personal control and job
satisfaction.
Question no 33,34,36,37,40,41,42 describes above mentioned pointa. In survey conducted almost 80 % Employees replied that work run in smooth and
effective manner.
b. When asked about trade unions 64 % employees denied that then do not need any
trade union to protect their rights.
c. Question asked related to participation in decisions that may effect then 75 %
employees replied that in some decisions their view is also taken into
consideration
d. 80 % employees replied that they have enough freedom at workplace to do their
job in their own way.

36%
satisfied
unsatisfied
64%

41

5. Opportunities of personal growth

Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents
and potential, build human capital and facilitate employability, enhance quality of life and
contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations. The concept is not limited to self-help but
includes formal and informal activities for developing others in roles such as teacher, guide,
counsellor, manager, life coach or mentor. When personal development takes place in the context
of institutions, it refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems that
support human development at the individual level in organizations. Personal development can
also include developing other people. This may take place through roles such as those of a
teacher or mentor, either through a personal competency (such as the skill of certain managers in
developing the potential of employees) or a professional service.
Questions 32,38 and 39 are asked to get the feedback .
a.

Promotion opportunities are good as 88% percent employees gave a positive feedback
about this .

b.

When asked about the opportunities to grow their skills then almost 81 % employees
replied that they have ample trainings and online mediums to grow their skills .

c.

For personal growth issue about 18 percent employees who works as offrole here
provided negative feedback as their promotions are trainings are handled by third party
contractors .

So if overall criteria is taken then around 64 % employees are happy to work with Ericsson as
they are getting goof opportunities to grow and develop their skills .It can b views using a pie
chart as

42

36%
satisfied
unsatisfied
64%

6.Stress factor
The extent to which employee see work pressures and demands as acceptable and not excessive
or stressful. The UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) define stress at: the adverse reaction
people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them. Work pressures and
demands can be a positive of aspect of our work experience, providing challenge and
stimulation, but where we see them as excessive and beyond our ability to cope, we are likely to
feel overloaded and stressed. Workplace stress is the harmful physical and emotional response
that occurs when there is a poor match between job demands and the capabilities, resources, or
needs of the worker. A variety of factors contribute to workplace stress such as negative
workload, isolation, extensive hours worked, toxic work environments, lack of autonomy,
difficult relationships among coworker and management, management bullying, harassment and
lack of opportunities or motivation to advancement in ones skill level.
Question no 69 and 78 are asked to measure the stress factor.
a. 85 % employees are healthy and have good mental and physical health.
b. Almost 90 % confirmed that it happened only once in a month that they felt stressed due
to work in office.
c. About the mental stress due to work 78 % percent employees confirmed that they felt
stressed sometimes when their happened major outages and whole shift ended with
attended phone calls and working on issue .
d. 79% employees confirmed that they feel good and not stress full at end of the day .
So overall stress can be viewed as

43

29%
Not stressed
stressed
71%

CHAPTER-7
CONCLUSION
&
RECOMMENDATIONS
44

Conclusion
1. Most of the employees covered under my study have not been found to be feeling any stress in
the job related and working environment.
2. The employees in general felt that the work culture in the company is good. .It has been an
interesting revelation that there is no employee in Ericsson , is working here just for the sake of
the job and most of the employees are comfortable , but also feeling proud of being in Ericsson.
3. Training and development modules have been developed in a systematic way where in
employee training need is assessed and met timely i.e. they are trained in due course.
4. Coming to study of personal attitudes, the employees have been found to be optimistic,
sincere and they never try to avoid work.
5. The employees working in the company are able to satisfy and achieve the organizational
goals through their experience completely.
6. The employees working here are confident to say that they know about their duties and
responsibilities, as such there is no role conflict or role ambiguity.
7. The employees are fully satisfied with the grievance settlement procedure.
It would be observed from the foregoing that most of the employees are satisfied with the
Quality of Work Life at Ericsson and also with the compensation packages, leave policies,
45

training and development programs, performance appraisal systems which are in accordance
with their expectations.
In overall majority of the employees on which the survey is done are satisfied with quality of
work life in Ericsson .out of 70 employees surveyed 86 % have given positive feedback about
overall quality of work life in Ericsson and are happy with different HR practises for employee
benefits .Employees are satisfied with work and getting appropriate trainings to develop their
skills .This can be viewed by using the below pie chart-

