Employees around the world are motivated to work and perform effectively based
on the kind of positive rewards they expect to earn as a result of their
performance. This paper is an attempt to relate quality of work life with the
Expectancy theory proposed by Victor Vroom. The three factors of the theory are
associated and viewed from the perspective of various work related components
such as working environment, amenities and resources with reference to an
educational institution in Oman. The paper supports the idea that employees'
efforts propelled by positive behavior and valued goals are instrumental in
increasing the QWL.
Employees around the world are motivated to work and perform effectively based
on the kind of positive rewards they expect to earn as a result of their
performance. This paper is an attempt to relate quality of work life with the
Expectancy theory proposed by Victor Vroom. The three factors of the theory are
associated and viewed from the perspective of various work related components
such as working environment, amenities and resources with reference to an
educational institution in Oman. The paper supports the idea that employees'
efforts propelled by positive behavior and valued goals are instrumental in
increasing the QWL.
Key Words: Quality of Work life, expectancy theory, motivation, rewards
1. Introduction
Quality of Work Life (QWL) has gained the attention of people worldwide,
particularly in the last two decades and has been an interesting area of study
for researchers, academicians, managers and experts who have looked at it as a
core indicator for job satisfaction, employee motivation, performance management
and ENHANCED PRODUCTIVITY. Numerous studies have reported that QWL is an
important factor for employee retention and improving the productivity of the
organization. It is indeed true that work - life balance is imperative for an
organization to be successful. Employees need to be provided the right kind of
work atmosphere and facilities to enhance the effectiveness of the organization.
This has made organizations worldwide to look into the finer aspects of
developing healthy QWL for the employees.
It is generally believed that it is the organisation's responsibility to take
initiatives for improving the QWL for their employees. Several studies have
reported that the organization need to provide job security, safe and healthy
working conditions, fair compensation, career opportunities and welfare
facilities for the employees in order to improve the QWL. While this is largely
necessary, it also takes initiatives from the employees themselves to enhance
the QWL. In this paper the authors have taken efforts to show how employees'
efforts propelled by positive behavior and valued goals are instrumental in
increasing the QWL. The authors have presented a model showing effectiveness of
QWL among staff in an educational institution in Oman by adapting the Victor
Vroom's Expectancy theory.
2. Definitions
According to J. Richard and J. Loy, "QWL is the degree to which members of a
work organization are able to satisfy important personal needs through their
experiences in the organization". Society for Training and Development defined
QWL as "a process of work organization which enables its members at all levels
to actively participate in shaping the organization's environments, methods and
outcomes.
Robbins (1989) defined QWL as "a process by which an organization responds to
employee needs by developing mechanisms to allow them to share fully in making
the decisions that design their lives at work". Furthermore, Guest (Saklani,
2004) has referred to QWL as the measure of the quality of human experience in
the organization. Similarly, Skinner and Ivancevich (2008) urged that QWL is
associated with adequate and fair compensation, safe & healthy working

conditions, opportunities to develop human capacities, opportunities for
continuous growth and job security, more flexible work scheduling and job
assignment, careful attention to job design and workflow, better unionmanagement cooperation, and less structural supervision and development of
effective work teams. From the above definitions, it can be inferred that
quality of work life is a concept driven by factors associated with
organizational inputs as well as something which is intrinsic in a person;
something that relates to a person's attitudes and experiences (Ayesha Tabassum,
2011).
3. Literature Review
Numerous studies have been made by different authors and experts on QWL. Many
studies have focused on the components of QWL and the factors adding up to
positive quality of work life. To quote few of these studies- Mirvis and Lawler
(1984) found in their study that quality of working life was related with
satisfaction with wages, hours and working conditions, describing the
"essentials of a good quality of work life" as; safe work environment, equitable
wages, equal employment opportunities and opportunities for advancement Quality
of working life is a holistic concept, which not only considers work-based
factors such as job satisfaction, satisfaction with pay and relationships with
work colleagues, but also includes factors that predict life satisfaction and
general feelings of well-being (Danna & Griffin, 1999).
Gnanayudam and Dharmasiri (2007) have viewed QWL as the employee's overall
satisfaction with work life leading to develop work-life balance. A metaanalysis study concerning nurses and QWL conducted by Knox and Irving (Lewis,
2001) indicated that autonomy is significantly associated with QWL. The feeling
of career achievement is reflected in the willingness to spend extra time at
job. It was observed that positive QWL acts as a motivation behind willingly
working for long hours that was enjoyed by the executives (Cannings &
Montmarquette, 1991).
Ellis and Pompli (2002) in their study on nurses identified numerous factors
resulting in job dissatisfaction and quality of working life, including: Poor
working environments, resident aggression, workload, unable to deliver quality
of care expected, balance of work and family, shift work, non-involvement in
decision making, professional isolation, nonrecognition of work, unhealthy
relationships with supervisor/peers, role conflict, absence opportunity to learn
new skills. It has also been observed that, work-related stress and balancing
work and non-work life domains (Loscocco & Roschelle, 1991) affect QWL
significantly and should conceptually be considered as determinant of quality of
working life. However a general conception is that quality of working life
fundamentally relates to well-being of employees but it is differentiated from
job satisfaction which solely represents the workplace domain (Lawler, 1982).
Royuela et al. (2007), European Commission (EC) proposed ten dimensions for QWL,
which are (1) intrinsic job quality, (2) skills, life-long learning and career
development, (3) gender equality (4) health and safety at work, (5) flexibility
and security, (6) inclusion and access to the labor market, (7) work
organization and work-life balance, (8) social dialogue and worker involvement,
(9) diversity and non-discrimination, and (10) overall work
performance(Tabassum, 2011).
Hend Al Muftah and HananLafi (2011) in their paper titled, "Impact of QWL on
employee satisfaction case of oil and gas industry in Qatar" report that the
physical, psychological and social factors' centrality has a significant
relationship with QWL which indirectly influence employees' satisfaction. It was
also indicated that individual's family life correlated significantly with
his/her level of QWL.
Chaudhary (2014) observed that there was an increase in level of performance of
employees when the more motivational environment was established. He also
reported that there was an increase in the self-confidence of employees when the

