Quality of life at work (QVT) is an essential concept in the business world today. Indeed, this is a crucial issue for employees who hope for the establishment of favorable conditions for the proper exercise of their mission within the company. For employers, the existence of a good quality of life in society is fundamental to establishing its competitiveness.
Ergonomics, health and safety at work, attachment to the company, benevolent management, etc., the quality of life at work embraces a diversity of aspects as important as each other. However, what is it really? What actions should be implemented to boost the quality of life at work? Discover the substance to all your questions in this article.
Quality of life at work: what about this multifaceted concept?
L’ANACT (National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions) defines the quality of life at work as “an approach aimed at combining performance and well-being of employees”. Thus, the quality of life at work therefore emanates exclusively from the jurisdiction of the company’s management; it can only be engaged by the latter.
This is a great way to ensure the overall success of the organization, but the QVT approach also represents the source of the company’s evolution. Moreover, the quality of life at work does not only deal with the comfort and well-being of employees. On the contrary, it presents a broader spectrum that includes various aspects of everyday life.
What are the components of the quality of life at work approach?
Generally three main axes make it possible to perceive the quality of life at work. It’s about :
- working conditions;
- expressiveness and capacity for action;
- content of work.
Addressing the first point which is that of working conditions, it relates to the working environment, training, career management, etc. As for the axis relating to expressiveness and capacity for action, it concerns the dialogue between employeessupport from the manager, teamwork, the possibility of taking initiatives, etc.
The third and last axis is related to the duration in positionthe value of work, the ability to measure performance, etc.
What actions should you consider to ensure a better quality of life at work within your company?
Ensure the health and safety of workers
One of the first aspects to be addressed in order to improve the quality of life at work relates to the employee health and safety. Indeed, employees in good health constitute a real spearhead of the development of the organization. For this, it is essential toimprove health prevention within society. This requires the implementation of all protective measures to fight against the occurrence of an accident at work or an occupational disease. Other measures include:
- informing workers about the presence of risk factors within the company;
- the installation of adequate signage to signal the presence of a danger;
- the installation of sanitary devices;
- prohibiting the use of chemicals by employees who have not been trained in them beforehand, etc.
Create a comfortable working environment
Another good idea to optimize quality of life at work is here establishment of a pleasant and comfortable working environment. Indeed, allowing workers to work in optimal conditions is an essential means of promoting them. For this, we must consider an organization of the work environment that promotes better concentration and good thinking. Various arrangements can be made to make the company’s premises more attractive and pleasant to live in.
A beautiful personalized decoration and the arrangement of offices at the standing desk are, for example, tips to consider in order to offer an excellent working environment for employees. In addition, the business manager must take care to ensure good work ergonomics for all the company’s employees. To achieve this, the worker must be involved in the planning process, taking into account the physical constraints of each. The postures as well as the movements carried out must be made better in order to avoid musculoskeletal disorders.
Set up an adequate training plan
Among the various possibilities that arise to offer a better quality of life at work to employees, Training is undoubtedly one of the most important. Indeed, it is a moral obligation for any employer to work for the professional development of all its employees. To do this, he must take care to train them and develop all their professional skills. Firstly, this will allow employees to be better equipped to face the fluctuations of the world, and secondly, the employer will make the most of the employees registered in the training plans.
Moreover, even if it is a fairly flexible obligation, the employer would benefit greatly from developing a ambitious long-term training plan. There are also various possibilities with regard to training methods. Intra or inter-company conference, online learning and others are so many means that allow SMEs, SMIs, and large firms to maintain a good training policy that really promotes the development of skills for all employees.
Recognize and reward the merit of workers
The recognition of merit and the celebration of a job well done constitute effective bases for any QVT approach.
This is all the more so since it allows employees to measure themselves against each other, to surpass themselves and to devote themselves with the greatest devotion to the tasks that are theirs within the company. Thus, without great difficulty, the company will be able to achieve its most important goals. In business, recognition begins with the most innocuous gesture. The power of a simple “thank you for the hard work” is unimaginable. This small group of words is a vibrant expression of the value that the manager places on the collaboration offered to him by his employees.
Beyond that, small bonuses, honor rolls and other bonuses could actively contribute to establishing an excellent quality of life at work within the company.
Improve feedback in the company
Identifying strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement is a particularly effective solution to success in any activity. To detect these different development factors, you must carry out monthly checks. Better, you must make the technical meetings as regular as possible. In doing so, employees will take the measure of their mission within the company. Indeed, frequent feedback is very effective in quickly identifying problems in order to identify the most appropriate solutions.
Furthermore, it is essential to assert the right to make mistakes within the company. This allows employees to take innovative initiatives. Better still, it is strongly advised to set up best strategies to improve the candidate experience.
Proper circulation of information in the company
Internal communication is essential to move a company forward. It mainly allows the various stakeholders to learn about the specific and general objectives of the company. It also makes it possible to transmit to each other the different values which inspire the structure.
A good internal communication is the one that allows all employees to be at the same level of information on the company’s activities. When the information is sufficiently relayed within the company, no employee risks feeling ignored and marginalized.
What steps to set up a good QVT approach?
An excellent approach to quality of life at work is one that makes it possible to identify the particularities of the company in order to offer tailor-made solutions. Indeed, the implementation of a quality of life at work policy results in a succession of fairly coordinated stages, namely:
- identification of employee expectations;
- the selection of relevant actions to be implemented;
- the contextualization of the QVT approach in accordance with the realities of the company in question;
- evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of the actions carried out.
These different steps always make it possible to successfully conduct the QWL approach in all companies, regardless of the sector of activity. However, it should be borne in mind that the best quality of life at work policy is the one that corresponds to your company in all its uniqueness.