14%
Satisfied
unsatisfied
86%

Recommendations
Although the Employees are happy with work life and have good consent about their work but
still some changes which are noted down during the survey are required which can enhance the
quality of work life .
The following are the recommendations which are based on my findings:
1. It is better to keep employees aware of the company goals, vision, mission and keep them
informed of all the changes taking place in the company then it would definitely go a long way
in the efficiency of the employees.
2. There should be no communication gap between the Team leader and Group members. The
communication flow must be smooth to maintain cordial relations in the organization.
3. It is better to take timely preventive measures that the work would not be overloaded and
maintain better Quality of Work Life.
4. The efforts to further improve the work culture in the organization should be continued.
5. The training and development programs can also be more effectively planned and
implemented.
46

6. The procedure of making off role employees to on role employees should be more
smoothened and planned so that off role employees does not feel neglected and have a growth
path within the organization .
7.The training programs and certification courses should not come up with targeted audience and
should be opened to all so that all can develop their skill sets in their interest areas.

CHAPTER-8
BIBLIOGRAPHY

47

Bibliography
[1] Anonymous (2005). Quality of Work Life Task Force looks to integrate home and work.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center,House Organ. Available:
http://www.Quality20%of/20%work/20% life. htm.
[2] Buchanan, D. A., & Boddy, D. (1982), Advanced technology and the quality of Work
Life Journal of Occupational Psychology,Vol.55, 1-11.
[3] Chander, Subash and Singh, parampal (1983), Quality of work life in a University: An
Empirical Investigation, Management and Labour Studies, Vol.18, No.2, pp. 97-101.
[4] Delamotte, Y. and Walker, K. F., (1974) "Humanization of Work and the Quality of Working
Life Trends and Issues",International Institute for Labour Studies Bulletin, Vol. 11, , pp. 3-14
[5] Gardon, Herman (1984), Making sense of Quality of work life programmes, Business
Horizons.
[6] Glasier, E (1976), State of the Art, Questions about Quality of Work Life, Personnel.
[7] Goodman, P.S. (1980), Quality of Work Life Projects in 1980s Industrial Relations
Research Association: pp-487-494

48

[8] Gosh, Subratesh (1992), Quality of Work Life in Two Indian Organizations Decisions,
Vol.19, No.2, pp - 89- 102.
[9] Grayson, C.J (1973), Management Science and Business Practice, Harvard Business
Review, Vol.51, No.4
[10] Havolovic, S.J. (1991), Quality of Work Life and Human Resource Outcomes Industrial
Relations, Vol.30, No.3, pp.469-479
[11] Katzell, R.A., Yankelovich, D., Fein M., Ornate, D.A. & Nash, A. (1975), Work
Productivity and Job Satisfaction, The Psychological Corporation, New York.
[12] Ledford, G.E. and Lawler, E.E.(1982). Quality of work life programs, coordination, and
productivity, Journal of Contemporary Business, Vol. 11, 93-106
[13] Louis, Davis and Cherns Albert, B (1975), The Quality of working Life, Vol. 1, Free
Press, New York.
[14] Runcie, J. F. (1980), Dynamic Systems and the Quality of Work Life, Personnel Vol. 57(6):
13. 24.
[15] Sandrick k (2003). Putting the emphasis on employees as an award winning employer,
Baptist health care has distant memories of the workforce shortage, Trustee, pp. 6-10. Straw, R.J.
and C.C. Heckscher, 1984. QWL: New working relationships in the communication industry.
Labor Studies J., Vol. 9: 261-274.
[16] Walton, R. (1973), Quality of Work life Indicators- Prospects and Problems- A Portigal
Measuring the Quality of working life, pp-57-70, Ottawa
[17] Sinha P. & Sayeed O. B. (1980), Measuring QWL in relation to job satisfaction &
performance of two organizations, Managerial Psychology, 2, 15-30.
[18] LM Prasad, Organizational Behavior, Sultan Chand & Sons, Ed 2003.
[19] Ahmed, N. 1981. Quality of Work Life, A need for Understanding, Indian Management,
Vol.20(II),pp.29-33.