supervision was directed and Facilities provided by the work place like
education, training, welfare, wages and bonus time increased the morale of
employee.
Ukaejiofo Rex Uzonna (2013) in his study reported that majority of respondents
agreed that recognition and authority were the most important of expected nonmonetary rewards. When it comes to bringing out the best performance of
employees, growth opportunities and challenges, recognition and non-cash rewards
are more effective motivators than money.
Tripathy (2006) is of the view that employee reward covers how people are
rewarded in accordance with their value to an organization, which is a both
financial and non-financial reward.
Monis H and Sreedhara TN (2011) in their study have reported interesting
findings such as the statement "If I do good work, I can count on MAKING
MONEY" has obtained 64.86 per cent in the Indian MNCs and 64.79 per cent
foreign MNCs. Similarly the statement "If I do good work, I can count on
promoted" has secured 71.77 percent in the Indian MNCs and 72.02 percent
foreign MNCs

MORE
in
being
in the

Taylor (1979) more pragmatically identified the essential components of quality
of working life as basic extrinsic job factors of wages, hours and working
conditions, and the intrinsic job notions of the nature of the work itself. He
suggested that a number of other aspects could be added, including: individual
power, employee participation in the management, fairness and equity, social
support, use of one's present skills, selfdevelopment, a meaningful future at
work, social relevance of the work or product, effect on extra work activities.
Taylor suggests that relevant quality of working life concepts may vary
according to organisation and employee group.
To sum up, it stands to reason that with the diversified workforce, different
people are motivated differently and the terms 'happy' employee, 'motivated'
employee, 'satisfied' employee are more figurative than a proven fact Job
satisfaction, motivation, quality of work life etc. are largely dependent on the
individual himself than on organizational or environmental factors. It is the
individual employee himself / herself who has to be motivated to work towards
attaining a healthy QWL.
An employee's performance is tied to the rewards expected as an outcome of doing
the work and the value placed on the rewards. Therefore, a better performer and
an achiever will enjoy a healthy QWL.
4. Objectives
* To show the link between personal motivation and perceived rewards for
deriving QWL
* To present the factors that lead to quality of work life among employees in an
educational institution from the perspective of expectancy theory.
5. Methodology
This is a descriptive study based on secondary data. The paper looks into the
factors that lead to quality of work life among staff members in an engineering
college in Oman. The paper is based on the assumption that personal motivation
is imperative for improved efforts and better performance which will lead to
expected perceived rewards. Secondary data such as reports, feedback from staff,
SURVEY results from quality office and e-mails have been taken as inputs for the
study.
6. Application of Expectancy Theory
The three components of Victor Vroom's expectancy theory are Expectancy,

