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CHAPTER 5

MAJOR FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

5.0 INTRODUCTION:

The previous chapter dealt with the analysis and interpretation of the

collected data. The present chapter deals with the findings of the study based on

the results given in chapter four. This chapter is divided into three sections. The

first section presents the findings of the study. The second section deals with the

suggestions for further research and the third section gives the implications of the

study followed by conclusion.

Section 1

5.1 Findings of the study

As mentioned above, Section 1 deals with the findings of the study.

According to the objectives of the study there were 48 findings. In order to make

it self-explanatory, findings are presented in tabular form. The objectives of the

study, corresponding hypotheses and the related findings are presented in Table

5.1

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Table. 5.1

Findings of the study

S.

No

Objective Hypothesis Findings

1. To examine the influence of

demographic variables on each of

the select socio-psychological

factors of QWL

H1: There is no significant

difference between the

demographic variables and

each of the select socio-

psychological factors of

QWL.

There is no significant

difference between

gender (male and

female) of the

employees and each of

the select socio-

psychological factors

of QWL except for

self concept and

employee perception

about the company.

There is significant

difference between

marital status (married

and unmarried) of the


the select socio-


of QWL except for

employee participation

in non-work related

activities and self

concept.


difference between

nature of job

(technical and non-

technical) of the


the select socio-


of QWL except for

work culture,

employee attitude to

job and self concept.


difference between

age of the employees

and each of the select

321

S.

No


socio-psychological

factors of QWL except

for self-concept and

employee perception

about the company


difference between

educational

qualification of the


the select socio-


of QWL.


difference between

monthly income of the


the select socio-


of QWL except for

employee attitude to

job and employee

perception about the

company.


difference between

total work experiences

of the employees and

each of the select

socio-psychological


for leadership styles,

work culture and

employee perception

about the company


difference between

work experiences of

the employees in the

current organization

and each of the select

socio-psychological


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S.

No


for occupational self-

efficacy and self-

concept


demographic variables on QWL


difference between


QWL.


difference between

gender of the

employees and QWL.


difference between

marital status of the

employees and QWL.


difference between

nature of job of the

employees and QWL.


difference between


and QWL.


difference between

educational


employees and QWL.


difference between

monthly incomes of

the employees and

QWL.


difference between



QWL.

323

S.

No



difference between

work experiences of



and QWL.


demographic variables on

employee satisfaction.


difference between




difference between

gender of the

employees and



difference between


employees and



difference between


employees and



difference between


and employee

satisfaction


difference between

educational


employees and



difference between

monthly incomes of

the employees and

employee satisfaction


difference between


324

S.

No





difference between

work experiences of



and employee

satisfaction.


demographic variables on

employee performance


difference between




difference between

gender of the

employees and



difference between


employees and



difference between


employees and

employee

performance.


difference between


and employee

performance


difference between

educational


employees and

employee

performance.

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S.

No



difference between

monthly incomes of

the employees and



difference between



employee

performance.


difference between

work experiences of



and employee

performance

5. To find out whether there is any

significant association between

educational qualification and level

of QWL; monthly income and

level of QWL and level of QWL

and level of employee

performance.


association between

educational qualification and

level of QWL; monthly

income and level of QWL

and between level of QWL

and level of employee

performance.


association between

educational


employees and level

of QWL.


association between

monthly incomes of

the employees and

level of QWL.


association between

level of QWL and

level of employee

performance.

6. To find out whether there exists

any significant difference between

the mean ranks towards

perception on each of the select

socio-psychological factors of

QWL.


difference between the mean

ranks of the employees

towards perception on each

of the select socio-


QWL.


difference between

mean ranks of the

employees towards

perception on each of

the select socio-

psychological

variables except for

employee perception

about the company.

326

S.

No


7. To find out whether there exists

any significant difference between

mean ranks of the employees

towards the perception on

employee performance.


difference between mean

ranks of the employees

towards the perception on



difference between

mean ranks of the

employees towards the

perception on

employee

performance.

8. To find out the relationship

between each of the select socio-

psychological factors and QWL;


psychological factors of QWL and

employee performance and

between each of the select socio-

psychological factors of QWL and



relationship between each of

the select socio-

psychological factors and

QWL; each of the select

socio-psychological factors

of QWL and employee

performance and between



QWL and employee

satisfaction


relationship between

each of the select

socio-psychological

factors and QWL.



each of the select

socio-psychological

factors of QWL and

employee

performance.



each of the select

socio-psychological

factors of QWL and


except for self efficacy

and self concept.

