QUALITY OF WORK LIFE AND EMPLOYEE WORK OUTCOMES: A HIERARCHICAL MODEL WITH MEDIATION ANALYSIS

Authors

  • Mohammad Rabiul Basher Rubel Brac Business School, Brac University
  • Daisy Mui Hung Kee School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia
  • Nadia Newaz Rimi Department of Management, Faculty of Business Studies, University of Dhaka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.5625.2023

Keywords:

Quality of work life, retention, job satisfaction, job performance, ready-made garment (RMG)

Abstract

The paper investigates how the quality of work life (QWL), presented in a hierarchical model, influences employee work outcomes (job performance and retention intention). The paper also examines if job satisfaction mediates the above relationship. Drawing on the social exchange theory, the paper examines these two research questions using 365 employees from Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) industry. The findings show that QWL is positively associated with job satisfaction, retention intention, and in-role performance. Job satisfaction has a significant positive effect on the outcome variables as well. Furthermore, job satisfaction mediates QWL and employee work outcomes relationship. The hierarchical model of QWL and its impact on employee outcomes through the mediating role of job satisfaction continues to lag. As such, the paper provides practical insights for organizations looking to improve employee satisfaction, performance, and retention through QWL. These findings have implications for research on positive relationships at work. The study has a few limitations that may provide opportunities for future research.

References

Agus, A., & Selvaraj, R. (2020). The mediating role of employee commitment in the relationship between quality of work life and the intention to stay. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 42(6), 1231-1248.

https://doi.org/10.1108/ER-07-2019-0292

Akter, K. M., & Banik, S. (2018). Factors affecting the quality of working life: An enquiry into the RMG industry of Bangladesh. Journal of Human Resource Management, 6(1), 26-36.

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jhrm.20180601.14

Akter, N., Akkadechanunt, T., Chontawan, R., & Klunklin, A. (2018). Factors predicting quality of work life among nurses in tertiary‐level hospitals, Bangladesh. International nursing review, 65(2), 182-189.

https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12401

Akter, S., D'Ambra, J., & Ray, P. (2011). Trustworthiness in mHealth information services: an assessment of a hierarchical model with mediating and moderating effects using partial least squares (PLS). Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(1), 100-116.

https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.21442

Almalki, M. J., FitzGerald, G., & Clark, M. (2012). Quality of work life among primary health care nurses in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. Human Resources for Health, 10(1), 1-13.

https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-10-30

Alrawadieh, Z., Cetin, G., Dincer, M. Z., & Istanbullu Dincer, F. (2020). The impact of emotional dissonance on quality of work life and life satisfaction of tour guides. The Service Industries Journal, 40(1-2), 50-64.

https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2019.1590554

Aruldoss, A., Kowalski, K. B., & Parayitam, S. (2021). The relationship between quality of work life and work-life-balance mediating role of job stress, job satisfaction and job commitment: evidence from India. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 18(1), 36-62.

https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-05-2020-0082

Aryeetey, M. & Sanda, A. (2012). Understanding employees' perspectives of quality of work life indicators in Ghanaian organisations. International Journal of Contemporary Business Studies. 3(2), 17-30.

Ashraf, M. A. (2020). Demographic factors, compensation, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in private university: an analysis using SEM. Journal of Global Responsibility. 11(4), 407-436.

https://doi.org/10.1108/JGR-01-2020-0010

Azim, M. T., Uddin, M. A., & Haque, M. M. (2021). Does compliance to standards in the ready‐made garments industry affect employee attitudes? A study in Bangladesh. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 40(2), 43-58.

https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.22072

Bakker, A. B., Albrecht, S. L., & Leiter, M. P. (2011). Key questions regarding work engagement. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 20(1), 4-28.

https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2010.485352

Bakker, A.B., & Leiter, M.P. (Eds.). (2010). Work engagement: A handbook of essential theory and research. New York, NY: Psychology Press.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203853047

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2020). Sector-wise contribution to GDP. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. www.bbs.gov.bd

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) (2019). Garment workers in Bangladesh: Social Impact of the garment industry. Garment workers survey summary report. www.bgmea.com.bd

Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Chan, K. W., & Wyatt, T. A. (2007). Quality of work life: a study of employees in Shanghai, China. Asia Pacific Business Review, 13(4), 501-517.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13602380701250681

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral science. Hillsdale: Lawrence, Erlbaum Association NJ.

