The Interactive Effect of Communication and Stress on Perception of Quality of Work Life

Abstract

Communication competence is considered essential for communicators in an organization. Inadequate and incomplete communication creates stress among employees as regards to organizational role. Employees basically work for having a balance between organizational objectives and individual needs. High degree of perception of quality of work life leads to satisfied, and committed workforce. The present paper aims It is universally accepted by both management and practitioners and researchers that the success of any organization is highly dependant on how it attracts, recruits, motivates, and retains its workforce. Today's organizations need to be more flexible so that they are equipped to develop their workforce and enjoy their commitment. Therefore, organizations are required to adopt a strategy to improve the employees ''quality of work life'(QWL) to satisfy both the organizational objectives and employee needs. The role and importance of a good quality of work life of employees in an organization are viewed with respect to effective communication which reduces stress while one is on the job or off the job. We shall thus first enunciate the basics of both stress and communication and then try to correlate them in our endeavour to understand and discuss the importance of having effective quality of work life practices in organizations and their impact on employee performance Quality of Working Life is a term that had been used to describe the broader job-related experience an individual has. But it can not afford to ignore off- the -job experiences .Non working hours can not be categorically detached from the working hours as an employee unconsciously carries the work experience to home. Hence it is the overall perception of QWL which makes an individual committed to the work place to give most possible performance. Quality of work life (QWL) is viewed as an instrument of managing people. The QWL approach considers people as an asset' to the organization rather than as costs'. It believes that people perform better when they are allowed to participate in managing their work and make decisions. Quality of Life is the extent of relationships between individuals and organizational factors that exist in the working environment. Quality of work life is the extent to which workers can satisfy important personal needs through their experiences in the organization. It is focusing strongly on providing a work environment conducive to satisfy individual needs. It is assumed that if employees have more positive attitudes about the organization and their productivity increases, everything else being equal, the organization should be more effective. Successful organizations support and provide facilities to their people to help them to balance the scales as to what they perceive and what they receive. The term quality of work life refers to the favorableness or un-favourableness of a total job environment for people (Davis and Newstrom 1985). The basic purpose is to develop jobs and working conditions that are excellent for people as well as for the economic health of the organization. The elements in QWL program include-open communication, equitable reward systems a concern for employee job security and satisfying careers and participation in decision making. QWL programs usually emphasize development of employee skills, the reduction of occupational stress and development of labor management relations. Several researches have been conducted in this field. Sayeed and Sinha (1981) examined the relationship between QWL, job stress and performance. The results indicate that higher QWL leads to greater job satisfaction. In an organization we have people with diverse background, varied cultural values, different skills and qualifications and contrasting experiences .In spite of all diversities, one thing which binds them together as a great asset is nothing but communication. The stress caused due to inaccuracy and inadequacy of communication may lead to sense of alienation. This also puts a question on their loyalty for the company. Here comes the role of employee communication. Effective communication is thus, critical to the organization as it directly affects the organizational performance.