Carolyn Jousna-Study On QWL at Theme Exports

A Study on
QUALITY OF WORK LIFE LEVERAGED TO PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEES

(Impact of Work Environment at Theme Exports Private Limited)
A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of MBA Degree of Bangalore University Submitted By Carolyn Joshua Register Number: 02XQCM6017 Under the guidance of Dr. V. Prakash
M.P. BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan # 43, Race Course Road Bangalore 560 001 2002-2004
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the research work embodied in the dissertation entitled Quality of work life leveraged to personal effectiveness of employees at Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, has been carried out by me under the guidance and supervision of Dr. V. Prakash, Adjunct Professor, M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Bangalore. I also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted to any university/ institution for the award of any Degree/ Diploma.
Place: Bangalore Date: 7 Sept. 2004

th
(CAROLYN JOSHUA) Reg No: 02XQCM6017
TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN
This is to certify that Ms. Carolyn Joshua of M.P. Birla Institute of Management (Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan), Bangalore University, has done a project in our company for two months. The topic of the project is Quality of Work Life leveraged to personal effectiveness of employees. During her study, her conduct was very good. We wish her all the very best in future. For Theme Exports Place: Bangalore Date: 31st August 2004 Reuben Jacob Manager HR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am happy to express my deep sense of gratitude to Mr. Nagesh Malavalli, (Principal, M. P. Birla Institute of Management), and Mr. Reuben Jacob (HR Manager, Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.) for their encouragement, guidance and many valuable ideas imparted to me for my project. I extend my sincere thanks to my guide Dr. V Prakash, Adjunct Professor, M.P. Birla Institute of Management, for providing me all the information required and the guidance throughout the project without which this project would not have been possible. I have gained a lot of knowledge, both theoretical and practical, throughout the course of carrying out this project, I also learnt a lot about the intricacies of the actual business world. With special regards I would also like to sincerely thank all my lecturers and friends for their help in completing my project successfully. (CAROLYN JOSHUA) Reg No: 02XQCM6017
CHAPTER
CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART A (THEORITICAL SETTING) INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Statement of the Problem Need and Significance of the Study Objective of the Study REVIEW OF LITERATURE Purpose of Review Methodology Conclusion Benefits of the Literature Review COMPANY PROFILE METHODOLOGY Type of Research Sampling Technique Sample Size Sample Description Instrumentation Techniques Actual Collection of Data Tools used for testing hypothesis Limitations of the Study PART B (SURVEY FINDINGS) PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION Hypothesis Tables & Charts with Interpretation PART C (CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS) SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Conclusions from the study Implications of the Study Directions for further research ANNEXURE Questionnaire Select Bibliography
PAGE NO. 1
1 1:1 1:2 1:3 1:4 2 2:1 2:2 2:3 2.4 3 4 4:1 4:2 4:3 4:4 4:5 4:6 4:7 4.8
5 12 12 14 15 15 26 26
35 35 35 36 36 36 37 38
5 5:1 5:2
39 49
6 6:1 6:2 6:3
86 88 90 91 96
LIST OF TABLES Table No. H1.1 H1.2 H2.1 H2.2 H3.1 H3.2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.1 7.2 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15.1 15.2 16 17 18 19 Table Depicting Impact of work environment on the productivity of employees in the work place Analysis using Chi-Square test Relationship between satisfaction of employees and the quality of work life Analysis using Chi-Square test Satisfaction of employees with the welfare measures provided Analysis using Chi-Square test Ratings of the welfare measures Involvement in welfare policy Management participation in employee welfare Motive behind the provision of welfare measures Impact of welfare measures on employer-employee relationships Usefulness of induction / training programmes Encouragement given to suggestion schemes Frequency of suggestions offered Response to suggestions Frequency of satisfaction surveys Impact of work environment on performance Employer-employee relationship Time spent at the work place Extent of problems caused by colleagues Extent of Job security provided Stress involved in work Causes of stress Stress relieving measures Impact of work environment on productivity Work environment and work behaviour Chances of growth / promotion Page No. 39 40 41 42 43 44 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 59 60 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 71 72 73
20 21 22 23 24 25 26.1 26.2
Impact of machinery / technology on QWL Essence human resource for good work environment Impact on physical conditions of work on behaviour and morale Impact of favoritism / influence on the work environment Importance given to employees Importance given to openness and initiation at work Satisfaction with the current work environment Satisfaction level
75 77 78 79 80 82 83 84
LIST OF CHARTS Chart No. H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 1 2 3 4 5.1 Chart Depicting Sanitation & cleanliness Workers safety measures Transport facility Provision for adequate rest hours, lunch break etc. Insurance schemes Provident fund, gratuity and pension Health & medical benefits Ratings of the welfare measures Involvement of employees in welfare policy decision making Participation of management in the employee welfare measures If the welfare measures are provided only as a statutory compliance Impact of welfare measures on employer-employee relationship according to the male employees in the company Impact of welfare measures according to the female employees in the company Usefulness of Induction and training programmes in the company Encouragement given to suggestion schemes Frequency of suggestions offered by male employees in the company Frequency of suggestions offered by female employees in the company Response of the Management to the suggestions made by the Employees Frequency of employee satisfaction surveys conducted Impact of work environment on performance according to the male employees Impact of work environment on performance according to the female employees Relationship between the boss and the employee Page No. 45 45 46 46 47 47 48 49 50 51 52
53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63
5.2 6 7.1 7.2 7.3 8 9 10.1 10.2 11
12 13 14 15.1 15.2 16.1 16.2 17 18 19.1 19.2 20.1 20.2 21 22 23 24.1 24.2 25 26.1 26.2
Time spent by employees at the work place Problems faced with colleagues Job security of employees Stress involved in work Various causes of stress Stress-relievers for male employees Stress-relievers for female employees Relationship between work environment and productivity Relationship between work environment and work behaviour Opportunities of promotion / growth for male employees in the company Opportunities of promotion / growth for female employees in the company Necessity of machinery / technology for creation of good QWL according to the male employees Necessity of machinery / technology for creation of good QWL according to the female employees Essence of human resource for good work environment Impact of physical conditions of work on behaviour and morale of employees Impact of favoritism / Influence on the work environment Worth of male employees in the company Worth of female employees in the company Encouragement given to openness and innovation at work Contentment of employees with the present work environment in the company Satisfaction level of employees
64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84
Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY: QWL is a comprehensive, department-wide program designed to enhance the work environment by improving employee satisfaction, strengthening work place learning and helping employees better manage change and transition.
Quality of Work life programs have become important in the work place for the following reasons: Increased women in the workforce Social integration in the company Increased responsibility for elders Increased demands at work Loss of long term employment guarantees The need for enhanced work place skills Greater competition for talent The central idea of QWL is that balancing work and personal life is not merely a matter of personal choice but a corporate responsibility in terms of: Improving employee satisfaction Strengthening work place learning Better management of on-going change and transition The concept of QWL in India manifests itself in a variety of operational systems. There is a need to probe deeply these operational systems. The available data on these aspects is scanty and superficial which has prompted us to undertake this research.
1 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
PROBLEM STATEMENT: Study of the impact of work environment on the quality of work life of employees in a garment exporting company.
OBJECTIVES: To understand the present work environment in the company. To study the impact of work environment on the personal effectiveness of employees in the work place To examine the employee satisfaction level. To find out if the satisfaction of employees in independent or dependent on the quality of work life. To find out areas of weakness and provide constructive suggestions. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The nature of research was exploratory as well as diagnostic because the study was aimed at exploring the impact of work environment on the quality of work life of employees. This research is also aimed at recognizing the areas of improvement for Theme Exports. Sample size: A total number of 100 employees were selected to elicit the data required for the study. Sampling technique: The respondents were chosen on the basis of simple random sampling. Simple Random Sampling is also known as probability sampling or chance sampling. Under this sampling design every item of the universe has an equal and fair chance of inclusion in the sample. All choices being independent of one another, it gives each possible sample combination an equal probability of being chosen.
Data collection and analysis: Data used in this research is primary as well as secondary. Instrumentation techniques: Questionnaire: The primary data has been collected through questionnaires which were administered to employees and personally filled by them. Personal interview: This was required for classification of any ambiguous answers from the employees. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY: This study pertains only to employees of Theme Exports. The study is limited to the work environment and facilities provided by Theme Exports. Some questionnaires that I received were incomplete as a result could not be included in the tabulation. It is assumed that there is no influence of any person, for e.g. a colleague/ peer while filling the questionnaire. As the perception level of the respondents has not been tested, it is assumed that all of them have perceived the questions in the correct way. EXPECTATIONS FROM THE STUDY: To gain insight on the present level of quality of work life at Theme Exports. To familiarize myself with all the domains that contribute to the over-all assessment of quality of work life.
FINDINGS FROM THE STUDY: The male employees are found to be more prone to stress compared to their female counterparts. The reason can be attributed to the fact that most men suffer from peer pressure from their female counterparts, as the work involved is usually considered to be of womens domain. Both the male and female employees feel that work environment has an impact on their performance. The employees are found to be content with the present work environment in the company. The satisfaction of employees is dependent on the quality of work life.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Origin of the concept:

With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, the industrial worker had to adopt himself to machines that had become increasingly independent of both human energy and human ingenuity for their operation. Technology having not yet reached a high degree of refinement, the worker still served as complement to the machine. Towards the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, the role of the worker continued to evolve. This evolution was heading towards the strict assimilation of the workers into the very operations of a machine. Although Taylor, the father of Scientific Management (SM) had furnished the impetus, there were number of individuals who were bringing the movement to its maturity along with a number of dimensions. In reaction to the obvious problems caused by simple repetitive jobs, the Human Relations School, centered in U.S., attempted to draw upon the knowledge acquired through disciplines of sociology and psychology and apply it to the day-to-day industrial life. The contributions of Maslow, Mcgregor, Herzberg and Trist were undoubtedly of critical importance to the development of new concepts and new experimental processes that would lower the antagonism of workers towards their work. Maslows concept of need hierarchy has been given considerable importance in the world of management. This theory provides significant clues to answer why well remunerated employee is not motivated to carry out his responsibility? Once the physiological needs are gratified, the higher order needs emerge and dominate the behaviours.
Building upon the work of Maslow, it became clear to Herzberg (1966), who was greatly interested in the problems of work motivation, that the traditional methods for division of labour used only a small portion of human potential. Since each worker has many more skills to offer than those he is asked to perform, Herzberg wondered to what extent a worker could derive his motivation to work from the task itself. According to him when lower order needs are not satisfied the worker is likely to feel unhappy, but the satisfaction of these needs does not necessarily make him happy. A workers satisfaction can be increased only by motivators that satisfy higher order. Herzberg isolated five motivators: 1. The need for achievement 2. Recognition by others 3. The work itself 4. Responsibility 5. The opportunity for advancement. According to Herzberg, work organization should, therefore, seek to introduce these motivators into the work situation. This laid the foundation for now well known concepts of job enlargement and job enrichment During the same period another group of researchers in Tavistock Institute of London focused on the integration of technical as well as human and social dimensions of industry (The Socio- Technical System). The concept her emphasizes that the optimization of the technical production system may be undertaken currently with the optimization of the social system, by mans of job constructed to satisfy human needs adequately. The sociotechnical approach fostered the idea that there appears to be a possible and desirable alternative to the modes of work organization inherited from SM for a given technology. There is not only one but several possible and effective ways of organization work. Some of these offer better socio-technical combinations than others and allow for improvement in the Quality of Work Life (QWL) without sacrificing any of the organizational effectiveness of the enterprise.
QWL is a comprehensive, department-wide program designed to enhance HHS' service to the public by improving employee satisfaction, strengthening work place learning and helping employees better manage change and transition.
Quality of Work Life consists of a whole parcel of terms & notions: Industrial effectiveness Human resource development Organizational effectiveness Work restructure Job enrichment Socio-technical systems Working humanization Group work concept Labour management co-operation Working together, workers involvement; workers participation Co-operative work structures Walton (1974) one of the major interpreters of the Quality of Work Life movement has proposed eight major conceptual areas for understanding. What this is all about: Adequate and fair compensation Safe and healthy environment Development of human capacities Growth and security Social relevance
QUALITY OF LIFE: A SYSTEMS MODEL
INPUT
PERCEPTIONS / OPTIONS
OUTPUT
Family & Friends Work Culture Neighbohood/ Shelter Demographic Characteristics Community Health Socio-Economic Conditions Education Spiritual Quality of Life / Source of Well-Being
Feedback
- The University of Oklahoma School of Social Work
Linkage between Quality of Work Life & Quality of Life

When we use the concept of work life, we do not exclude life. When we show our preference for quality of work life, we include quality. By implication then we accept that there is teleological justification for quality of life. It is by no means surprising that social scientists, who are not directly immediately concerned with work redesign, socio-technical systems or the quality of work life devoted to an organizational setting only, describe their concern for the future of work on a more comprehensive framework that do the applied behavioral scientists. 1. Within the organization itself, there is scope for extending critical consciousness of the members from work place to their immediate environmental context. 2. Employees of productive organization can become leading parts in influencing the quality of decision-making planning process and implementation machinery by their productive intervention. 3. The likely positive impact of the experiences of productive workers on the style and the ethos of functioning of burgeoning government agencies can bring about transformation in their organizational goals and priorities. 4. Quality of work life in micro-organizations can derive its substance and broaden its horizon by drawing upon the insights of the quality of life movements. 5. Need to perceive the life-sized burning problems which cast deepening shadow of threats upon quality of life and work. Though slated in the end, we emphatically maintain that this proposition is of utmost urgency to the contemporary world. The contexts of the globalization of economic, political and cultural malaise can no longer remain unquestioned and unexamined.]
The global economic crises are sought to be overcome by taking recourse to such technological marvels as chips, robots and artificial investment are indeed massive. But, at the end of it all, human labour is compelled to yield grounds for organizational survival. This is harsh reality even if it tramples the right to work and human dignity. Misery of labour at work is giving way to elimination of employees. Proliferation of sophisticated and lethal arms and armaments customized in clean bombs is yet another reality of the brutalization of human sensibilities and the story can go on in this vein. Whatever be our approach in specific situations, the survival of life and work demands a fresh look and reformulation of our concepts and tools.
Relevance of Quality of Work Life (QWL) in India

Within the Indian context De (1976) has rightly pointed out that, quality of work life is an indicator of how free the society is from exploitation, injustice, inequality, oppression and restrictions on the continuity of growth of man, leading to his development to the fullest. A decade later describing redesign efforts in India, he points out that all workers were willing and able to move beyond their ascribed roles and take on additional responsibility (1984). De, finally points out that, the basic concept of the quality of work life will have to emanate from idea of liberation from the entrapment of technology because it is the sovereign role of technology that has so far determined the form of organization resulting in not only a segmented work system but much more than that, a jaundiced view of the objective reality of work and life (1984). Although In India high unemployment makes any work attractive, however, three critical elements do apply for organization to become more responsive. 1. Technological changes in work. 2. Educated entrance. 3. Market uncertainties In the Indian context, we need to recognize employees economic, social and selfactualization needs accordingly so that they could develop their potential qualities and experience better Quality of Work Life (QWL).
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Employee welfare measures are provided in almost all organizations today. However quality of work life goes beyond just welfare measures. Many studies have been made on the quality of work life in software or high-tech companies, but very few studies are conducted on the garment industry, especially one that mostly deals with exports. Therefore, this study intends to establish the impact of work environment on the quality of work life of employees in a garment exporting company.
1.3
NEED & SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Quality of Work life programs have become important in the work place for the following reasons: Increased women in the workforce Social integration in the company Increased responsibility for elders Increased demands at work Loss of long term employment guarantees The need for enhanced work place skills Greater competition for talent
QWL plans are designed at a minimum, to accomplish the following: Improve communication with employees; Strengthen family friendly programs; Increase investment in work place learning; Improve the effectiveness of supervisors and team leaders; Evaluate the effectiveness of diversity management practices; and Improve ability to manage change and transition. The central idea of QWL is that balancing work and personal life is not merely a matter of personal choice but a corporate responsibility in terms of: Improving employee satisfaction Strengthening work place learning Better management of on-going change and transition QOWL programs have been found to: Improve work place morale Encourage employee commitment Support recruitment Encourage retention Enhance productivity Reduce absenteeism; and Maximize staff resources The programs, policies and services offered through QOWL Programs: a. Support faculty and staff efforts to manage the competing demands of work and personal life, b. Support health promotion and wellness, and c. Express appreciation for faculty and staff contribution to the University, highlight outstanding individual contributions, and recognize long term commitment. 13 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
The concept of QWL in India manifests itself in a variety of operational systems. There is a need to probe deeply these operational systems. The available data on these aspects is scanty and superficial which has prompted us to undertake this research.
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objectives are: To understand the present work environment in the company. To study the impact of work environment on the personal effectiveness of employees in the work place To examine the employee satisfaction level. To find out if the satisfaction of employees in independent or dependent on the quality of work life. To find out areas of weakness and provide constructive suggestions.
2.1 PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Identify the problem statement; understand the secondary data that has been gathered in this field of study. Attempt to make new findings on the problem statement without reinventing what has already been done in this field of study.
2.2
METHODOLOGY
Review of the literature and different forms of information sources with secondary data are: Brochures Company magazines and booklets The internet Articles Publications Type of research : The research conducted is a combination of exploratory and descriptive. The research was designed to find out the impact of work environment on the quality of work life of employees at Theme Exports. This was done by collecting primary data from supervisors/ department heads and descriptive study forms part of the logical continuation of the exploratory research. Survey research was done through questionnaires. Secondary data was provided by the organization (theme apparels) i.e., Information about the organization List of department heads/supervisors List of employees to whom the questionnaires could be administered.
CASE 1: THE QUALITY OF WORK LIFE IN THE JAPANESE SHIP-BULIDING INDUSTRY.

The study committee began by attempting to determine what the workers of the Japanese ship-building industry have been truly looking for over the last ten years. The workers under consideration were members of the labour unions of the shipbuilding enterprises. Among the company and union committee members, it was not long before consensus was reached as to the improvements which workers are truly seeking. It was agreed and confirmed that improvements in the quality of work life in the ship-building industry have taken place in the following areas: Traditional working conditions Employee benefits and services Safety and health Work restructuring schemes Small-group activities During the last decade, along with many other Japanese industries, ship-building experienced high growth. This was accompanied by increased employment, with many young workers added to the workforce. There was notable improvement in wages and other working conditions as well as in employee benefits and service programmes. The workforce benefited from widespread progress in basic safety and hygiene conditions, and improvements took place in work organization. Some of these developments were an outcome of union initiatives; others are products of action taken by management. These experiences of labour and management in the Japanese ship-building industry can be summarized as: a) First of all, it should be pointed out that the majority of the improvements of the last ten years of high economic growth occurred in parallel. In other words, improvements did not in any way take place in a vacuum. They grew out of demands for better quality in all aspects of working life.
b) In the area of established working conditions, there were not only improvements in terms of quantity during this period but attention should also be drawn to the qualitative changes. It was during the same period that a unification of blue and white collar wage systems, and issue of long standing, was resolved. c) At the same time, job integration, small group participative activities, autonomous management, and other developments in work organization definitely represent new progress set against the background of the qualitative changes in the lives of workers during the past ten years or so. The ship-building industry has to resign itself to continued stagnation. Both labour and management of the ship-building industry will have to adopt measures for diversifying operations into alternative types of equipment and products. Such efforts and shifts in industrial structure and reorganization are already taking place at an accelerating pace.
CASE 2: THE HARDWARE CASE OF BHARAT HEAVY ELECTRICALS LIMITED

The Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant located at Hardwar in northern India is one of the production units of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited. This is large public sector unit employing over 9000 employees set up over 11 years ago with technical collaboration from a similar plant located at Leningrad. The Executive Director of this plant attended a quality of work life workshop in late 1974. A.K. Khosla, the person concerned, was impressed and he invited a group of action researchers to try out new forms of work organization in this unit. His concern was to improve the employee motivation and morale along with technological innovations that he already initiated with the objective of fulfilling the ever-increasing demands for electric power in the country. The external change agents organized a series of Workshops for a) The trade union leaders with five distinct trade unions operating in the plant b) Key managerial groups c) Shop floor production managers and industrial engineers, with a view to identifying internal change agents. There was a series of intensive meetings with no holds barred and gradually the idea of developing experimental sites got accepted. About six internal change agents were also identified and they were exposed to socio-technical system literature and requisite analytical skills. After some exploration in a number of shops it was found desirable to start two simultaneous experiments in two shops- one fabricating the upper part of the condenser unit and another the lower part. The key factors in coming to this conclusion were the following:
1. The product was crucial for the plant and, at the same time, it was a distinct product with which an integrated work group could identify itself; 2. The two shop supervisors and their common superior, the manager, showed active interest in the project; 3. The shop floor trade union leaders were generally of a positive organization and they were also keen to try out the experiments. A beginning was made in May, 1975. After a number of meetings with the concerned workforce- around 30 in number in each group- it was decided to set up two task teams from the two groups with rotating membership, except for two members who because of their leadership abilities, continued as members. The concerned supervisors were also members of the task force. The workflow analysis was undertaken by the task force actively supported by the internal resource persons and the external social scientists. The analysis identified the various delay points and bottle necks in the work system. Having identified these restraining forces, some steps were suggested: 1. Introduction of module system 2. Theoretical knowledge to take place 3. The members were free to rotate themselves and internal norms for maintaining discipline. 4. The supervisor was released from routine supervised job so that he could handle grievances problems of the members of the work team. 5. The members of the experimental groups were invited to different seminars to share their experience.
QUALITY OF WORK LIFE SURVEY LONG-FORM SURVEY RESULTS

Source: George Mason University, April 2000 In April 2000, the Quality of Work Life Task Force conducted a survey of George Mason University employees to assess the quality of their work lives. This survey included 73 structured questions, and was sent to a random sample of 600 employees across all job categories: adjunct, restricted, administrative, and tenureline faculty, classified staff, and wage employees. The survey achieved a high rate of response (66%), indicating that the opportunity to speak out regarding the quality of work life at GMU is important to many employees. A summary of the overall survey findings follows. INSIGHTS FROM THE SURVEY
Overall job satisfaction at George Mason is reasonably high, with nearly twothirds (63%) saying they are either "satisfied" or "very satisfied." A similar percentage agree or strongly agree that the quality of their work life is good.
Employee
perceptions
of
organizational
support
and
organizational
commitment at GMU are similar to what is found in other large organizations.
George Mason employees value their relationships with their coworkers and rate them highly. The work and family items on the survey suggest that GMU is doing a reasonably good job of helping employees juggle work and family. Still, 34% agree that the demands of work interfere with family life. The availability of oncampus child care garners the most frequent "not satisfied" rating from employees across the board.
Most employees express general satisfaction with their supervisors and do not report this as a significant source of stress. At the same time, however, responses to certain items imply that supervisors could have an important role to play in addressing issues of great concern to staff and faculty (e.g., promoting recognition for special achievements).
Employees at all levels value the autonomy of their jobs. This shows up in several items, including satisfaction with flexible hours, the use of a variety of skills, the opportunity to develop new ideas, and the chance to work independently.
Work load is a significant source of stress for the entire sample, especially for all faculty groups and classified employees. Overall, 62% cite work load as a source of extreme or moderate stress.
A majority of classified staff and tenure-line, restricted, and administrative faculty identify "institutional procedures and red tape" as sources of stress. Lack of promotion opportunities or the review/promotion processes are sources of stress to many employees. A lack of "special recognition for achievements and milestones" was a source of great dissatisfaction among classified and faculty employees (except adjunct faculty). While there are university programs that reward outstanding and exemplary performance, there is clearly a feeling that hard work is not sufficiently recognized by the university.
Lack of home Internet access was cited by many employees, both faculty and classified. In addition, classified employees were unsatisfied with opportunities to work from home.
There are fairly large and statistically significant differences in the perceptions of minority and non-minority employees at GMU, with minorities expressing less satisfaction and greater levels of stress on many items. These differences are not just a function of differences in job type or compensation plan.
Transportation and parking are commonly heard complaints on campus. In this survey, they were mentioned as sources of "extreme" or "moderate" stress by a large minority of respondents.
ALL WORK, NO PLAYNO MORE: CHAINS OFFER QUALITY-OF-LIFE GUARANTEES TO KEEP MANAGERS HAPPY - NRN SPECIAL REPORT
Source: Nations Restaurant News, Nov 24, 2003 by Milford Prewitt

For years, management recruiters from WalMart, the Gap, Banana Republic, Staples, CVS, Circuit City and other huge retailers have targeted foodservice managers to fill their open positions. Aware that many restaurant general managers are accustomed to grueling 70-hour workweeks, the retailers offered some big quality-of-life inducements, including workweeks of 50 hours or less, many weekends and holidays off, no late hours and flexible scheduling to lure them away from the restaurant industry. But the industry's vulnerability to such offers is diminishing. Recognizing a growing desire by many Americans to shed their workaholic tendencies in favor of more vacation and family time, several restaurant chains are stopping the defection of unit managers to other fields by instituting quality-of-life guarantees that were unheard of in foodservice just a few years ago. More important, many human-resources directors and chief executives report that unit-manager retention is improving, because their companies are investing in policies, perks and activities that acknowledge there is far more to life than managing restaurants. At Corpus Christi, Texas-based Whataburger, there are no salaries in the classic sense. Instead, general managers set the goals to be achieved by their units and then draw amounts from a pool of money based on unit-level profitability, good customer service scores, hourly retention rates and other factors during the quarter. For many managers that means pocketing annually $140,000 or more. Phil Greifeld, president and chief executive of Huddle House, agreed that if employers hire people with the right attitude to begin with, retention and quality of life are much easier to achieve. While his approach may not be as exacting as Applebee's, Greifeld says he has a sure-fire method to tell if he is on the right track in hiring managers. 22 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
The behavior traits and competencies Greifeld and Prutsman look for in hiring the right general manager can be measured by behavioral experts in various kinds of tests, even though the attributes--like people skills, energy and initiative--are difficult to quantify in most circumstances. Batrus Hollweg International, a behavior-assessment firm that specializes in determining if job applicants are mentally, emotionally and socially suited to become restaurant managers, area managers and regional managers, uses tests and screening methods to predict the likelihood of success for job candidates seeking such jobs. Among the traits, or key competencies, that Batrus Hollweg assesses are leadership, initiative, stress tolerance, energy level and other usually immeasurable qualities for dealing with the daily unpredictability of running a restaurant. But even if the applicant for a general-manager position scores well in the evaluation, employers have to be honest and not stray from the promises they offer the manager once they've agreed to hire him or her, observers remind. Rich Waring, director of team and organizational assessments for Batrus Hollweg, says one of the leading reasons unit managers are most likely to resign is that the employer fails to deliver the quality-of-life perks promised at the time of hire. "We found in our research that what drives a person to stay with a company is the degree to which the company is successful in delivering on the commitments it made during the job preview," he says.'" Safe work environments that are free of sexual harassment or discrimination and boast diversity also play a powerful role in helping to retain managers.
LIFE BEYOND WORK