Cropanzano, R., & Mitchell, M. S. (2005). Social exchange theory: An interdisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 31(6), 874-900.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206305279602

Dechawatanapaisal, D. (2018). Employee retention: the effects of internal branding and brand attitudes in sales organizations. Personnel Review, 47(3), 675-693.

https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-06-2017-0193

Dhamija, P., Gupta, S. & Bag, S. (2019). Measuring job satisfaction: the use of quality of work life factors. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 26(3), 871-892.

https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-06-2018-0155

Dinc, M.S., Kuzey, C. & Steta, N. (2018). Nurses' job satisfaction as a mediator of the relationship between organizational commitment components and job performance. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 33(2), 75-95.

https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240.2018.1464930

Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2017). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. Thousand Oaks: Sage publications.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05542-8_15-1

Haque, A. (2018). Mapping the relationship among strategic HRM, intent to quit and job satisfaction: a psychological perspective applied to Bangladeshi employees. International Journal of Business and Applied Social Science, 4(4), 27-39.

Helen, W., Robert, K., Anisul, H., F., Stevenson, M., et al. (2014). Social sustainability in developing country suppliers: An exploratory study in the ready-made garments industry of Bangladesh. International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 34(5), 610-638.

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0467

Hermawati, A., & Mas, N. (2017). Mediation effect of quality of work life, job involvement, and organizational citizenship behavior in relationship between trans-global leadership to employee performance. International Journal of Law and Management. 59(6), 1143-1158.

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLMA-08-2016-0070

Hossain, T., & Shirazi, H. (2018). Quality of work life among women employees working in RMG sector of Bangladesh. Global Disclosure of Economics and Business, 7(1), 27-40.

https://doi.org/10.18034/gdeb.v7i1.106

Huang, T. C., Lawler, J., & Lei, C. Y. (2007). The effects of quality of work life on commitment and turnover intention. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 35(6), 735-750.

https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2007.35.6.735

Jabeen, F., Friesen, H.L. & Ghoudi, K. (2018). Quality of work life of Emirati women and its influence on job satisfaction and turnover intention. Journal of Organizational Change Management. 31(2), 352-370.

https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-01-2017-0016

Johari, I. M., Yean, T. F., Adnan, Z., Yahya, K. K., & Ahmad, M. N. (2012). Promoting employee intention to stay: Do human resource management practices matter?. International Journal of Economics and Management, 6(2), 396-416.

Kara, D., Kim, H. L., Lee, G., & Uysal, M. (2018). The moderating effects of gender and income between leadership and quality of work life (QWL). International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 30(3), 1419-1435.

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2016-0514

Kerdpitak, C. & Jermsittiparsert, K. (2020). The impact of human resource management practices on competitive advantage: mediating role of employee engagement in Thailand. Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy, 11(1), 443-452.

Khan, M. A. M. (2021). Minimum wage impact on RMG sector of Bangladesh: Prospects, opportunities and challenges of new payout structure. International Journal of Business and Economics Research, 10(1), 8-20.

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijber.20211001.12

Kim, T.T., Karatepe, O.M., Lee, G., Lee, S., Hur, K. & Xijing, C. (2017). Does hotel employees' quality of work life mediate the effect of psychological capital on job outcomes?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 29(6),120-126.

