Quality of Work Life (QWL) Among the Faculties of Public Universities in Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose: Teachers are one of the main foundations of society and have a significant impact on how future generations develop, which in turn shapes nations. They therefore want and deserve a fulfilling career. The present empirical study will conduct amongst the faculties of the public universities operating in Bangladesh to examine what factors are responsible for the quality of work life perceived by the respondents. Methodology: This research conducted only on academic staff (teachers/ faculty members) working in public universities of Bangladesh. Using the purposive sampling method 4 autonomous universities (Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Jahangirnagar) have been chosen and 7 government universities have been chosen purposively by applying 20% stratified random sampling on 33 government universities. The survey’s empirical data were gathered through structured questionnaire pertaining to the factors involved. Findings: This study finds that among the seven factors of quality of work life, teachers across the universities are more concerned with lowering their “Work Stress” but showing least priority over “Work Motivation”. By comparing the mean statistics this study confirms that out of seven factors of quality of work life, public (government) university teachers possess four cases with high to low mean value namely Organizational Commitment (x̅=3.6300), Empowerment (x̅=3.6065), Job Characteristics (x̅=3.5172) and Work Motivation (x̅=3.2936). The remaining three factors confirmed by public (autonomous) university teachers namely Work Stress (x̅=3.9900), Work-Life Balance (x̅=3.9900) and Job Satisfaction (x̅=3.8477). Practical Implications: The research result may aid the research scholars, students, QWL practitioners, behavioral scientists, psychologists and consultants to sculpt a better understanding about the quality of work life gap prevailed in the organization. Originality: Tamhane’s T2 Multiple Comparisons post hoc test showed that there is no statistically significant difference between the public (autonomous) and public (government) (p=.319) universities. As most of the universities do not promote strong policies or support their faculty members, the factors identified in this study are expected to contribute in enhancing the understanding of the quality of work life of public university teachers in Bangladesh. Research Limitations: Though all of the factors have been examined, the impact of each factor on the factor of quality of work life has not been examined. As a result, further research could be conducted on specific dimensions of quality of work life, or individual universities could be included in the study to get more expected outcome.