Weblink for data related to Ericsson

[1]http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/company_facts/facts_figures
[2] http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/company_facts/quality-work
[3] http://www.ericsson.com/thecompany/company_facts/history
[4]www.google.com
49

[5]http://www.ericsson.com/news/120214_ericsson_inaugurates_global_network_operations_ce
nter_in_mexico_244159020_c
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ericsson
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_working_life
[8] http://www.gurugram.org.in/blog/115-quality-of-work-life-qwl-.html

Online Journal
[1] http://indianresearchjournals.com/pdf/IJMFSMR/2012/October/12.pdf
[2] http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol8-issue3/J0835459.pdf
[3] http://www.ilo.org/legacy/english/protection/travail/pdf/rdwpaper12b.pdf
[4] http://www.publishingindia.com/uploads/samplearticles/jshrm-sample-article.pdf
[5] http://www.researchgate.net/publication/228512532_Study_of_quality_of_work_life_(QWL)

ANNEXTURE
Questionnaire used for this survey

General Social Survey 2010

SECTION D
Quality of Worklife Module
NIOSH
5.2 How would you describe your work arrangement in your main job?
1 I work as an independent contractor, independent consultant, or freelance worker
2 I am on-call, and work only when called to work
3 I am paid by a temporary agency
4 I work for a contractor who provides workers and services to others under contract
5 I am a regular, permanent employee (standard work arrangement)

5.3 How long have you worked in your present job for your current employer?
1 Less than 6 months
2 6-12 months
3 Enter years: ______
5.5 In your main job, are you salaried, paid by the hour, or what?
50

1 Salaried
2 Paid by the hour
3 Other (SPECIFY): _______________________________________
5.7 Which of the following best describes your usual work schedule?
1 Day shift
2 Afternoon shift
3 Night shift
4 Split shift
5 Irregular shift/on-call
6 Rotating shifts
5.8 How many days per month do you work extra hours beyond your usual schedule?
Enter days ______
5.9 When you work extra hours on your main job, is it mandatory (required by your employer)?
1 Yes
2 No
5.10 How often are you allowed to change your starting and quitting times on a daily basis?
1 Often
2 Sometimes

51

5.11 How often do you work at home as part of your job?

1 Never
2 A few times a year
3 About once a month
4 About once a week
5 More than once a week
6 Worker works mainly at home
5.12 (This question applies only to people who indicate that they work at home as part of their
job.)
When you work at home, is it part of your primary job at another location, are you taking work
home to catch up, or do you have a home-based business?
1 Worker is working at home as part of his/her primary job at another location
2 Worker is taking work home to catch up
3 Worker is operating a home-based business
4 Other reasons or combination of these reasons
5.13 How hard is it to take time off during your work to take care of personal or family matters?
1 Not at all hard
2 Not too hard
3 Somewhat hard
4 Very hard
5.14 How often do the demands of your job interfere with your family life?
1 Often
2 Sometimes
3 Rarely
4 Never
5.15 How often do the demands of your family interfere with your work on the job?
1 Often
2 Sometimes
3 Rarely
4 Never
5.16 After an average work day, about how many hours do you have to relax or pursue activities
that you enjoy?
Number of hours: ______
5.17 Do you have any jobs besides your main job or do any other work for pay?
1 Yes
2 No3

52

5.18 Do you supervise others at work as a part of your job?

1 Yes
2 No
5.19 Now I'm going to read you a list of statements that might or might not describe your main
job. Please tell me whether you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with each of
these statements.
My job requires that I keep learning new things
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.20 My job requires that I work very fast
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.21 I get to do a number of different things on my job
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.22 I have too much work to do everything well
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.23 On my job, I know exactly what is expected of me
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree4

53

5.24 My job lets me use my skills and abilities

1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.25 At the place where I work, I am treated with respect
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.26 I trust the management at the place where I work
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.27 The safety of workers is a high priority with management where I work
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.28 There are no significant compromises or shortcuts taken when worker safety is at stake
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.29 Where I work, employees and management work together to ensure the safest possible
working conditions
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree

54

5.30 The safety and health conditions where I work are good
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.31 I am proud to be working for my employer
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.32 Conditions on my job allow me to be about as productive as I could be
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.33 The place where I work is run in a smooth and effective manner
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.34 Workers need strong trade unions to protect their interests
1 Strongly Agree
2 Agree
3 Disagree
4 Strongly Disagree
5.35 In your job, do you normally work as part of a team, or do you work mostly on your own?
1 Yes, I work as part of a team
2 No, I work mostly on my own
5.36 In your job, how often do you take part with others in making decisions that affect you?
1 Often
2 Sometimes
3 Rarely
4 Never6