9. To find out the relationship

between employee performance

and QWL; employee satisfaction

and QWL and between employee

satisfaction and employee

performance.



employee performance and

QWL; employee satisfaction

and QWL and between

employee satisfaction and





and QWL




and QWL




and employee

performance.

327

S.

No


10. To find out the impact of each of


factors on QWL.



each of the select

socio-psychological

factors and QWL

except for employee

perception about the

company.

11. To find out the impact of each of


factors of QWL on employee

performance



each of the select

socio-psychological

factors of QWL and

employee

performance.

12. To find out the impact of

employee satisfaction on

employee performance; QWL on





and employee

performance



QWL and employee

performance.

13. To validate the conceptual model

developed by the researcher

through Structural equation

modelling (SEM).

The conceptual model

developed by the

researcher is fit.

Table 5.1 shows that there are thirteen objectives, twelve hypotheses and

there are forty eight findings. Each objective has a corresponding hypothesis and

each finding is shown individually. Thus, there are forty eight findings totally.

Section 2

This section gives some important suggestions for further research which

are discussed below:

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5.2 Suggestions for further research:

1. The present research on quality of work-life reveals that evidence in this

regard is not conclusive and also that the probing is not comprehensive. It

is not possible to list out conclusively the factors that contribute to the

quality of work life of employees. Similarly, it is not possible to establish

the intensity of a particular socio-psychological factor on quality of work-

life of employees. This situation calls for further research in this area.

2. The study was conducted only in the city of Hyderabad. The study can be

extended to other cities as well.

3. The study can be conducted involving a larger sample to get a clearer

picture of the quality of the work-life of employees.

4. Extensive studies may be conducted to find out the kind of leadership

styles which the employees prefer to have from their team leaders and

managers.

Section 3

This section deals with the implications of the present study. The

suggestions given by the researcher for improving the quality of work-life of the

employees working in the BPO companies in Hyderabad is also discussed in this

section.

5.3 Implications of the study:

In the present study it was found that there was no significant difference

between gender and each of the select socio-psychological factors of QWL

except for self concept and employee perception about the company. In other

words, male and female employees have difference of opinion only on the two

factors, namely, self concept and employee perception about the company. The

study reveals that male employees had higher self concept than female

employees. This difference may be due to the traditional upbringing of girls in

Indian families, submissive nature of women and low assertiveness compared to

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males. So in order to raise the self concept of female employees, the women

employees instead of undermining themselves, should realize their potentials and

be aware of their strengths to advance in their career, family and social life. With

respect to employee perception about the company, female employees had better

perception about the company than male employees. This difference may be

because male employees prefer night shifts if they are married and female

employees prefer day shifts due to the family commitments. The inconvenient

working hours lead to many physical, emotional and social problems which give

them low perception about the company. In order to achieve work-life balance,

the male employees should be given counselling to balance their work-life and

family life. The study shows that unmarried employees had more perception on

leadership styles, work culture, employee attitude, occupational self efficacy and

employee perception than married employees. The reason is due to the fact that

unmarried employees remain free from all the other family responsibilities when

compared to married employees. Due to many responsibilities in the family and

also meeting strict deadlines and high performance targets at work, they face lot

of stress which creates imbalance in their work and life. HR department should

take this as a serious concern and help them by introducing stress management

techniques.

Technical employees had high perception on employee participation in

non-work related activities than non-technical staff. Non technical employees

had high perception on leadership styles and occupational self efficacy. The

reason might be due to the monotony and boredom in technical jobs. They need

some relaxation from their routine jobs. The management may organize leisure

activities and encourage their participation in the non-work related activities like

weekend trips, picnics, sports and games, cultural activities etc. to refresh their

mind. This would satisfy their social needs also. Trained counsellors can be

appointed and employees can be encouraged to share their concerns with them

the job related ones as well as the personal and family related. Age group below

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30 years had higher perception on leadership styles, work culture, employee

attitude to job, occupational self-efficacy and employee participation in non-

work related activities. Below 30-years-age category had higher perception on

leadership style of their managers/team leaders compared to other two age

groups. In BPO’s, the team leaders are quite young unlike other industries. The

age difference between team members and leaders is not much and are treated at

par with each other (vide chapter 4 page 23 para 2). The average age of BPO

employees is 24. The young employees in the initial stages of their career remain

so excited and enthusiastic about their job, earning big bucks, do perform

challenging tasks.