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2016-0224

Kumara, J. & Fasana, S.F., (2018). Work life conflict and its impact on turnover intention of employees: The mediation role of job satisfaction. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 8(4), 478-484.

https://doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.8.4.2018.p7666

Kyndt, E., Dochy, F., Michielsen, M., and Moeyaert, B. (2009). Employee retention: Organizational and personal perspectives. Vocations and Learning, 2(3), 195-215.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-009-9024-7

Loan, L. (2020). The influence of organizational commitment on employees' job performance: The mediating role of job satisfaction. Management Science Letters, 10(14), 3307-3312.

https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2020.6.007

Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297-1349). Chicago: Rand-McNally.

Lorber, M., and Skela, S. B. (2012). Job satisfaction of nurses and identifying factors of job satisfaction in Slovenian Hospitals. Croatian Medical Journal, 53(3), 263-270.

https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2012.53.263

May, B. E., Lau, R. S. M., and Johnson, S. K. (1999). A longitudinal study of quality of work life and business performance. South Dakota Business Review, 58(2), 3-7.

Milliman, J., Gatling, A., & Kim, J. S. (2018). The effect of workplace spirituality on hospitality employee engagement, intention to stay, and service delivery. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 35, 56-65.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.03.002

Moorman, R. H., Niehoff, B. P., & Organ, D. W. (1993). Treating employees fairly and organizational citizenship behavior: Sorting the effects of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and procedural justice. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 6(3), 209-225.

https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01419445

Mosadeghrad, A. M. (2013). Quality of working life: an antecedent to employee turnover intention. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 1(1), 43-50.

https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2013.07

Newaz, M. K., Ali, T., & Akhter, I. (2007). Employee perception regarding turnover decision in context of Bangladesh banking sector. BRAC University Journal, 4(2), 67-74.

Orgambídez-Ramos, A., & de Almeida, H. (2017). Work engagement, social support, and job satisfaction in Portuguese nursing staff: A winning combination. Applied Nursing Research, 36, 37-41.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2017.05.012

Pio, R. J. & Tampi, J. R. E. (2018). The influence of spiritual leadership on quality of work life, job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior. International Journal of Law and Management, 60(2), 757-767

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLMA-03-2017-0028

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903.

https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879-891.

https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879

Rahman, M.M., Abdul, M., Ali, N.A., Uddin, M.J., & Rahman, M.S. (2017). Employees' retention strategy on quality of work life (QWL) Dimensions of private commercial banks in Bangladesh. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 5(2), 647-662.

Rubel, M. R. B., & Kee, D. M. H. (2014). Quality of work life and employee performance: Antecedent and outcome of job satisfaction in Partial Least Square (PLS). World Applied Sciences Journal, 31(4), 456-467.

Rubel, M. R. B., Kee, D. M. H., & Rimi, N. N. (2020). High-performance work practices and medical professionals' work outcomes: the mediating effect of perceived organizational support. Journal of Advances in Management Research. 18(3), 368-391.

https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-05-2020-0076

Rubel, M.R.B., Kee, D. M. H., Quah, CH and Rimi, NN, (2017). Ethical climate and employee turnover intention in the ready‐made garment industry of Bangladesh. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 36(2), 61-73.

https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.21770

Rubel, M.R.B., Rimi, N.N., Yusliza, M.Y., & Kee, D. M. H. (2018). High commitment human resource management practices and employee service behaviour: Trust in management as mediator. IIMB Management Review, 30(4), 316-329.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2018.05.006

Russel, A. H., Robidas, L. C., Nipa, S. J., & Akter, F. (2021). Factors Influencing the Choice of Entry Mode Strategies for Internationalization: A Study on the Ready-made Garments (RMG) Industry of Bangladesh. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government, 27(2), 3767-3777.

Sari, N.P.R., Bendesa, K.G. and Antara, M. (2019). The influence of quality of work life on employees' performance with job satisfaction and work motivation as intervening variables in star-rated hotels in Ubud tourism area of Bali. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 7(1), 74-83.

https://doi.org/10.15640/jthm.v7n1a8

Sari, R. L., & Seniati, A. N. L. (2020). The Role of Job Satisfaction as Mediator Between Work-life Balance and Organizational Commitment among Lecturers. Psychology and Education, 57(2), 106-110.

