Foreword

The book titled “Global Perspectives on Quality of Working Life” is an interesting reading for academics, students and practitioners alike, as it enlightens each one of us on differing perspectives on Quality of Working Life (QWL). QWL has been a long-discussed topic in the world of researchers, where they conduct theoretical and empirical research as well as practitioners who carry out policy building and deployment. The history of QWL dates back to decades prompting us the evolution of the topic and its value in real workplaces.

This book has been an exciting journey for the editor and the authors who pitched in their research about the concept, approaches, frameworks, theories and practices of quality of working life, to create a holistic reading experience. The scope of this book is broad enough to explain QWL and yet focused on functional areas of the field. The flow of the book lets the reader navigate through a seamless reading experience which enables in-depth understanding and an excitement that builds with each chapter.

Quality of Working Life (QWL) related research is critical at this point in time as QWL research helps identify factors that contribute to employees’ overall well-being and satisfaction in the workplace. Understanding these factors allows organizations and policy-makers to create environments that promote positive experiences and reduce negative outcomes such as stress, burnout, and dissatisfaction. High QWL is associated with improved organizational outcomes, including higher productivity, better customer service, and increased profitability. Research in this area helps organizations recognize the link between employee well-being and organizational success, leading to more effective management practices. Further, post-pandemic organizations have a responsibility to ensure that their employees are treated fairly and have opportunities for growth and development. QWL research helps organizations fulfill their social responsibility obligations by promoting healthy and supportive work environments. Employees who experience high QWL are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work. QWL research helps organizations identify strategies for fostering employee engagement, which is essential for achieving high levels of performance and innovation. All these valid and critical issues related to improvement of organizations support the worth, timeliness and value of this book on QWL.

There are six chapters in the book. Chapter One introduces readers to concept, historical and empirical evidences of evolution of QWL in the organizations, whereas Chapter Two engages readers with happiness at workplace and its relation to QWL. Chapter Three provides a comprehensive overview of the latest work trends and their impact on work quality, which supports in enhancing our understanding about QWL. Chapter Four aims at presenting stakeholders’ perceptions of the integration of workplace learning and higher technical education using technology and how it affects their working environment and in turn their work and study life altogether. Chapter Five delves into the value of ethics training in building QWL among prospective employees. Chapter Six is the cherry on the cake, as it’s the last chapter of this book. It helps readers to have closing thoughts about quality of life and quality of working life (QWL). All chapters are planned to build thoughts around QWL in a systematic and structured manner and enable researchers to extract new research agendas. The chapters further support policy makers in drafting amended and supportive policies for employees to enhance the level of QWL in organizations.

Writing the chapters was an immensely absorbing journey for all authors. Even though it was challenging to create a flow in putting ideas and thoughts together for an informative reading journey, the authors made a constructive effort to write informative, interesting and engaging chapters for readers. At the end, it appeared that collating all these pieces of information enabled the editor to complete this book with flying colors.

I take this opportunity to thank all the authors for walking with me on this wonderful academic journey and supporting in consolidation of new information on Quality of Working Life (QWL). This is indeed a wonderful milestone for each author and the editor of this book. Congratulations to each one of you.

Sincerely,

Kakul Agha