The employees in BPOs work 12 hours per day and feel so exhausted at

the end of the day and need diversity in their jobs, so they spend their free time

in meeting friends and like to have some fun activities at the work place. The

other two age groups after working for some years suffer employee burnout and

they intend to switch over to other industries or to some other competitive firms

which pay them better. In case of women employees there is talent leakage in

middle management levels in thirties due to marriage, family, children, relocation

and other personal reasons. Support systems are required for women at work.

The employees who studied up to H.Sc had higher perception on each of the

socio-psychological factors of QWL than the other educational qualifications.

Graduates and post graduates who work in BPOs, particularly in call centres, lose

their morale after the initial euphoria of getting a job is over (vide page 26 para

3). It was also found that employees up to H.Sc category had low perception on

occupational self-efficacy than UG and PG unlike in other factors of QWL.

Employees who have higher educational qualifications naturally have more

confidence to do various tasks (vide page 26 para 3). So the management should

provide career counselling programs and higher education along with the job

which will help them to have a definite career path and better opportunity in their

jobs. Employees with monthly income of less than 10,000 had better perception

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than other income groups with respect to leadership styles, work culture,

occupational self efficacy, employee participation in non-work related activities

and self concept which implies that income does not have much influence on the

perception of the employees on these factors. Below 2 years’ experience category

had better perception than the other two categories on leadership styles, work

culture and employee perception about the company. Below 2 years’ experience

category in the current organization differed with other two categories on

leadership styles, work culture, employee attitude to job, employee participation

in non-work related activities and employee perception about the company.

It is found that male employees have perception on QWL than female

employees. Male employees due to working in night shifts face lot of health

problems. They should be given proper attention and work life balance should be

restored through giving the employee counselling programs to have adequate

sleep and to avoid faulty eating habits, providing nutritious food in the company

cafeteria, providing quality headsets etc. Unmarried employees had better

perception on QWL than married employees. As mentioned earlier, married

employees have additional responsibilities at home. Their responsibilities are

divided into two parts –household activities and the office. They should be given

flexi-time options, proper leave etc. Both technical and non-technical employees

have the same perception on QWL. The work environment, HR policies, rules

and regulations have same impact on technical and non technical employees.

There is no significant difference between age of the employees and QWL. The

present study tells that employees with H.Sc qualification differ with UG, PG

and ‘others’ categories. Employees with less than 10,000 as income employees

differ with other income categories. Employees with less income may not have

job satisfaction as much as the other higher income employees do have. So the

employees with less income should be given more growth opportunities and they

should be given training to improve their performance. Irrespective of

experience, employees share the same feelings with respect to QWL.

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The study also revealed that male and female employees had same

perception on employee satisfaction because male and female receive equal

treatment and there is no work place discrimination based on gender. Unmarried

employees are more satisfied compared to married employees. Management

should take steps to introduce flexitime and opening day care facility for their

children to be taken care of and other benefits for them to be stress free. In order

to make the technical employees happy and more satisfied and they should be

allowed to take part in non-work related activities like frequent get-together

meetings with other departments, company outings and other cultural programs.

The study also tells that there was no significant difference between age of the

employees and employee satisfaction. In BPO’s many youngsters even with a

degree level qualification join this industry which offers them handsome salaries.

So the young employees lead a luxurious life even at their young age when

compared to other industries and derive maximum satisfaction in their jobs. The

employees up to H.Sc category are more satisfied than other categories mainly

because they are earning big sums though they are not well qualified for such

salaries. So to take up challenging tasks they need to be well-qualified.

Employees in BPO industry get lot of benefits apart from their salary. They

should also have proper recognition for their performance. Their personal

identity also should be improved and no longer be treated as low profile jobs.

Experience does not matter to BPO employees as per the study results. There was

no significant difference between work experiences of the employees in the

current organization and employee satisfaction.