By Radhika Bhalla SOURCE: HUMAN CAPITAL Balancing work and personal life is a matter of personal choices. Times have really changed. In the good old days, you used to get up to the noise of children. Now you get up to find post-it. That's the only way left to communicate with the family. Everything that was to help us create work life balance is actually creating more time to work. Who says the balance does not exist? Its just that the scales are tilted more in favour of work! Give it a thought. Today we have offices that could pass off as five star hotels where all you need to do is dream and the chances are that it would come true. You can order food from your favorite restaurant when you are working late, take a dip in the pool to freshen after a days work, stroll across the corridor to the office gym to stretch those muscles that seem to have become immobile being in that office chair! Work becomes home... Would it not make more sense to provide employees with memberships of clubs near their houses? At least they would go home, pick up their families and play in the evenings! The responsibility of the organization does not end at providing a day care center and a 'spouse day out' scheme. The aim should be to help employees manage their time so that work forgotten at 5:30 pm and people rush home to their families. Technology has, in all possible ways, invaded the realms of privacy. Today you can be reached on your mobile, email and fax beyond office hours and the convenient laptop makes carrying work home a fad. The trick is to beat technology by employing age-old techniques of time management. Since we have diluted the fine lines between work and personal life, I would suggest that organizations enter personal life completely. Earlier we had career fairs, now let's have dating services where organizations can create conditions for unmarried employees to socialize and interact. Who has the time to meet people outside working hours anyway! 24 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
There was a time when offices spoke of organizing summer camps for children. Today this may become a reality, because we don't have time to take long breaks or because there are sudden deadlines to meet. The techno-concept of virtual offices makes the dream of peaceful, uninterrupted vacations a virtual unreality because my fax, computer and mobile accompany me everywhere. The flexible work practices are truly flexible. I now have the flexibility to work even at 10:00 pm. I have the office keys! And don't forgot that we work just 5 days officially, the 6th and 7th come because my work is not over. Not many people would try and ask themselves why work is not getting over. We would automatically put it aside as a procedural error - 'I still have mails to reply', 'My colleague could not submit his part of the work so I am stuck', or the most common 'I begin work only in the afternoon'. We need to manage our time. More importantly, organizations need to manage their procedures. The number of employees working late is an indicator of organizational inefficiency, not employee efficiency. But are organizations really to blame if employees cannot manage time, if they want to sit in office till late and carry work home? We are talking about adults who make their own choices. There are all kinds of people, some who love working and would rather do that all day, others like to forget about work after office hours. The best the organization can do is provide alternatives and the rest is really a matter of personal choice. How often have we heard the argument that quality time is better than quantity time? How often do we hear people use it to explain their absence from home and family? It is valid in its own right and unquestionable. Balancing work and personal life expands to include a subjective meaning. Its how I want to define the balance, how I want to run my life, how many hours I want to work and how much work I want to carry home. Its an egocentric concept, the satisfaction and realization of which is a matter of individual inference and experience.
2.3
CONCLUSION
The literature review has been very useful and informative as it has thrown light on the research and articles that have been written on various welfare measures that are being provided to the employees of Theme Apparels. Moreover it has helped in identifying the degree of research that has been already done on the subject. It helps to identify areas for further exploratory research.
2.4
BENEFITS FROM THE LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review has helped me in a number of ways. It has made my topic more interesting and has thrown light on various aspects of quality of work life. The literature review helped in identifying various employee welfare measures and their significance on the quality of work life of employees. It gives insight on the best practices of other companies. It enables us to understand what Quality of Work Life means and how it affects the employees in an organization. Literature review gives us insight on how work environment influences the productivity of an employee. It throws light on the areas where the organization is lacking with regard to providing employee satisfaction. Literature review creates a trigger point for dramatic and drastic changes in the organization.
INTRODUCTION
Theme Exports was established in 1988 at Bombay and subsequently moved to Bangalore in 1993. It mainly manufactures and exports ready to wear apparel. It is one of the few companies which have its own production units in both Wovens & Knits set up in Bangalore and also have a network of offices in Tirupur and Mumbai. The company has an experience of 12 years in this field and has established itself in Australia, U.S, and E.E.C. markets. The company specializes in Mens, Ladies and Childrens casual & fashion wear. The approximate annual sales volume is US $5 Million and the approximate annual in house production capacity is: Wovens 1,000,000 units. Knits 750,000 units. The office and factories are fully equipped with modern technology and communication systems to suit the current competitive scenario to the complete satisfaction of our customers. Theme Exports, has a qualified team of Merchandisers & Quality Controllers and hence assure our customers of clear & timely communication and quality products.
DIVISIONS
The organization comprises of three manufacturing units - two of Wovens and one of Knits. The approximate annual sales volume is US $5 Million and the approximate annual in house production capacity is: Wovens - 10,00,000 units. Knits - 7,50,000 units. The layout of the three factories is: Unit 1.M/s.Theme Exports (Wovens) Area : 20,000 sq. ft. Machines : 248 nos. 9 colour 20 head Tajima embroidery machine Workers : 362 nos. Unit 2 M/s Garments (India) (Wovens) Area : 12,000 sq. ft. Machines : 157 nos. Workers : 260 nos. Unit 3 M/s Texknit Exports Pvt. Ltd.(Knits) Area : 8,000 sq.ft. Machines : 69 nos. Workers : 120 nos. 28 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Hence the total no. of machines are 500 and the total work strength is of 900 workers. Further, the management, production & office team comprises of 60 staff members. The product range includes Men's Shirts/ Casual Trousers & Shorts, Ladies' Blouses/ Shorts/ Dresses/ Rompers/ Skirts/ Vests and all Children's wear in wovens. In knits, it includes T-shirts, Polo's, Dresses, Shirts and a range of Ladies' Nightwear. The production lead-time is 90 - 120 days. We have a specialized network of fabric sources which includes in the wovens, 100% Cotton & Cotton Blended Yarn Dyed fabrics from the Power loom sector in South India - Salem, Erode & Coimbatore where it has fabrics Q.C's locally stationed for follow-ups & inspections. Mill made Yarn Dyes, Prints & Jacquards in 100% Cotton & Blends are sourced from Ahmedabad & Surat for which the follow-up & inspections is taken care of by the office in Mumbai. In knits the fabric strengths are in Fancy Jacquards & Velours from Ludhiana & Delhi and Jersey, Ribs, Interlock, Piques, Yarn Dyes in Cotton & Blends which is sourced from Tirupur & Mumbai. The Quality Control teams in Tirupur, Bangalore & Mumbai, control this.
CLIENTS
Theme Exports clientele includes reputed buyers like U.S.A. :J C Penny Gloria Vanderbuilt VF Corporation Maggie & Max Insomnia etc. Canada , E.C - Arrow, France - Marcel Bauer / Zannier, Netherlands - Bijenkorf , Finland - L .Trading.
AIMS AND OBJECTS

To cater to the best labels with professionalism and be able to offer Q.P.D (Quality, Price & Delivery)
WORK CULTURE
We follow four simple rules.
Human regulations:
Government Laws for labour minimum wages,
Overtime, ESI, PF, Bonus & Incentives and clean environment for working.
Human Safety:
Preventive maintenance on equipment to ensure the equipment doesn't injure the operators, excess lightning to reduce strain and fatigue in the eyes, minimum two exits in every building with broad passages in between batches for easy movement regularly and in times of emergency, fire extinguishers for all types of fires, evacuation plans, first aid kits, fire alarms, all factory wiring with circuit breakers, MCB's, ELCB's etc.
Communication:
The company believes in responding to all
communication on the same day. The office rule is no paper to be left for tomorrow. If they don't have an answer there is an acknowledgment and mention of reverting the next day.
Product Quality:
This rule is no longer a rule it is a way of life now, surprisingly no one organization now talks about quality, it just has to be good. There are no two ways or any quality. Hence the rule goes if the goods have a problem it is not shipped which, till date has never happened.
FABRICS:
The fabric team consists of 4 technical people and down the line people with experience. From Madurai to Salem and from Ahmedabad, China & Taiwan, not forgetting from Bombay to Calcutta, have been dealing with fabrics of all kinds.
LABORATORY:
The in house testing facility for shrinkage, dimensional stability, crocking etc ensures the quality confidence for every lot of fabric that comes in-house
EMBROIDERY:
In-house 9 color 20 head The Tajima computerized specializes in
embroidery garments.
machine.
company
complicate computerized as well as hand embroidered
EQUIPMENTS:
State of Art direct drive machines, lock stitch, button machines, Bartac, Double Needles, Fusing, Form Finishers, Snap Button Attaching, Feed of the Arm, 5 thread over locks and a lot more.
SAMPLING:
Consists of 4 masters with 15 machines with assistants for a quick turn around of perfect samples.
PRODUCTION:
A humble capacity of 14 batches each headed by a batch supervisor, Asst. supervisor and 2 quality controllers in between to ensure perfect parts attaching, then there is a final batch quality controllers at the end, goods move to the finishing section which again is headed by the finishing in-charge who has assistance in all areas like Button hole, Button Attaching, Trimming, Pre Ironing inspection, Ironing, Post Ironing IE Final Inspections, Folding, Sorting, Bundling & Carton making.
OFFICE SYSTEM:
The company is decentralized into the following departments, Merchandising, Accounts, Documentation, Personal, Purchase & EDPC (Electronic Data Processing & Communication). Each department has a head of the department and a group in each department which compliments each other in times of absence. The atmosphere is more like one family with a feeling of no matter who hoots the goal as long as our team achieves it.
4.1 TYPE OF RESEARCH

The nature of research was exploratory as well as diagnostic because the study was aimed at exploring the impact of work environment on the quality of work life of employees. This research is also aimed at recognizing the areas of improvement for Theme Exports.
4.2
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
The respondents were chosen on the basis of simple random sampling. Simple Random Sampling is also known as probability sampling or chance sampling. Under this sampling design every item of the universe has an equal and fair chance of inclusion in the sample. All choices being independent of one another, it gives each possible sample combination an equal probability of being chosen.
4.3 SAMPLE SIZE

In a HR research, where the number of employees in an organization are more, it is difficult to cover the entire population and cannot be enumerated. Keeping in mind that a large population would involve a great deal of time and considerable amount of resources to be expensed, to facilitate analysis a sample survey is preferred. In a sample survey only a unit of the entire population is selected for analysis and sample interpretations are generalized into population characteristics. A total number of 100 employees were selected to elicit the data required for the study. 35 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
4.4
SAMPLE DESCRIPTION
The sample of 100 employees are selected for the purpose of survey and analysis, of which 28 are male employees and the remaining 72 are female employees. The type of sampling used is simple random sampling or chance sampling.
4.5
INSTRUMENTATION TECHNIQUES
Questionnaire: The primary data has been collected through questionnaires which were administered to employees and personally filled by them. Personal interview: This was required for classification of any ambiguous answers from the employees.
4.6
ACTUAL COLLECTION OF DATA
Data collection and analysis The task of data analysis begins after the research problem has been defined and the design chalked out. It is the process of collecting appropriate data that yields the desired results. Data used in this research is primary as well as secondary. Primary data is that data that is been collected for the very first time. In this study, the primary data was collected by administering a detailed questionnaire to the sample employee population .
Secondary data is the data that has already been collected by someone else for some earlier research. In this study, the secondary data is collected from the internet and literature published by the organization.
4.7
TOOLS USED FOR TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS
The project used non-parametric test (Chi-square Test). Chi-square test is a measure based on cross-tabulation that gives us a standard to evaluate the significance of bivariate relationships. It has a test based on the notion of statistical inference (from sample to population). The choice of Chi-Square test was found necessary because the response data is not normally distributed. It is also ideal to use Chi-Square because the sample populations responses are independent i.e. the occurrence of one response does not have any bearing on the next response. Chi-Square testing allows us to work out whether there is a significant difference between the expected distribution of a set of values and its actual distribution.
4.8
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study pertains only to employees of Theme Exports. The study is limited to the work environment and facilities provided by Theme Exports. Some questionnaires that I received were incomplete as a result could not be included in the tabulation. It is assumed that there is no influence of any person, for e.g. a colleague/ peer while filling the questionnaire. As the perception level of the respondents has not been tested, it is assumed that all of them have perceived the questions in the correct way.
5.1 HYPOTHESIS
HYPOTHESIS 1 Null Hypothesis ( Ho )

Work Environment has an impact on the productivity of employees in the work place.
Alternate Hypothesis ( H1 )
Work Environment does not have an impact on the productivity of employees in the work place.
TABLE H1.1 TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF EMPLOYEES IN THE WORK PLACE.
CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL
MALE 26 2 28
FEMALE 69 3 72
TOTAL 95 5 100
Source: Field Investigation 39 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE H1.2
ANALYSIS USING CHI-SQUARE TEST