55

5.37 How often are there not enough people or staff to get all the work done?
1 Often
2 Sometimes
3 Rarely
4 Never
5.38 Now I'm going to read you another list of statements about your main job.
For each, please tell me if the statement is very true, somewhat true, not too true, or not at all
true with respect to the work you do.
The chances for promotion are good
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.39 I have an opportunity to develop my own special abilities
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.40 I receive enough help and equipment to get the job done
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.41 I have enough information to get the job done
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.42 I am given a lot of freedom to decide how to do my own work
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true7

56

5.43 My fringe benefits are good

1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.44 My supervisor is concerned about the welfare of those under him or her
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.45 I am free from the conflicting demands that other people make of me
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.46 Promotions are handled fairly
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.47 The people I work with take a personal interest in me
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.48 My supervisor treats me fairly.
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5 Does not apply/No supervisor8

57

5.49 The job security is good

1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.50 My supervisor is helpful to me in getting the job done
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.51 I have enough time to get the job done
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.52 The people I work with can be relied on when I need help
1 Very true
2 Somewhat true
3 Not too true
4 Not at all true
5.53 Do you have access to stress management or stress reduction programs at your current
workplace?
1 Yes
2 No
5.54 In general, how would you describe relations in your work place between management and
employees?
1 Very good
2 Quite good
3 Neither good nor bad
4 Quite bad
5 Very bad
5.55 Does your job require you to do repeated lifting, pushing, pulling or bending?
1 Yes
2 No9

58

5.56 Does your job regularly require you to perform repetitive or forceful hand movements or
involve awkward postures?
1 Yes
2 No
5.57 Please rate the overall physical effort at the job you normally do.
1 Very hard
2 Hard
3 Somewhat hard
4 Fairly light
5 Very light
5.58 When you do your job well, are you likely to be praised by your supervisor or employer?
1 Yes
2 Maybe
3 No
5.59 How fair is what you earn on your job in comparison to others doing the same type of work
you do?
1 Much less than you deserve
2 Somewhat less than you deserve
3 About as much as you deserve
4 Somewhat more than you deserve
5 Much more than you deserve
5.60 Do you feel that the income from your job alone is enough to meet your family's usual
monthly expenses and bills?
1 Yes
2 No
5.61 Were you laid off your main job at any time in the last year?
1 Yes
2 No
5.62 How easy would it be for you to find a job with another employer with approximately the
same income and fringe benefits as you have now?
1 Very easy to find similar job
2 Somewhat easy to find similar job
3 Not easy at all to find similar job10

59

5.63 Taking everything into consideration, how likely is it you will make a genuine effort to find
a new job with another employer within the next year
1 Very likely
2 Somewhat likely
3 Not at all likely
5.64 Do you feel in any way discriminated against on your job because of your age?
1 Yes
2 No
5.65 Do you feel in any way discriminated against on your job because of your race or ethnic
origin?
1 Yes
2 No
5.66 Do you feel in any way discriminated against on your job because of your gender?
1 Yes
2 No
5.67 In the last 12 months, were you sexually harassed by anyone while you were on the job?
1 Yes
2 No
5.68 In the last 12 months, were you threatened or harassed in any other way by anyone while
you were on the job?
1 Yes
2 No
5.69 Would you say that in general your health is Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair, or Poor?
1 Excellent
2 Very good
3 Good
4 Fair
5 Poor11

60

5.70 During the past 12 months, how often have you had trouble going to sleep or staying
asleep?
1 Often
2 Sometimes
3 Rarely
4 Never
5.71 Now thinking about your physical health, which includes physical illness and injury, for
how many days during the past 30 days was your physical health not good?
Number of days: ______
5.72 Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression, and problems
with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days was your mental health not good.
Number of days: ______
5.73 During the past 30 days, for about how many days did your poor physical or mental health
keep you from doing your usual activities, such as self-care, work, or recreation?
Number of days: ______
5.74 How often do you find your work stressful?
1 Always
2 Often
3 Sometimes
4 Hardly ever
5 Never
5.75 How often during the past month have you felt used up at the end of the day?
1 Very often
2 Often
3 Sometimes
4 Rarely
5 Never
5.76 In the past 12 months, have you had back pain every day for a week or more?
1 Yes
2 No12

61

5.77 In the past 12 months, have you had pain in the hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders every day
for a week or more?
1 Yes
2 No
5.78 In the past 12 months, how many times have you been injured on the job?
Number of times: ______
5.79 All in all, how satisfied would you say you are with your job?
1 Very satisfied
2 Somewhat satisfied
3 Not too satisfied
4 Not at all satisfied

62