Searching for quality in the Quality of work life: an Indian power sector perspective

Abstract

Purpose

Inspired by India’s focus in the 11th and 12th Five Year Plans on fulfilling the surging energy needs, the purpose of this paper is to capture the Quality of work life (QWL) in the Indian power sector.

Design/methodology/approach

QWL measured with seven dimensions was validated with CFA, and the χ² difference test based on the Bonferroni method (Simes, 1986) was used for discriminant validity. Individual processes were analyzed with correlation analysis and ANOVA. The influencers of QWL in three processes were compared with standardized coefficients and model fit indices.

Findings

Freedom from work-related stress, salary, relationship with work colleagues, job security and communication and job satisfaction positively influenced QWL. Supervisor support was not found to influence QWL, while job involvement was found to negatively influence QWL.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of this study is limited to India, however, and results may not generalize to other countries. Hence, future studies should replicate the study in power sector or allied manufacturing sector in different cultural settings. Another limitation lies in its relatively small sample size; therefore, generalizability of the results may be restricted.

Practical implications

The findings provide useful information to assist HR managers in improving the QWL among Indian power sector employees.

Originality/value

The study is one of the first studies to date to empirically examine the QWL among Indian power sector employees.

Citation

Yadav, M. and Naim, M.F. (2017), "Searching for quality in the Quality of work life: an Indian power sector perspective", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 49 No. 4, pp. 164-174. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-01-2017-0003