Observed(O) 26 69 2 3 Expected(E) 26.6 68.4 1.4 3.6 O-E -0.6 0.6 0.6 -0.6 (O - E)^2 0.36 0.36 0.36 0.36 (O - E)^2/E 0.014 0.005 0.257 0.1 0.376
Degree of Freedom = (Row 1)* (Column 1) = 1 Here the calculated chi-square = 0.376 At 5% level of significance the Chi-square Table value is 3.841 @ 1 degree of freedom. Hence, since the calculated value < table value, the null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, we can say that the work environment has a significant impact on the productivity of employees (irrespective of male and female) in the work place.
HYPOTHESIS 2 Null Hypothesis:

Satisfaction of employees is independent of the quality of work life.
Alternate Hypothesis:
Satisfaction of employees is dependent on the quality of work life.
TABLE H2.1 TABLE SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SATISFACTION OF EMPLOYEES AND THE QUALITY OF WORK LIFE CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 108 32 140 FEMALE 312 48 360 TOTAL 420 80 500
Source: Field Investigation
TABLE H2.2
ANALYSIS USING CHI-SQUARE TEST
Observed(O) Expected(E) 108 312 32 48 117.6 302.4 22.4 57.6
O-E -9.6 9.6 9.6 -9.6
(O -E)^2 92.16 92.16 92.16 92.16
(O - E)^2/E 0.78 0.3 4.11 1.6 6.79
Degree of Freedom = (Row 1) * (Column 1) = 1 Here the calculated chi-square = 6.79 At 5% level of significance the Chi-Square Table value is 3.841 at 1 degree of freedom. Hence the Alternate Hypothesis is accepted and the Null Hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, from the chi-square test we can say that the satisfaction of both male and female employees of Theme Exports is dependent on the quality of work life. There is high rate of dependency between quality of work life and satisfaction of employees.
HYPOTHESIS 3 Null Hypothesis:

The employees are satisfied with the welfare measures provided by Theme Exports.
Alternate Hypothesis:
The employees are not satisfied with the welfare measures provided by Theme Exports.
TABLE H3.1
TABLE SHOWING THE SATISFACTION OF EMPLOYEES WITH THE WELFARE MEASURES PROVIDED. CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 22 6 28 FEMALE 63 9 72 TOTAL 85 15 100
TABLE H3.2 ANALYSIS USING CHI-SQUARE TEST Observed(O) 22 63 6 9 Expected(E) 23.8 61.2 4.2 10.8 O-E -1.8 1.8 1.8 -1.8 (O - E)^2 3.24 3.24 3.24 3.24 (O - E)^2/E 0.14 0.05 0.77 0.3 1.26 Degree of Freedom = (Row 1) * (Column 1) = 1 Here the calculated chi-square = 1.26 At 5% level of significance the Chi-Square Table value is 3.841 at 1 degree of freedom. Since the calculated value< table value, the alternate hypothesis is rejected and the null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, based on the chi-square test conducted above, we can say that most of the employees are satisfied with the welfare measures provided by Theme Exports. Both male and female employees express the same opinion. The employees response has been collected on the following seven welfare measures and a consolidated table has been prepared to test for Chi-Square. The employees response as to whether or not they are satisfied with the different welfare measures provided by the company is reflected in the following charts.
CHART H1
SANITATION & CLEANLINESS
No 17%
Yes 83%
CHART H2
WORKERS' SAFETY MEASURES
No 18%
Yes 82%
CHART H3
TRANSPORT FACILITY
No 27% Yes 73%
CHART H4
PROVISION FOR ADEQUATE REST HOURS, LUNCH BREAK Etc.
No 14%
Yes 86%
CHART H5
INSURANCE SCHEMES
No 8%
Yes 92%
CHART H6
PROVIDENT FUND, GRATUITY & PENSION
No 10%
Yes 90%
CHART H7
H E A LT H & M E D I C A L B E N E FI TS
No 13%
Y es 87%
5.2 TABLES AND CHARTS WITH INTERPRETATION TABLE 1