Male and female employees have the same opinion with respect to

employee performance. Unmarried employees had better perception on employee

performance. Non-technical employees had better perception on employee

performance than technical employees. Above 45 years of age category had high

perception than the other two age categories. Up to H.Sc category had higher

perception on employee performance than the other educational categories

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because these people with low qualification do fear the financial consequences of

leaving the job and moreover they do not get opportunity to work anywhere else

with their qualification whereas the graduates and post graduates join BPOs to

enhance their skills and move to other industries once they acquire those skills.

Some people join this industry because they do not get job elsewhere even if they

are well qualified so the government should see to it that these qualified people

get right jobs and solve the problems of unemployment totally. Employees need

more recognition for their efforts. Activities, efforts and modest improvements

instead of results should be noted and appreciated. Thus employees need non-

tangible benefits along with tangible benefits to make them more satisfied and

enlightened.

There was significant difference between the mean ranks towards the

perception on leadership style. In information technology and BPO companies,

leadership that usually followed is the assigned leadership. The leader is assigned

the position of a leader who not only acts as a coordinator among team members

but also be familiar with the process and stake holders. So the leaders should be

given training to enhance their competencies as well as team leaders, which will

enable the organization to scale greater heights. Team members may be involved

in decision making to increase the commitment they have in the implementation

of the decisions taken as they will treat it as their own. The personal relationships

between team members can be encouraged through ways, for example, going on

team outings which will lead to coordinate team. The leaders can be encouraged

to give attention to the views of the team members and make themselves

available when they share their problems. For a team to function better, the

leader has to have a good balance of people related and task related skills which

help the team members in achieving the objectives of the organization. In a

recent case study research (2012) on more than 20 client-provider relationships,

it was found that transformational leadership is a key success factor and

transformational leaders improved BPO from bad to good or from good to great.

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Transformational leadership is more effective in getting extra effort, satisfaction,

commitment, and effectiveness of subordinates. The more the transformational

leadership qualities, the more will be the subordinates’ extra effort, commitment,

satisfaction and effectiveness.

There was significant difference between mean ranks of the BPO

employees towards the perception on work culture. The reasons may be due to

MNC culture found in most BPO’s. The MNC culture gives them lot of

advantages like 5 days work culture, flexi time etc. A tiring week’s work ideally

requires 2 days off and the MNC BPO culture offers this. This industry gives

graduates an opportunity to work and they are paid handsomely well. The

college-like atmosphere attracts many young graduates. Various entertainment

facilities, gymnasiums, games facilities etc. make the people work for this

industry. Lot of learning opportunities like basic art of selling, not just selling

products but also the art of selling their skills, are available in BPO’s. Moreover,

BPO’s also have tie-ups with various institutions which give the employees

opportunities to study further. This industry gives opportunity to even a fresher

who can be groomed and mentored to be the managers of tomorrow. A worth-

noticing fact is that the employees in BPO’s keep skipping jobs to get a better

paying job. In doing so they are losing an opportunity to get groomed to become

managers. Employees should realize that there is a whole world of opportunities

for people who stick to one organization. It is just about exploring them.

It was noticed that the statement in employee attitude towards job, “Too

much of work- related stress in this organization leads to burnout” was the

second top most statement among the six statements. This means employees

experience too much of work-related stress in their organization as shown in the

analysis (vide chapter 4 page 47 Table 4.2.4.4). There have been many studies on

the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction and these studies indicate

that job stress and job satisfaction are inversely related (Sullivan and Bhagat,

1992). In a study conducted by Malhotra and Chada (2012) the various reasons

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for stress among the BPO employees were: working environment, improper job

task, work load, salary and employee’s targets. Work environment should be

noise free and ventilated to increase their satisfaction and reduces the chances of

stress among the employees. If the employees are not given proper task as per

their knowledge and experience the employees will be frustrated. The

employee’s targets should be achievable because when the employee feels that he

is not able to achieve the targets he becomes frustrated from that job. Salary also

is an important factor in creating stress. Their study showed that when stress is

increased, their tendency to leave the organization also increases. Due to this

stress, decision making ability also decreases. So in order to combat stress,

employees need muscle relaxation exercises, meditation, time management

techniques, employee assistance programs, and wellness programs called health

promotion programs, focusing on employee’s overall physical and mental health.