Sirgy, M. J., Efraty, D., Siegel, P., & Lee, D. J. (2001). A new measure of quality of work life (QWL) based on need satisfaction and spillover theories. Social Indicators Research, 55(3), 241-302.

https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010986923468

Skalli, A., Theodossiou, I., & Vasileiou, E. (2008). Jobs as Lancaster goods: Facets of job satisfaction and overall job satisfaction. The Journal of Socioeconomics, 37(5), 1906-1920.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2008.04.003

Stokes, P., Larson, M., Balasubrahmanyam, S., Singh, S. K., Ghosh, P., Satyawadi, R, & Shadman, M. (2013). Who stays with you? Factors predicting employees' intention to stay. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 21(3), 288-312.

https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-Sep-2011-0511

Subbarayalu, A.V. & Al Kuwaiti, A. (2019). Quality of work life of teaching staff working at a higher education institution in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Social Service Research, 45(4), 530-542.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2018.1481173

Surienty, L., Ramayah, T., Lo, M. C., and Tarmizi, A. N. (2014). Quality of Work Life and Turnover Intention: A Partial Least Square (PLS) Approach. Social Indicators Research, 118(1), 405-420.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0486-5

Tabassum, A. (2012). Interrelations between quality of work life dimensions and faculty member job satisfaction in the Private Universities of Bangladesh. European Journal of Business and Management, 4(2), 78-89.

Taher, M. A. (2013). Variations of quality of work life of academic professionals in Bangladesh: A discriminant analysis. European Journal of Training and Development, 37(6), 580-595.

https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-05-2013-0060

Terera, S. R., & Ngirande, H. (2014). The impact of rewards on job satisfaction and employee retention. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1), 481-487.

https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n1p481

Tsigilis, N., Zachopoulou, E., and Grammatikopoulos, V. (2006). Job satisfaction and burnout among Greek early educators: A comparison between public and private sector employees. Educational Research and Review, 1(8), 256-261.

Van Laar, D., Edwards, J. A., & Easton, S. (2007). The Work‐Related Quality of Life scale for healthcare workers. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60(3), 325-333.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04409.x

Wang, G. L. (2011). A study of how the internal-Service quality of international tourist hotels affects organizational performance: using employees' job satisfaction as the mediator. Journal of Global Business Management, 7(2), 1-12.

Weiss, H. M. (2002). Deconstructing job satisfaction: Separating evaluations, beliefs and affective experiences. Human Resource Management Review, 12(2), 173-194.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1053-4822(02)00045-1

Wetzels, M., Odekerken-Schroder, G., and Van Oppen, C. (2009). Using PLS path modeling for assessing hierarchical construct models: guidelines and empirical illustration. Management Information Systems Quarterly, 33(1), 177-196.

https://doi.org/10.2307/20650284

Williams, L. J., & Anderson, S. E. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors. Journal of Management, 17(3), 601-617.

https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700305

Yavas, U., Babakus, E., and Karatepe, O. M. (2013). Does hope moderate the impact of job burnout on frontline bank employees' in-role and extra-role performances? International Journal of Bank Marketing, 31(1), 56-70.

https://doi.org/10.1108/02652321311292056

Yeo, R. K., and Li, J. (2013). In pursuit of learning: sensemaking the quality of work life. European Journal of Training and Development, 37(2), 136-160.

https://doi.org/10.1108/03090591311301662

Downloads

Published

2023-04-07

How to Cite

Mohammad Rabiul Basher Rubel, Daisy Mui Hung Kee, & Nadia Newaz Rimi. (2023). QUALITY OF WORK LIFE AND EMPLOYEE WORK OUTCOMES: A HIERARCHICAL MODEL WITH MEDIATION ANALYSIS. International Journal of Business and Society, 24(1), 421–439. https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.5625.2023