CLASSIFYING THE RATINGS OF THE WELFARE MEASURES CATEGORY Excellent Satisfied Good Poor TOTAL MALE 4 8 16 0 28 FEMALE 4 8 60 0 72 TOTAL 8 16 76 0 100 PERCENTAGE 8% 16% 76% 0% 100%
CHART 1
SHOWING THE RATING OF THE WELFARE MEASURES
T he rati n gs of w el fare m easures provi ded by the com pan y. 70 60 R espon den ts 50 40 30 20 10 0 E xcel l en t S ati sfi ed C ategory M A LE FEM A LE PER C EN T A G E G ood P oor 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
INTERPRETATION: Most of the employees at Theme Exports are happy with the welfare measures being provided to them, with 76% of the responses adhering to the response Good. 8% of the employees feel that the company provides excellent welfare measures and 16% of the respondents are satisfied. However, none of the employees (both male and female) are dissatisfied with the number of responses for Poor being null. 49 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
P ercen tage
TABLE 2
SHOWING THE INVOLVEMENT IN WELFARE POLICY CATEGORY Yes No Can't say TOTAL MALE 8 20 0 28 FEMALE 12 56 4 72 TOTAL 20 76 4 100 PERCENTAGE 20% 76% 4% 100%
CHART 2
CHART DEPICTING THE INVOLVEMENT OF EMPLOYEES IN WELFARE POLICY DECISION MAKING
Involvement of employees in welfare policy decision making. 76 80 Respondents 60 40 20 0 8 20 0 FEMALE Yes No Can't say L 12 20 4 4 56
MALE
TOTAL
INTERPRETATION: Majority of the employees i.e.76%, at Theme Exports are not involved in the process of welfare policy decision making. 20% of the employees state that they are part of the decision making process. Only a few employees i.e. 4% , are not sure if they are actively/ passively or not involved at all in the decision making process. 50 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 3
TABLE SHOWING THE MANAGEMENT PARICIPATION IN EMPLOYEE WELFARE CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 20 8 28 FEMALE 60 12 72 TOTAL 80 20 100 PERCENTAGE 80% 20% 100%
CHART 3
CHART DEPICTING THE PARTICIPATION OF MANAGEMENT IN THE EMPLOYEE WELFARE MEASURES
Top management participation in the employee welfare measures
60 No. of respondents 50 40 30 20 10 0 MALE Yes No FEMALE
INTERPRETATION: Management participation in employee welfare measures is very important in todays day and age. Most of the employees i.e. 80%, at Theme Exports feel that their top management actively participates in improving their welfare. However, 20% of the employees feel that their top management is isolated from their welfare facilities and measures. 51 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 4
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE MOTIVE BEHIND THE PROVISION OF WELFARE MEASURES CATEGORY Yes No Not Sure TOTAL MALE 7 17 4 28 FEMALE 15 45 12 72 TOTAL 22 62 16 100 PERCENTAGE 22% 62% 16% 100%
CHART 4
CHART ASSESSING IF THE WELFARE MEASURES ARE PROVIDED ONLY AS A STATUTORY COMPLIANCE
A R E W E LFA R E M E A S U R E S PR O V ID E D O N LY A S A S T A T U T O R Y C O M PLIA N C E ?
N ot S ure No Y es
12 4 45 17 15 7 N o. of respondents M A LE FE M A LE
INTERPRETATION: Welfare measures are provided by all companies, but some companies provide it only to meet the legal guidelines of the government. At Theme Exports, 62% of the employees feel that the company provides welfare measures not just as a statutory compliance, but also because they care about their employees. However, 22% feel that the provision of welfare facilities is only to meet legal constraints and the remaining 16% are not sure. 52 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 5
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT OF WELFARE MEASURES ON EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP CATEGORY Very Essential Essential Not Essential Not Sure TOTAL MALE 8 16 4 0 28 FEMALE 24 40 4 4 72 TOTAL 32 56 8 4 100 %AGE 32% 56% 8% 4% 100%
CHART 5.1
CHART DEPICTING THE IMPACT OF WELFARE MEASURES ON EMPLOYER- EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP ACCORDING TO THE MALE EMPLOYEES MALE 0%
14%
29%
57% Very Essential Essential Not Essential Not Sure
INTERPRETATION: Provision for welfare measures helps to build a strong bond between employer and employees. 57% of the male employees at Theme Exports, strongly agree with this statement and 29% feel it is essential. 14% of the male employees do not agree that welfare measures are needed for harmonious employer-employee relationship. 53 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
CHART- 5.2
CHART DEPICTING THE IMPACT OF WELFARE MEASURES ACCORDING TO THE FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY
FEMALE
6%
6% 33%
55%
Very Essential
Essential
Not Essential
Not Sure
INTERPRETATION: Most of the female employees i.e. 55%, consider welfare measures as a force that is essential to build employer-employee relationship. 33% of the women think it is very essential and 6% are not sure of the impact of welfare measures on the ties between the employer and employee. 6% of the female employees however think that there is no correlation between welfare measures and harmonious employer-employee relationship.
TABLE 6
TABLE SHOWING THE USEFULNESSOF INDUCTION / TRAINING PROGRAMMES CATEGORY YES NO TOTAL MALE 20 8 28 FEMALE 60 12 72 TOTAL 80 20 100 PERCENTAGE 80% 20% 100%
CHART - 6
CHART DEPICTING THE USEFULNESS OF INDUCTION AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES IN THE COMPANY
U S E F U LN E S S O F IN D U C T IO N A N D T R A IN IN G PR O G R A M M E S
MALE
FEMALE FEMALE
NO
10 0
MALE
Y ES
0 Y ES NO
INTERPRETATION: Induction and Training programmes enable employees to develop the skill sets required for superior performance. At Theme Exports, 80% of the employees find the induction and training programmes useful. 20% of the employees do not find the induction and training programmes conducted in their company useful. The training programmes may not be meeting the requirements of the employees.
TABLE 7.1
TABLE SHOWING THE ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN TO SUGGESTION SCHEMES CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 20 8 28 FEMALE 64 8 72 TOTAL 84 16 100 PERCENTAGE 84% 16% 100%
CHART 7.1
CHART DEPICTING THE ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN TO SUGGESTION SCHEMES
ENCOURAGEMENT OF SUGGESTION SCHEMES
Respondents
100 50
8 8 20 64
0 MALE Yes No
FEMALE
INTERPRETATION: Suggestion schemes are innovative instruments to gather feedback from the employees. 84% of the employees at Theme Exports, feel that the suggestion schemes are encouraged by their company but the remaining 16% of the employees think otherwise.
TABLE 7.2
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE FREQUENCY OFSUGGESTIONS OFFERED CATEGORY Once a month Once in 2/3 months Once in 6 months Others, specify TOTAL MALE 16 8 4 0 28 FEMALE 40 28 4 0 72 TOTAL 56 36 8 0 100 %AGE 56% 36% 8% 0% 100%
CHART 7.2
CHART DEPICTING THE FREQUENCY OF SUGGESTIONS OFFERED BY MALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY
MALE
16
Once a month Once in 6 months
Once in 2/3 months Others, specify
INTERPRETATION: According to 57% of the male employees at Theme Exports, suggestions are usually offered once a month. 29% offer suggestions once in 2 or 3 months and the remaining 14% share their valuable suggestions once in 6 months. 57 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
CHART 7.3
CHART DEPICTING THE FREQUENCY OF SUGGESTIONS OFFERED BY FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY
FEMALE
4 0
28
40
Once a month Once in 6 months
Once in 2/3 months Others, specify
INTERPRETATION: Similarly, as with the male employees, most of the female employees i.e. 56%, offer suggestions once in 2 or 3 months and the remaining 5 % share their suggestions once in every 6 months. The frequency of suggestions should be increased at Theme Exports, which will help the company to get some new and innovative ideas, which in turn can help it to create a competitive advantage against competitors.
TABLE 8
TABLE SHOWING THE RESPONSE TO SUGGESTIONS CATEGORY Yes No Not sure TOTAL MALE 16 4 8 28 FEMALE 60 4 8 72 TOTAL 76 8 16 100 PERCENTAGE 76% 8% 16% 100%
CHART 8
CHART SHOWING THE RESPONSE OF THE MANAGEMENT TO THE SUGGESTIONS MADE BY THE EMPLOYEES
R E S PO N S E T O S U G G E S T IO N S 60 R espond ents 40 20 0 Y es 16 4 No 4 8 M A LE N ot sure F E M A LE 8 60
M A LE
INTERPRETATION: The management should exhibit a positive attitude towards the suggestions offered by the employees. Most of the employees i.e. 76%, at Theme Exports, feel that the management takes an interest in their suggestions. 16% of the employees are not sure of the managements response and the remaining 8% feel the management turns a deaf ear to their opinions.
TABLE 9
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE FREQUENCY OF SATISFACTION SURVEYS CATEGORY Quarterly Half yearly Annually Others, specify TOTAL MALE 24 4 0 0 28 FEMALE 60 12 0 0 72 TOTAL 84 16 0 0 100 %AGE 84% 16% 0 0 100%
CHART 9
CHART DEPICTING THE FREQUENCY OF EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEYS CONDUCTED
FREQUENCY OF EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SURVEYS 60
Respondents
60 40 20 0 Quarterly 24 4 12
0 0
0 0
Half yearly
Annually Others, specify FEMALE
MALE
INTERPRETATION: According to 84% of the employees at Theme Exports, the employee satisfaction surveys are conducted on a quarterly basis. Few of the employees i.e. 16%, feel that the surveys are conducted twice a year. Employee satisfaction surveys enable the management to decipher the morale and contentment of the employees with their job, which is directly related to their work productivity. 60 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 10
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ON PERFORMANCE CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 24 4 28 FEMALE 64 8 72 TOTAL 88 12 100 PERCENTAGE 88% 12% 100%
CHART 10.1
CHART SHOWING THE IMPACT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ON PERFORMANCE ACCORDING TO THE MALE EMPLOYEES
MALE
No 14%
Yes 86%
INTERPRETATION:
In the chart above, 86% of the male employees find the work environment at Theme Exports, conducive to better performance. However, the remaining 14% of the male employees feel that there is no correlation between work environment and enhanced performance.
CHART 10.2
CHART DEPICTING THE IMPACT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ON PERFORMANCE ACCORDING TO FEMALE EMPLOYEES FEM ALE
No 11%
Yes 89%
INTERPRETATION: As with the male employees, a majority of the female employees i.e. 89%, feel that there is a positive relationship between work environment and performance of employees. The remaining 11% of the female employees feel that better work performance of the employees is not dependent on work environment and that the two aspects are no way related.
TABLE 11
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE EMPLOYER- EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP CATEGORY Formal Informal Strained TOTAL MALE 16 12 0 28 FEMALE 42 28 2 72 TOTAL 58 40 2 100 PERCENTAGE 58% 40% 2% 100%
CHART 11
CHART DEPICTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE EMPLOYEE AND HIS BOSS RELATIONSHIP WITH BOSS 50 Respondents 40 30 20 10 0 16 Formal 12 Informal MALE FEMALE 2 0 Strained 42 28
INTERPRETATION: Relationship between the boss and the employee is very delicate. 58% of the employees at Theme Exports, state that their relationship with their boss is formal, while 40% of the employees feel their relationship is informal. Only 2% of the employees find their relationship with their boss strained. Positive relationship between the superior and subordinates is conducive to productivity. 63 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 12
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE TIME SPENT AT THE WORK PLACE CATEGORY 8-10 hours 10-12 hours Others, specify TOTAL MALE 24 4 0 28 FEMALE 68 4 0 72 TOTAL 92 8 0 100 PERCENTAGE 92% 8% 0 100%
CHART 12
CHART DEPICTING THE TIME SPENT BY EMPLOYEES AT THE WORK PLACE TIME SPENT AT WORKPLACE Others, specify 10-12 hours 8-10 hours 0
0 4 4 24 20 40 MALE FEMALE 68 60 80 100 64
INTERPRETATION: At Theme Exports, 92% of the employees put in 8-10 hours of work every day. Almost all female employees i.e. 95%, work for 8-10 hours only. Only 8% of the employees work for longer hours i.e. 10-12 hours. None of the employees work f or more than 12 hours. It should be noted that the quality of work is more important than the time spent in the work place.
M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 13
TABLE SHOWING THE EXTENT OF PROBLEMS CAUSED BY COLLEAGUES CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 4 24 28 FEMALE 8 64 72 TOTAL 12 88 100 PERCENTAGE 12% 88% 100%
CHART 13 CHART DEPICTING THE PROBLEMS FACED WITH COLLEAGUES