There was significant difference between mean ranks towards perception

on occupational self efficacy. According to theory and research self efficacy

makes a difference in how people feel, think and act. In terms of feeling, low

sense of self efficacy is associated with depression, anxiety and helplessness. In

terms of thinking, a strong sense of competence facilitates quality of decision

making and academic achievement. People with high self-efficacy choose to

perform more challenging tasks. They set themselves higher goals and stick to

them. Once an action has been taken, high self efficacious people input more

effort and persist longer than those who are low in self efficacy. Dhar (2005) in

his study says fun positively affects self-efficacy. In a work place where the

atmosphere is light and humorous, they are likely to have more positive feelings.

Extracurricular activities like games and parties also enhance self efficacy. Fun at

the work place provides the ferment of ideas that is necessary for creativity. So

the management should initiate lot of fun activities to increase self efficacy of the

employees in the organization.

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There was significant relationship between employee performance and

QWL. This is because QWL and employee performance often go hand in hand.

The emerging literature that tries to seek the association between QWL and work

performance focused on few important aspects. Among the main focus is the

remuneration aspect which includes salary, salary increment, bonuses,

allowances, pension and medical benefits which serve as best examples that can

motivate employees to give their best for their employer. Studies by Okpara

(2004); Oshagbemi (2000) and Sloane and Williams (1996) highlighted that the

differences in remuneration aspects will suddenly affect the employee’s

satisfaction and work performance. Another notable aspect in the literature

besides remuneration is interpersonal communication aspect, one of the main

factors contributing to work performance. Sabarirajan, et al., (2011) in their

study found that organizational excellence has higher impact on the level of

QWL. They concluded that the performance of the organization can be improved

only when the human resources are satisfied with the quality of work life they

have in the organization and this can be simply enhanced by improving the

existing job environment.

There is significant relationship between QWL and employee satisfaction.

If the company fails to measure and improve employee satisfaction by enhancing

QWL, the organization may have to face increasing turnover, declining

productivity from the remaining employees. The employers should try to address

the turnover and job satisfaction issues. Gaurav (2012) says that in order to

improve QWL and eliminate job stress, employers need to be aware of their

employees’ work load and job demands, examine the employee training,

communication and reward system, co-worker relationship and work

environment. Unclear targets and objectives and poor communication contributes

to dissatisfaction which leads to poor employee work performance.

There is significant relationship between employee satisfaction and

employee performance. The commonly held opinion is that “a satisfied worker is

337

a productive worker”. The term employee satisfaction is used to describe whether

employees are happy and content and get their desires and needs fulfilled at

work. The various factors that contribute to employee satisfaction include

treating employees with respect, providing regular employee recognition,

empowering employees, offering above industry-average benefits and

compensation, providing employees perks etc. Employee satisfaction is essential

to the success of any organization. The main priority for every employer should

be to keep his employees satisfied in their careers. Researchers have discovered

that satisfied employees are more likely to contribute their knowledge (Janz

2003), improve their job performance where as dissatisfied employees hold back

what they know and do not share with others (Eskidsen and Nuzzler , 2000).

Thus if job satisfaction is high, the employees will perform better. On the other

hand, if the job satisfaction is low, there will be problems. Therefore if

organizations can be more concerned about the employee job satisfaction, better

performances can be expected.

It is also found that there is significant relationship between leadership

styles, work culture, self concept and employee performance. In a competitive

business environment, organizations rely upon their leaders to facilitate the

changes and innovations required to maintain competitive advantage. Leaders

have been found to influence followers in many ways, including coordinating,

communicating, training, motivating and rewarding (Yukl, 1989). Effective

leadership is helpful in ensuring organizational performance (Cummings and

Schwab, 1973). Several empirical evidences have demonstrated that leadership

behaviours influence organizational performance that strong leaders outperform

weak leaders, and that transformational leadership generates high performance

than transactional leadership (Burns 1978; Bass 1990; Hater and Bass 1988;

Howell and Avocio 1993). The leaders must have the ability to attract/ influence

their subordinates, be able to set clear standards of performance to their peers and

act as the best role model to their subordinates. Additionally, the subordinates

338

expect that their achievements must also be recognized and rewarded either with

monetary cons (bonus, promotions etc) or with non-monetary terms (eg: best

performer awards etc). In a study by Ojo (2009), the researcher tried to look at

the impact of corporate culture on employee’s job performance of Nigerian

banking industry. The study found that corporate culture is very important in

every organization and it has positive impact on employee job performance.

