Is the QWL agreement mandatory?

What is a QWL agreement? Is it compulsory to install it? quarksUp explains and gives examples of how to do it right!

The notion of QWL (Quality of Life at Work) emerged in the 1970s. Since then, it has taken on an increasingly important role within companies. Quality of life at work has become a real performance issue. Is the QWL agreement mandatory? We give you the answers.

3 key points to remember about the mandatory QWL agreement :

A QWL agreement must be implemented within the framework of social dialogue;
It meets legal requirements;
It is also a lever for profoundly improving working conditions within the company and boosting performance.

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Compulsory qvt agreement: what does the law say?

Under the French Labor Code, companies have an obligation to ensure the safety of their employees. They must protect the ” physical and mental health of workers “.

Under article L2242-1 of the French Labor Code, companies with trade union organizations are required to launch negotiations at least every 4 years. The latter are directly linked to quality of life and the working conditions.

Since 2016, the Rebsamen law (law of August 17, 2015) brings together 7 mandatory negotiations with trade unions. One of them directly concerns quality of life at work.

These companies therefore have to define a framework and challenges for these QWL agreements. They should include questions on gender equality and work/life balance. This mandatory QWL agreement must be drawn up with the social partners.

Mandatory QWL agreement: what is a QWL agreement?

Now that we’ve answered the question “Is a QWL agreement compulsory?”, it’s time to find out more about what a QWL agreement is.

Quality of life at work reflects the conditions in which employees perform their duties. This concerns their working environment. Lhe Accord National Interprofessionnel (ANI) on professional equality delivered its definition of QWL in June 2013:

“It can be understood as a feeling of well-being at work perceived collectively and individually, encompassing the atmosphere, the corporate culture, the interest of the work, working conditions, the feeling of involvement, the degree of autonomy and empowerment, equality, a right to make mistakes granted to everyone, recognition and appreciation of the work done.”

L’QWL agreement agreement is the result of a QWL approachlaunched within the company and supported by genuine social dialogue. This agreement must include several major areas of investigation:

Social climate
Job content

Health at work
Career paths
Work-life balance
Professional equality
Management

Harshness
Right of expression
Disability

Why implement a QWL agreement?

As we have seen, the QWL agreement is mandatory. The major challenges involved in its implementation are both legal and managerial.

As part of a QWL approach that is beneficial to employees, the QWL agreement will make it possible to :

Improve working conditions for employees;
Prevent risks;
A better balance between professional and personal life;
Increase productivity and performance;
Reduce absenteeism.

Finally, implementing a QWL agreement also helps to build employee loyalty, enhance a company’s attractiveness and improve its brand image.

Who are the stakeholders in this negotiation?

The QWL agreement is the result of negotiations conducted with social partners : trade unions, employee representativesemployee representative, employee mandated by the Social and Economic Committee (CSE).

Management may also decide to involve the company’s employees in these issues, by organizing a referendum, for example. Employees and managers can be involved in various ways: questionnaires on quality of life at workworking groups, etc.

Mandatory QWL agreement: a few company examples

The formalization of a QWL agreement must follow a formal methodology:

Analysis of the current QWL situation (social balance sheet, diagnosis, occupational medicine report, etc.);
Setting objectives;
Indicators for QWL assessment ;

Monitoring developments.

A QWL agreement must take up the two major themes of gender equality and work/life balance. For each of these themes, the agreement must formalize the results of the diagnosis and indicate :

Objectives to be achieved ;
Follow-up indicators.

Don’t forget to include the date of entry into force of the agreement and any revisions. It must be signed by the trade unions (or by the CSE if it is leading the negotiations), as well as by the employer.

We hope you found this article on the mandatory QWL agreement enlightening! To find out more, read our article on QWL agreement procedures, with a few examples.

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