PROBLEMS WITH COLLEAGUES 88
TOTAL
12 64
FEMALE
8 24
MALE
Yes
No
INTERPRETATION: A majority of the employees i.e. 88% at Theme Exports, do not face any problems with their colleagues. Team work and spirit of co-operation is very essential for innovation and productivity at work. However, 12% of the employees face some kind of problem with their peers. Disharmony with colleagues is one of the causes leading to stress in the work place. 65 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 14
TABLE SHOWING THE EXTENT OF JOB SECURITY PROVIDED CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 20 8 28 FEMALE 60 12 72 TOTAL 80 20 100 PERCENTAGE 80% 20% 100%
CHART 14
CHART DEPICTING THE JOB SECURITY OF EMPLOYEES
PRESENCE OF JOB SECURITY 80 Respondents 60 40 20 0 20 8 Yes MALE FEMALE No TOTAL 12 20 60 80
INTERPRETATION: Job security is directly related to the job-satisfaction and morale of employees. 80% of the employees at Theme Exports, enjoy job security. This enables them to perform better at their tasks. On the other hand, 20% of the employees do not enjoy job security. This may be a source of stress for them.
TABLE 15.1
TABLE SHOWING THE STRESS INVOLVED IN WORK CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 20 8 28 FEMALE 48 24 72 TOTAL 68 32 100 PERCENTAGE 68% 32% 100%
CHART 15.1
CHART DEPICTING THE STRESS INVOLVED IN WORK
STRESS AT WORK
100 Respondents 80 60 40 20 0 8 20 MALE 24 48
32
68
FEMALE Yes No
TOTAL
INTERPRETATION: Most jobs involve stress. However the level of stress involved varies from job to job. At Theme Exports, 68% of the employees are exposed to stress in their work environment. This may lower their performance and productivity in the work place. The remaining 32% are relatively stress-free. As a result, they exhibit greater concentration at work.
TABLE 15.2
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE CAUSES OF STRESS CATEGORY Job security Work environment Work Timings Relationship with Boss Others, specify TOTAL MALE 4 4 8 4 0 20 FEMALE 8 12 20 8 0 48 TOTAL 12 16 28 12 0 68
CHART 15.2
CHART SHOWING THE VARIOUS CAUSES OF STRESS CAUSES OF STRESS
20 8 12 8 8 0 4 Relationship 0 Others, specify FEMALE MALE
4 Job security
4 environment
Work Timings
MALE
FEMALE
INTERPRETATION: The cause of stress for 17% of the employees at Theme Exports, is job security. Work environment causes stress to 23% of the employees. Relationship with boss is a cause of stress for 17% of the employees. The most popular stress factor is work timings, with 41% being affected by it. 68 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
with Boss
Work
TABLE 16
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE STESS RELIEVING MEASURES CATEGORY Talk to colleagues Confide with family / friends Relaxation exercises/ yoga Do nothing TOTAL MALE 11 9 5 3 28 Source: Field Investigation FEMALE 32 25 9 6 72 TOTAL 43 34 14 9 100
CHART 16.1
CHART SHOWING THE STRESS-RELIEVERS FOR MALE EMPLOYEES
M A LE
3 5 11
T al k to col l e gue s R el ax ati on e x e rci se s/ yoga
C onfi de w i th fam i l y/ fri e nd s D o nothi ng
INTERPRETATION: Stress is a fact of life and nothing much can be done to avoid it. But we need to know how to handle stress so that it does not get out of hand. The most popular strategy to handle stress is talking to colleagues according to 39% of the male employees at Theme Exports. 32% prefer confiding with family/friends to cease the tension. 17% resort to relaxation exercises/yoga to deal with their stress. The remaining 10% do not bother about their stress level and let events take its turn.
CHART 16.2
CHART SHOWING THE STRESS-RELIEVERS FOR FEMALE EMPLOYEES
F E M A LE
6 9 32 H 25
T al k to col l egues R el ax ati on ex erci ses/ yoga
C onfi de w i th fam i l y/ fri end s D o nothi ng
INTERPRETATION: According to the female employees at Theme Exports, 44% of them handle their stress by talking to colleagues. The support network they form in the work place enables them to get through the most difficult situations. 35% depend on their friends/family for comfort. 13% rely on relaxation therapy and yoga to help them through stress. The remaining 8% leave their worries and tension to fate.
TABLE 17
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT ON PRODUCTIVITY CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 26 2 28 FEMALE 69 3 72 TOTAL 95 5 100 PERCENTAGE 95% 5% 100%
CHART 17
CHART DEPICTINGTHE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK ENVIRONMENT & PRODUCTIVITY
C O R R E LA T I O N B /W W O R K E N V IR O N M E N T &
PR O D U C T IV IT Y N o. of respondent
80 69 60 40 20 0 26 2 M A LE Y es No 3 F E M A LE
INTERPRETATION: Work environment and productivity are inter-related. According to 95% of the employees at Theme Exports, there is a positive correlation between work environment and productivity. According to 5% of the employees, work environment is not related to productivity i.e. work environment does not increase the productivity of the employees.
TABLE 18
TABLE SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK ENVIRONMENT & WORK BEHAVIOUR CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 26 2 28 FEMALE 69 3 72 TOTAL 95 5 100 PERCENTAGE 95% 5% 100%
CHART 18
CHART DEPICTING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK ENVIRONMENT & WORK BEHAVIOUR
R E L A T IO N S H IP B / W W O R K E N V IR O N M E N T A N D W O R K B E H A V IO U R 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 M A LE Y es N o
R espon den
FEM A LE
INTERPRETATION: Almost all the employees at Theme Exports, perceive that work environment and work behaviour are related. Work environment has a major role to play in the behaviour of employees in the work place. Only 5% of the employees disagree that the work environment and work behaviour are correlated.
TABLE 19
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE CHANCES OF GROWTH / PROMOTION CATEGORY Very High High Moderate Low TOTAL MALE 4 12 8 4 28 FEMALE 8 40 20 4 72 TOTAL 12 52 28 8 100 PERCENTAGE 12% 52% 28% 8% 100%
CHART 19.1
CHART DEPICTING THE OPPORTUNITIES OF PROMOTION / GROWTH FOR MALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY MALE
8 12
Very High INTERPRETATION:
High
Moderate
Low
14% of the male employees at Theme Exports, feel that they have very high chances of promotion/ growth in the organization. 43% feel they have high chances of climbing up the ladder in the company. 29% feel they have only moderate opportunities for growth/promotion and the remaining 14% feel their chances of growth in the company is bleak. 73 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
CHART 19.2
CHART DEPICTING THE OPPORTUNITIES OF PROMOTION / GROWTH FOR FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY FEMALE
4 20
40
Very High
High
Moderate
Low
INTERPRETATION: According to 11% of the female employees at Theme Exports, their chances of promotion and growth in the company is very high. A majority of the women employees i.e. 56%, find their chances of success high. 28% feel they have only moderate opportunities to grow in the company. The remaining 6% feel their opportunities for growth are minimal.
TABLE 20
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT OF MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY ON QWL CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 4 24 28 FEMALE 4 68 72 TOTAL 8 92 100 PERCENTAGE 8% 92% 100%
CHART 20.1
CHART DEPICTING THE NECCESITY OF MACHINERY / TECHNOLOGY FOR CREATION OF GOOD QWL ACCORDING TO THE MALE EMPLOYEES M A LE
14 %
86%
Y es INTERPRETATION:
No
Machinery, equipment and technology play a very important role in quality of goods/services produced by a company. 14% of the male employees at Theme Exports, feel that good machinery and technology alone, is sufficient to create good quality of work life. However, majority of the male employees i.e. 86%, feel that , to create good quality of work life, we need much more than just good machinery/ technology. 75 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
CHART 20.2
CHART DEPICTING THE NECCESITY OF MACHINERY/ TECHNOLOGY FOR CREATION OF GOOD QWL ACCORDING TO THE FEMALE EMPLOYEES FEM ALE
Yes
No
INTERPRETATION: Almost all the female employees at Theme Exports, agree that good machinery and technology by itself, does not lead to good quality of work life. A meager 5% feel that machinery/ technology is sufficient to create a fulfilling quality of work life.
TABLE 21
TABLE SHOWING THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE FOR GOOD WORK ENVIIRONMENT CATEGORY Yes No Maybe TOTAL MALE 21 4 3 28 FEMALE 55 5 12 72 TOTAL 76 9 15 100 PERCENTAGE 76% 9% 15% 100%
CHART 21
CHART DEPICTING THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE FOR GOOD WORK ENVIRONMENT
IS HR THE BASIS FOR GOOD WORK ENVIRONMENT
80
Respondents
60 40 20 0 Yes MALE No FEMALE Maybe
INTERPRETATION: Human resource is the life blood of any organization, without which the whels of the industry will come to a standstill. 76% of the employees at Theme Exports, agree that HR is the basis for good work environment. 9% feel that HR & Work environment are not related and 15% are not sure of the implication of HR for good work environment.
TABLE 22
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT ON PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF WORK ON BEHAVIOUR AND MORALE CATEGORY Yes No Not Sure TOTAL MALE 20 3 5 28 FEMALE 55 6 11 72 TOTAL 75 9 16 100 PERCENTAGE 75% 9% 16% 100%
CHART 22
CHART DEPICTING THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF WORK ON BEHAVIOUR / MORALE OF EMPLOYEES
IS BEHAVIOUR AFFECTED BY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS OF WORK 11 5 3 20 55
Yes
No
Not Sure
INTERPRETATION: In the above chart, the inner circle represents the male population and the outer circle represents the female population at Theme Exports. 75% of the employees feel that behaviour and morale is affected by the physical conditions of work. 9% of the employees disagree that behaviour and morale are linked to conditions of work. The remaining 16% of the employees are not sure as to whether or not the behaviour and morale is affected by the physical conditions of work. 78 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 23
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPACT OF FAVOURTISM/ INFLUENCE ON THE WORK ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY Yes No Not sure TOTAL MALE 24 0 4 28 FEMALE 60 0 12 72 TOTAL 84 0 16 100 PERCENTAGE 84% 0 16% 100%
CHART 23
CHART DEPICTING THE IMPACT OFFAVOURTISM / INFLUENCE ON THE WORK ENVIRONMENT
DOES FAVOURTISM SPOIL THE WORK ENVIRONMENT
Responde nts
100 50 0 24
60 0 No FEMALE 0 4 12 Not sure
Yes MALE
INTERPRETATION: Favoritism and nepotism are corrupting the work culture I many companies. According to 84% of the employees at Theme Exports, favoritism and influence spoil the work environment. 16% of the employees are not sure of the impact of favoritism or influence on the work environment in the company. However, no employer disregards the possibility that favoritism corrupts the work environment. 79 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
TABLE 24
TABLE CLASSIFYING THE IMPORTANCE GIVEN TO EMPLOYEES CATEGORY You Your work Both you and your work TOTAL MALE 12 8 8 28 FEMALE 36 20 16 72 TOTAL 48 28 24 100 %AGE 48% 28% 24% 100%
CHART 24.1
CHART DEPICTING THE WORTH OF MALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY
M A LE
B oth you and your w ork 29% Y our w ork 29%
Y ou 42%
INTERPRETATION: 43% of the male employees at Theme Expots, feel that their boss is concerned more about them, than their work. 29% of the employees feel that their boss is interested more in getting them to do their work than getting to know them personally. The remaining 28% of the employees are sure that their boss is interested not only in their work but is also concerned about them. 80 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
CHART 24.2
CHART DEPICTING THE WORTH OF FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN THE COMPANY FEMALE Both you and your work 22% Your work 28% You 50%
INTERPRETATION: 50% of the female employees at Theme Exports, feel that their superior/ supervisor is interested in their personal well-being and not just their work. According to 28% of the female employees, their boss is interested only in their performance at work. The remaining 22% feel their boss has the best of both i.e. their boss is interested in both their work as well as their personal well-being.
TABLE 25
TABLE SHOWING THE IMPORTANCE GIVEN TO OPENNESS & INITIATION AT WORK CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 24 4 28 FEMALE 68 4 72 TOTAL 92 8 100 PERCENTAGE 92% 8% 100%
CHART 25
CHART ASSESSING THE ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN TO OPENNESS & INNOVATION AT WORK EXISTENCE OF OPENNESS TOWAR DS INNOVATION TOTAL FEMALE MALE 0 20 40 60 Yes INTERPRETATION: Openness and initiation are pre-requisites to better performance of employees. According to 92% of employees at Theme Exports, encouragement is given to openness and initiation in the strive towards innovation at work. On the other hand, the remaining 8% of the employees feel that they do not have freedom of free expression, which is very essential to come out with innovative ideas. No 80 100 120
TABLE 26.1
TABLE SHOWING THE SATISFACTION WITH THE CURRENT WORK ENVIRONMENT CATEGORY Yes No TOTAL MALE 24 4 28 FEMALE 64 8 72 TOTAL 88 12 100 PERCENTAGE 88% 12% 100%
CHART 26.1
CHART DEPICTING THE CONTENTMENT OF EMPLOYEES WITH THE PRESENT WORK ENVIRONMENT IN THE COMPANY
SATISFACTION WITH PRESENT WORK ENVIRONMENT Respondents 100 50 0
MALE
FEMALE Yes No
TOTAL
INTERPRETATION: Majority of the employees at Theme Exports, i.e. 88%, feel that they are satisfied with the current level of work environment in the company. Only the remaining 12% of the employees state that the present level of work environment in the company is not satisfactory.
TABLE 26.2
Satisfaction-level on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest. SCALE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 TOTAL MALE 0 0 0 0 4 4 8 6 2 0 24 FEMALE 0 0 0 4 8 12 16 20 4 0 64 TOTAL 0 0 0 4 12 16 24 26 6 0 88
CHART 26.2
CHART DEPICTING THE SATISFACTION LEVEL OF EMPLOYEES ON A 10 POINT SCALE
SATISFACTON LEVEL 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D E F G H I J SCALE MALE FEMALE 84 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Respondents
INTERPRETATION: Most of the employees at Theme Exports, have a satisfaction level of 7/8 on a 10 point scale. This is followed by 16 employees whose satisfaction level is 6 and 12 employees whose satisfaction level is 5. There are 6 employees who are extremely satisfied and 4 employees who have the least satisfaction level.
6.1 CONCLUSIONS FROM THE STUDY