Every individual has different culture and beliefs and when he joins an

organization that has completely different culture and beliefs from his own, the

employee should be allowed to internalize himself first with the organization

culture and values, whether he can cope with them or not. It is the ability of the

employee to cope with the organization’s culture that will determine how well he

will perform on job. Self-concept is, an idea or set of ideas one has about oneself

(Plucker and Stocking, 2001). Scholars have reasoned that individuals form self-

concept around work (Pierce and Gardner, 2004) before the evidences

demonstrate that it relates to life and workplace success. Promoting high self-

concept is important (Manning, 2007) in organizations. Beheshtifar and Rahimi-

Nezhad, 2012 in their study on self-concept say that influencing the self-concept

of the employees is one way of attracting and retaining them. The researchers say

that self-concept of the employees affect their behaviours, satisfaction, and

achievements. The individual with positive self concept will be able to contribute

to increasing organizational effectiveness, health and productivity.

Finally, the present study had found that the conceptual model developed

by the researcher is fit. The model says that the seven socio-psychological factors

of QWL such as leadership styles, work culture, employee attitude to job,

occupational self efficacy, employee participation in non-work related activities,

self concept and employee perception about the company contribute to QWL

which leads to employee satisfaction and ultimately leads to employee

performance. The study revealed that these socio-psychological factors

contribute to QWL which gives employee satisfaction and finally lead to

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employee performance. Thus the conceptual model is fit. So the management in

order to improve QWL of employees should take all the above mentioned socio-

psychological factors into consideration to improve their QWL, satisfaction and

performance.

5.4 Suggestions to improve QWL in BPO companies:

1. In order to raise the self concept of female employees, the women

employees instead of undermining themselves they should realize their

potentials and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses to progress in

their career and family life.

2. In order to achieve work-life balance, the male employees who work in

night shifts should be given special training and counselling to balance

their work life and family life. They should be advised to have adequate

sleep and gently instructed to avoid faulty eating habits. They should be

provided with nutritious food in the company cafeteria.

3. Quality headsets should be provided to all the employees

4. HR department should take occupational stress as a serious concern and

help the employees by introducing stress management techniques through

yoga and meditation. Yoga and meditation classes can be conducted in the

company itself. In order to combat stress, employees need muscle

relaxation exercises, meditation, time management techniques, employee

assistance programs, wellness programs called health promotion programs

focusing on employee’s overall physical and mental health.

5. Management should organize leisure activities and encourage employee

participation in these non-work related activities like weekend trips,

picnics, sports and games, cultural activities and competitions to refresh

the employees’ mind and allow them to share their concerns with their co-

workers from other departments. This may satisfy their social and

psychological needs.

340

6. Support systems are required for women at work like feeding rooms,

crèche etc.

7. Management should provide career counselling programs and

opportunities for higher education along with the job which will help the

employees to have a definite career path and higher opportunity in their

jobs. This may prevent attrition in the BPO companies.

8. Married employees should be given flexi-time options, proper leave etc.

Management should take steps to introduce day care facility for

employee’s children. Ayahs should be employed to take care of the

children in a hygienic environment. This may keep the employees stress

free.

9. The employees with less income should be given more growth

opportunities and they should be given training to improve their

performance.

10. In order to keep the technical employees happy and more satisfied they

should be allowed to take part in non-work related activities like frequent

get-together meetings with other departments, company outings and other

cultural programs

11. Employees in BPO industry get lot of benefits apart from their salary.

They should also have proper recognition for their performance. Their

personal identity also should be improved and no longer be treated as low

profile jobs

12. Employees need more recognition for their efforts. Activities, efforts and

modest improvements instead of results should be noted and praised

13. The team leaders should be given training to enhance their competencies

which will enable the organization to scale greater heights. Team

members may be involved in decision making to increase the commitment

they have in the implementation of the decisions taken as they will treat it

as their own. The personal relationships between team members can be

encouraged through, for example, going on team outings which will lead

341

to coordination in the team. The leaders can be encouraged to give

attention to the views of the team members and make themselves available

when they share their problems. Transformational leadership is more

effective in getting extra effort, satisfaction, commitment, and

effectiveness of subordinates than transactional leadership. The more the

transformational leadership qualities, the more will be the subordinates’

extra effort, commitment, satisfaction and effectiveness.

14. Employees should realize that there is a whole world of opportunities for

people who stick to one organization.

