The QWL approach has a clear objective: to improve working conditions. The phenomenon of the post-COVID Great Resignation and the boom in absenteeism are not insignificant. It is time to make way for a management style based on trust and listening. To achieve this, the QWL policy should serve as your guide. How? We provide explanations and examples of actions you can take to improve your employees' quality of life.
What is well-being at work? Can we contribute to both the quality of life of employees and the performance of the company? Yes, because we now know that one cannot exist without the other. This topic is even of interest to academic research. According to Dr. F. Rosenfeld, well-being at work is defined as:
"All factors relating to the conditions in which work is performed: safety at work, protection of workers' health, psychosocial stress caused by work, workplace hygiene, ergonomics, workplace beautification, and measures taken by the company in relation to the environment."
A human-centered approach that gives managers and HR a significant share of responsibility. To meet this challenge, your QWL approach should be structured in four stages:
Let's now take a practical look at how to implement this QWL approach.
The QWL approach cannot be considered in isolation from current or future projects within the organization, such as reorganizations, software changes, or changes in missions.
Contrary to a fragmented view of organizational issues, the implementation of a QWL approach aims to bring together strategies and actions to simultaneously address work, societal, and performance issues. This initial phase of analyzing the issues requires a precise characterization, covering work, societal, and performance issues.
These challenges include the need for greater autonomy and meaning at work, the desire for participatory management, issues related to professional mobility, changes in occupations, improved social dialogue, as well as societal challenges such as workforce diversity, work-life balance, and new user service expectations.
Once the issues have been identified, the QWL approach is undertaken, taking into account key factors such as job content, occupational health, skills and career paths, professional equality, management and commitment, as well as workplace relationships and the social climate.
These factors are examined during the QWL diagnosis stages in order to define specific actions to be taken in one or more areas.
In June 2013, the National Interprofessional Agreement (ANI) defined Quality of Life at Work (QLW) as the harmony between improving employees' working conditions and the overall performance of companies.
The QWL approach encompasses a sense of collective and individual well-being, including atmosphere, corporate culture, job interest, working conditions, involvement, autonomy, accountability, equality, the right to make mistakes, recognition, and job satisfaction. This approach encompasses recurring organizational measures aimed at reconciling improved working conditions with collective performance.
The definition, implementation, and evaluation of QWL are central issues in social dialogue, linking working conditions to employees' perception of quality of life at work.
As an HR professional, you are increasingly called upon to assess employee satisfaction and prevent occupational risks. To do this, you have three tools at your disposal.
It takes the form of a pre-existing questionnaire. It covers the main themes of QWL. The GPS thus guides you on the issues to prioritize within your organization.
In addition, you can create a customized QWL questionnaire. This will allow you to include questions specific to your company.
Individual discussions are seen as special moments by employees. They should therefore be encouraged. The interview gives employees the opportunity to clearly express their feelings and personal expectations.
Regardless of the methodology, the key is to:
The renewal of these surveys provides an opportunity to test new habits and adjust them over time.
As an HR professional, you are increasingly called upon to assess employee satisfaction and prevent occupational risks. To do this, you have three tools at your disposal.
It takes the form of a pre-existing questionnaire. It covers the main themes of QWL. The GPS thus guides you on the issues to prioritize within your organization.
In addition, you can create a customized QWL questionnaire. This will allow you to include questions specific to your company.
Individual discussions are seen as special moments by employees. They should therefore be encouraged. The interview gives employees the opportunity to clearly express their feelings and personal expectations.
Regardless of the methodology, the key is to:
The renewal of these surveys provides an opportunity to test new habits and adjust them over time.
The employee expectations survey is the first step in your QWL process. Now you need to prioritize and plan actions.
The diagnosis should help you determine which priority issues the relevant stakeholders need to work on. This prioritization may vary greatly from one department to another. The choice of actions to be taken must be discussed and agreed upon by the stakeholders. Without this, the process would be jeopardized, as expectations are bound to differ. Indicators alone are not enough; dialogue must be initiated before action is taken.
Improving the social climate, changing management practices... there will be many objectives for your actions. You will therefore need to plan solutions in project mode. During the trial period, you will then need to analyze and evaluate the results of the actions implemented.
Keep in mind that experimenting with QWL initiatives is about exploring new avenues. It is a phase of research and solution building through practice. To inspire you, here are a few examples of initiatives to try as part of a QWL approach:
Solutions vary depending on analyses and discussions, but certain expectations are common. For example, the main factors contributing to well-being at work are:
These areas can also serve as a model for you to imagine how to structure your QWL approach.
After identifying, prioritizing, and testing different actions, you need to evaluate the results obtained. The best way to do this is to compare your initial indicators with a new QWL study.
Thanks to the complete digitization of this process, QuarksUp helps you monitor and manage your QWL approach. We base our indicators on the seven categories recommended by ANACT (the French National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions):
If your solutions have worked, then it will be time to deploy them on a long-term basis and continue to evaluate them regularly.
The QWL approach is a long-term process. You need to have a simple QWL barometer that is easy to implement. This will give employees the opportunity to express their feelings on a regular basis. Listening, dialogue, action, and analysis are your tools for ensuring employee well-being. Investing in this area is a guarantee of efficiency and performance for your company.
In summary, here are the three key points to remember when implementing a QWL approach:
This will enable you to easily develop recurring projects to ensure a "better life at work."