Most of the employees, around 76% feel that the company provides excellent welfare measures. The involvement of employees in the welfare policy decision making is found to be substantial. The top management participates in the employee welfare measures provided by the company, but does not make an effort in improving the employees welfare. It is found from the study that, to a certain extent the welfare measures are provided only as a statutory compliance and not out of free will. The employees feel that the welfare measures have an impact on the employer-employee relationship. Induction & training programmes are considered to be useful in improving the performance of the employees. Suggestion schemes are encouraged by the organization. The frequency of suggestions given by the employees is mostly once a month. The management exhibits a positive attitude towards the suggestions offered by the employees. The employee satisfaction surveys are usually conducted on a quarterly basis. Both the male and female employees feel that work environment has an impact on their performance. Most of the employees at Theme Exports, feel that their relationship with their boss is formal and only a few employees feel the relationship is strained. 8 to 10 hours is spent in the work place, with very few employees working overtime. There is greater emphasis on the quality of work rather than the quantity of work. Problems with colleagues is minimal, however efforts can be made to improve the relationship among employees. 86 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
Around 80% of the employees feel secure in their jobs. The remaining 20% of the employees feel insecure and hence it reduces their productivity. The male employees are found to be more prone to stress compared to their female counterparts. The reason can be attributed to the fact that most men suffer from peer pressure from their female counterparts, as the work involved is usually considered to be of womens domain. The causes of stress are attributed to factors such as work timings, work environment, job security and relationship with the superiors. To combat stress, the employees confide with their family and friends and some even practice yoga and relaxation exercises. The work environment influences the behaviour of the employees in the work place. The opportunities for growth and promotion in the company are satisfactory. Machinery / Technology is found to be necessary for the creation of good quality of work life, according to the employees. The human resource function can take certain measures for improving the work environment in the organization. The physical conditions of work, influences the morale and performance of the employees. Favoritism and Nepotism has an impact on the work environment in the organization. Openness and Innovation at work is encouraged by the organization. The employees are found to be content with the present work environment in the company.
6.2 IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY Continuous feedback to the employees should be encouraged. Feedback to
supervisors from subordinates should also be encouraged.
The company should modify its organization structure in a manner to

promote communication between people who need to work together. As in a hierarchical structure it is very important to keep in mind that there is enough room for communication, without which there would be no common platform to work.
Co-ordination and co-operation among employees must be encouraged in

order to cultivate team spirit.
Supervisors should encourage creativity and innovation. The organization should consider employees as Human Assets and make
them feel wanted and value their opinions. There should be greater involvement of workers in welfare policy decision-making.
If the employees are always monitored they would detest their work
environment. Independence should be given to some extent, if not for major decisions.
Suggestion schemes should be encouraged with constant response given to

employees. This will motivate them to come up with more innovative and constructive suggestions. This should be rewarded instead of mere appreciation letters.
The welfare measures should be provided by the management out of

concern for the employees and not as a compulsion.
The employees are de-motivated because the organization culture does not
encourage openness and risk taking. They should be allowed to take calculated risks at their job in consultation with a supervisor.
The company should compile a specific report on employee satisfaction as

well as dis-satisfaction. This will enable the company to develop measures to improve the quality of work life of employees and consequently their productivity. 88 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
There should be variance control, i.e., where possible, the people should be
allowed to inspect their own work, thereby learning from their mistakes and redesigning the number of communication links across departmental boundaries. The fewer the variances, the lesser the levels of supervision and control are required.
Induction and training programmes must be encouraged to improve

employee performance.
Incentive schemes should be provided to encourage employees to work

overtime.
Efforts must be made to provide job security to employees which in turn will
increase their morale and productivity.
Information systems should be so designed as to provide information in the

first place to the point where action on the basis of it will be needed.
The systems of social support should be designed so as to reinforce the

behaviours which the organization structure is designed to elicit.
The causes of stress should be identified and efforts must be taken to

provide employees with in-house counselors and psychologists.
Favoritism and nepotism should be eliminated so that the employees can

trust the intentions of the management.
The human resource department in the organization should play an important

role in improving the work environment of the company.
The objective of organization design should be to provide a high quality of

working life to its members.
6.3 DIRECTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
The following recommendations are made to improve upon the findings of this project: The sample size can be increased to include more population and reduce chances of error of limitation. The sample segment can be expanded to include even the administrative staff in addition to the workers to gain an insight into their perspectives. There are very few studies conducted on garment export companies. Hence further study can include research on quality of work life in other garment exporting companies. A similar study can be made abroad to decipher the differences between the Indian and Foreign garment exporting companies.
QUESTIONNAIRE
The purpose of this questionnaire is to understand and analyze the impact of work environment on the quality of work life of the employees of Theme Exports 1. Are you satisfied with the following welfare measures provided to you by Theme Exports? Yes a) Sanitation and cleanliness b) Good ventilation and lighting c) Provision of drinking water and canteen facilities d) Workers safety measures e) Transport facility f) Convenient and comfortable seating arrangements at work g) Provision for adequate rest hours, lunch break etc. h) Insurance schemes such as health insurance etc. i) Economic services such as provident fund, gratuity & pension j) Health and medical services 2. How would you rate the welfare measures provided by your company? Excellent Satisfactory Good Poor No
3. Are you involved in the process of welfare policy decision making? Yes No Cant say
4. Does the top management actively participate in the employee welfare measures? Yes No
5. Are the welfare measures provided only as a statutory compliance? Yes No Not sure
6. How essential are welfare measures in bringing about harmonious employeremployee relationship? Very Essential Not Essential Essential Not Sure
7. Do you find the induction and training programmes conducted in your company useful? Yes If No, why do you think so? __________________________________________ 8. Are suggestion schemes encouraged in the company? Yes No No
If yes, how often do you offer suggestions to your supervisors? Once a month Once in 6 months Once in 2/3 months Other, please specify ________________
9. Do you think your suggestions are taken into account by the management? Yes No Not Sure
10. How often are employee satisfaction surveys conducted? Quarterly Annually Half yearly Other, please specify ________________
11. Is the work environment at Theme Exports conducive to better performance? Yes No 92 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
12. How is the relationship between you and your boss? Formal Informal Strained
13. How much time do you spend at your work place? 8-10 hours 10-12 hours Others, please specify ______
14. Do you face any problems with your colleagues? Yes If yes, with regard to what? ______________________________________________ No
15. Do you have job security? Yes No
16. Does your work involve a lot of stress? Yes No
If yes, what according to you, causes stress? Job security Work environment Work timings Relationship with Boss / Supervisors Others, please specify ____________________ 17. How do you handle stress? Talk to colleagues Confide with family / friends Relaxation exercises / yoga Do nothing about it 93 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
18. Does the work environment help to increase productivity? Yes No
19. Does any relationship exist between work environment and work behaviour? Yes No
20. What according to you, are your chances of promotion / growth in the organization? Very High Moderate High Low
21. Do you think that providing good machinery / technology alone is sufficient to create good quality of work life? Yes If yes, why do you think so? ______________________________________________ No
22. Do you think Human Resources is the basis for good work environment? Yes No Maybe
23. Do you think behaviour and morale is affected by physical condition of work? Yes No Not Sure
24. Does favourtism / influence spoil the work environment? Yes No Not Sure
25. What do you think your boss is concerned about? You Your work Both you and your work 94 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
26. Does your company encourage openness and initiative towards innovation in your work? Yes No
27. Are you satisfied with the present work environment in your company? Yes No
If yes, state your satisfaction-level on a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest ____ 28. Do you have any suggestions to make? ______________________________________________________________
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
ONLINE RESEARCH www.google.com www.themeapparals.com www.businessworld.com www.humancapital.com www.indiainfoline.com
MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS Company journals Business Today Human Capital publications A & M Business Review Times of India, Deccan Herald
BOOKS Quality of work life By Sangeeta Jain Statistical methods- By S.P. Gupta Business research methods- By Cooper & Shindler Quality of Work Life : Perspective and Direction By Nadler D.A & Lawler E.E

Carolyn Jousna-Study On QWL at Theme Exports

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Carolyn Jousna-Study On QWL at Theme Exports

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A Study on

QUALITY OF WORK LIFE LEVERAGED TO PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEES

Place: Bangalore Date: 7 Sept. 2004

(CAROLYN JOSHUA) Reg No: 02XQCM6017

TO WHOMSOEVER IT MAY CONCERN

6 6:1 6:2 6:3

5.2 6 7.1 7.2 7.3 8 9 10.1 10.2 11

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

1 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

2 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

3 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

4 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

5 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

6 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Origin of the concept:

5 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

6 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

7 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

QUALITY OF LIFE: A SYSTEMS MODEL

- The University of Oklahoma School of Social Work

8 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

Linkage between Quality of Work Life & Quality of Life

9 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

10 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

Relevance of Quality of Work Life (QWL) in India

11 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

NEED & SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

12 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

14 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

15 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

2.1 PURPOSE OF REVIEW

15 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

CASE 1: THE QUALITY OF WORK LIFE IN THE JAPANESE SHIP-BULIDING INDUSTRY.

16 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

17 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

CASE 2: THE HARDWARE CASE OF BHARAT HEAVY ELECTRICALS LIMITED

18 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

19 M.P. Birla Institute of Management, Associate Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Theme Exports Pvt. Ltd.

QUALITY OF WORK LIFE SURVEY LONG-FORM SURVEY RESULTS