15. Employees should be given proper task according to their skill and

experience. Employee’s targets should be achievable.

16. Management should initiate lot of fun activities to increase self-efficacy of

the employees in the organization

17. Performance of the organization can be improved only when the human

resources are satisfied with their QWL which can be enhanced by

improving the existing job environment.

18. Organizations should be more concerned about the employee job

satisfaction, in order to achieve better employee performance. Job

satisfaction survey may be conducted by the management every now and

then.

19. An employee should be allowed to internalize himself/herself with the

organization’s culture and values to assess whether he/she can cope with

them or not. It is the ability of the employee to cope with the

organization’s culture that will determine how well he will perform the

job.

20. The individual with positive self concept will be able to contribute to

increasing organizational effectiveness, health and productivity.

Influencing the self concept of the employees is one way of attracting and

retaining them.

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21. The management should take all the socio-psychological factors

mentioned in the study into consideration to improve the employee’s

QWL, satisfaction and performance.

While dealing with young professionals, attention should be given to the

following points:

1. Reverse mentoring: The youngsters in the company can mentor the senior

employees since they are more techno-savvy and are blessed with latest

information and training from the institutions they have passed out.

2. Involve Gen Y professionals in the decision making process by allowing

them in the Board room.

3. Give them more challenging responsibilities.

4. Encourage social work and provide opportunities to volunteer for social

causes.

5. Communications among employees in the company should be improved

by promoting social media within the company, which would facilitate

greater connectivity among them.

6. Careers should be customized and investment should be made in the skill

development of the employees.

7. It should be remembered by every manager in the BPO companies that for

a hungry man food is God; but man lives not by bread alone. In other

words, man looks for bread when there is no bread or when the bread is

not adequate.

8. Have faith in the capabilities of youngsters, apply the principle of

“Pygmalion effect” while dealing with young employees.

5.5. CONCLUSION

The study contributes to QWL literature by developing and validating a

model to improve the quality of the work life of employees in the BPO industry.

The findings provide useful information to the policy makers, the IT department

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of Government of India and to all those who are concerned with the life of young

professionals.

In addition to this, the findings of the present investigation can play a

central role as planned change efforts are designed and carried out in the BPO

industry in the country in the recent years. The QWL questionnaire can be used

to obtain continuous feedback from employees regarding the conditions of the

organization. Given such information, the company can decide on new

organizational priorities and drop or improve ineffective programs. For example,

standing in the long queue for lunch compels the employees for fast-food which

is not a good practice from the health point of view. The findings of the study

give quantitative support for the need of flexible work hours, work life balance,

rests in between, providing healthy food instead of fast food, good quality

overhead phones, special consideration for female work force, so that undesirable

work environments may not result.

The results of the analysis of the data indicate that several relationships

exist between leadership style of the managers/team leaders , work culture of the

organization, employee attitude to their job, occupational self efficacy feelings of

the employees, employee participation in non-work related activities, self-

concept , employee perception about their company, quality of their work life,

employee satisfaction and employee performance . It is mainly the leadership

behaviour of the managers/team leaders that shapes the work culture of the

company. Their role is that of leaders where they can be instrumental in releasing

the human potential of the organization. They should realize that their behaviour

can make or mar the team which they lead or the unit which they head. So they

should be democratic in behaviour and the organizational pattern should be

centripetal and not centrifugal. The manager is mainly responsible for creating

good work culture in the department and among the team members. A manager

with high task orientation and congenial relationship with team members creates

open work culture while managers with low task orientation and unfriendly or

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uncongenial relations with team members are responsible for creating closed

work culture in the organization.

Many management theorists believe that manager is a significant agent in

promoting or retarding change and organizational development. He holds a key

position in the improvement of his professional staff. He is the acknowledged

and appointed status leader. Whether the organization becomes a challenging

professional enterprise or a dull and dreary place for employees depends on the

quality of the leadership he/she provides for his employees. The function of the

manager as a leader should be to help the individual employee to obtain self-

actualization and the organization to fulfil its objectives.

The current generation of business leaders must learn to operate without

the might of the hierarchy. BPO’s are generally flat in nature and it is possible to

work without the complexities of typical bureaucratic structure. The might of

authority should be replaced with the ability to build relationships, influence and

work with others, to achieve the goals of the organizations. Influencing others for

the individual and collective betterment is an important leadership skill which the

mangers/team leaders in BPO industry should know and practice.

So measures should be taken to enhance the leadership behaviour of the

managers and the team leaders. This would enhance the morale of all employees

working in the BPO companies of Hyderabad. The first step in this regard is to

give the best professional preparation to all employees during their induction and

training period. A successful leader is one who takes interest in the employees

and in the goal attainment of the organization. But there have never been any

serious attempts in the BPO companies in general for special training of the

managers. Before an employee is appointed as the team leader he/she should

undergo special training in team functioning, conflict management, interpersonal

relationship, coaching and feedback. It should also include courses in group

dynamics, social engineering, leadership behaviour, work environment and

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organizational culture and organizational climate. Further, programs of

study/training should provide extensive opportunities for aspiring mangers to

examine their own leadership behaviour in various situations and explore the

implications indicated by the present study. It is particularly important that the

results of such a self study influence the shape of in-service training program for

managers/team leaders in the BPO industry. It is not enough to send the

managers/team leaders off once or twice a year to leadership training programs.

Meaningful training programs must include extensive practices in improving

leadership and decision making skills of managers. It is crucial that such training

offers a frame-work for administrators to examine consequences of their actions.

In the present liberalized, privatized and globalized economic set up of the

country, increasing number of young professionals are actively seeking greater

job satisfaction, jobs which are in tune with their life styles, like to belong to

cohesive work teams, identify with the organization and need psychological

rewards and career growth. It is essential for the leaders to understand the needs

and motivations of the employees. It is not enough to satisfy the ‘hygiene’ factors

of the work environment, employees need opportunities to take up responsibility,

to grow, to advance, to be recognized for a job well done, and to be proud of

their work (motivators). Managers through their decisions, planning and

discussion with employees, play a significant part in maintaining a desirable

working and learning environment in the organization. By emphasizing more on

‘thrust’ and ‘consideration’, managers can develop a balance between the press

for task achievement and fostering of cordial social relationships with employees.

In the midst of the recent charges of health crisis of young professionals in

the world, the BPO companies have emerged bearing the brunt of critics from

within and sceptics from without. While there are no simple solutions for the

problems that the BPO companies confront, results of the research outlined in

this chapter enable them to understand more completely the parameters of the

work life quality of their employees. So measures should be taken to improve the

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work-life quality of employees working in the BPO companies in Hyderabad

through better leadership and through congenial work culture.

Another point worth mentioning here is that most of the employees in

BPO belongs to Gen Y. They look for a work place that offers them a democratic

style of working, a place where they can experiment with ideas, get timely

coaching and feedback and have their growth plans well-defined. Human

resource management personnel today needs to understand the aspirations of Gen

Y and develop policies and procedures according to their requirements. From

their preference for multi-channel delivery to their demands for ease and

convenience, the needs and behaviours of Gen Y are undeniably influencing the

industry. And while some institutions embrace the opportunities brought about

by this younger generation, others continue to write them off as an irrelevant

segment of the market. (Naidu and Meera, 2011). As Rao (2011) puts it, Gen Y

has often been misunderstood because of lack of information on their aspirations,

changing priorities and lack of real time data which have implications for HR

professionals in their decision making while crafting policies and practices.

While most researches on Gen Y highlights their superior articulation,

confidence and techno-savvy approach, only a few research studies are there

which point to the missing skills in today’s young generation. Today’s graduates

are more qualified than ever before. However, a degree is not enough and the

days of a degree being a passport to employment have long gone. Graduates need

employability skills and researches show that managers see lack of skills in the

current graduates such as self awareness, self management, basic numeracy and

linguistic skills, independent thinking, problem solving, team work,

business/customer awareness, communication, risk awareness and evaluations.

Expectations of young professionals are salary, job status and career progression,

work-life balance, relationship, freedom and independence. In order to improve

retention and encourage more productive working relationships, there is an

urgent need to bridge the gaps between what graduates expect and what

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organizations provide and between what organizations expect and what graduates

could offer. Organizations need to review their recruitment approach and to

match the recruits to the internal culture as well as articulate more clearly on

career development and expectations of the work.

Finally, the researcher leaves a question to be answered by everyone who

is concerned with the physical and mental well-being of the young professionals

of the country: do we live to work or do we work to live?

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