Instrumentality and Valence. Expectancy refers to the probability perceived by
the individual that exerting a given amount of effort will lead to performance
(Robbins, 2003). It is the belief that one's effort will affect performance
(Greenberg, 2005). Instrumentality refers to the belief that one's performance
will be rewarded. Valence refers to the perceived value of the expected rewards
(Greenberg, 2005).
The following model (Figure-1) explains how quality of work life is attained
among the staff in the institution in light of the expectant theory.
The Expectancy theory suggests that people put in their efforts on the
perception that their efforts will lead to performance and that effective
performance will result in obtaining positive rewards. Taking this as a basis,
figurel depicts that efforts lead to performance which in turn is believed to be
rewarded and that these rewards are valued by the employees. The authors believe
and suggest that efforts are largely based on goals. The goals could be both
individual goals as well as organizational goals. Both these goals will have to
be balanced and pursued upon so that an individual is able to put in the
required efforts. These efforts lead to performance by the individuals.
In the above figure, the factors that enable performance by the individuals
(staff members) to be effective at work place are depicted under performance.
That is, these factors are instrumental for effective performance by the
employees who perceive that their performance will be rewarded. These factors
include working environment - in terms of office atmosphere, availability of
resources, smart classrooms, communication strategies, protocol and ergonomics,
open door policy - the staff have easy access to heads of the respective
departments to discuss issues and share opinions; problems are heard and
solutions are given quickly, interpersonal relationship - strong bond is
promoted among staff through working groups, team work in research and
departmental activities, common lunch and celebrations, innovative programme
design & delivery - the institution is constantly committed to improving the
teaching and learning strategies, introducing new initiatives in teaching
methods, introducing new programmes and modules, revamping existing modules and
taking up challenges in academic areas, portfolio & college representation staff members are encouraged to contribute to college wide activities through
their representation in various committees, departmental boards & specialized
centers, individual portfolio and performance evaluation systems, involvement in
funded projects, extra-curricular activities and events of the college, policies
& procedures - the educational institution has clear and transparent systems and
policies, standardized procedures by the central quality office, online forms
and formats and online processing systems that make it easier for the staff,
regular staff development training and workshops are organized within and
outside the campus by both in-house and external experts that are aimed at
providing the best opportunities for staff development, IT facilities &
resources - staff have unlimited access to internet facilities, latest software,
library resources and learning aids.
Since the above factors are conducive for effective performance, it is believed
that this performance leads to positive rewards (Instrumentality), which further
results in placing high value on the rewards (Valence). The institution under
discussion provides various reward mechanisms for its employees in recognition
of their performance. It is believed that the rewards provided by the
institution propel individuals to deliver effective performance. These rewards
include staff promotion - there is a clear system for promotion which is
transparent and well utilized by the staff, awards & recognition - the college
has awards such as the best researcher award, best teacher award and recognition
of staff with long years of experience in the institution, faculty development
opportunities -members of staff are encouraged to pursue higher studies through
extending tie-up with other institutions & supervisory support and are
encouraged to take up funding projects, scholarship for higher studies - the
college provides monetary support and SCHOLARSHIPS FOR both nationals and
expatriates to take up further studies, research bulletin & in-house magazine staff members are motivated to contribute to inhouse magazine and their

achievements/ research endeavours are published in the research bulletin which
boosts the profile of the staff., exchange programme - staff members are sent to
other countries to have an exposure on latest state-of-art and to learn in their
respective fields. They are also encouraged to share and apply the rich
experiences gained outside in the college, research & publication - the college
has research centre and the staff are encouraged to take up research and
laboratory experiments in varied fields of interest; they are also encouraged to
publish papers in the journal published by the college, health care & campus
life - staff members have access to health care facilities and other campus
facilities like canteen, playground, relaxation room, learning resource centre,
etc., job enrichment & enlargement - The staff are given ample opportunities to
exhibit their abilities and aptitudes through involving them in academic support
activities. They are encouraged to extend their services to community
programmes, corporate social responsibility programmes and other college-wide
activities, career growth - employees are given freedom to plan their career and
the management supports them through extending funds, provision of resources and
leave. Employees work towards better performance, since they know that the
institution will reward the best performers and further, the employees'
performance is boosted based on their perceived value placed on the rewards.
All the rewards mentioned above enable the employees to enjoy job satisfaction,
job security, fair compensation and good working environment, opportunities for
continued HR development, stress management, healthy interpersonal relationship,
career growth and recognition at work. These things essentially lead to
increased quality of work life. Hence, it is believed that in the work place
under study, the employees enjoy quality of work life since their performance
are rewarded, which are essentially valued rewards. This is backed by positive
feedback from employees, long and continuous service in the institution and
prevalent healthy work culture. Therefore, the relationship between performance
and reward factors & QWL is established.
It can be rightly stated that
work life in the institution.
requires that an employee has
performance, which ultimately

the employees are able to enjoy healthy quality of
To refer to the expectancy theory, it essentially
goals which driven by efforts lead to effective
results in rewards.

7. Conclusion
The authors believe that an individual should to have personal motivation to
work. This motivation leads the person to have specific goals to be
accomplished. It is imperative that a person is highly motivated enough to set
goals to be accomplished. If goals are to be attained, the person should put in
committed efforts with the perception that these efforts will lead to effectual
performance. Performance then leads to rewards as expected by the individual.
Attainment of the rewards leads to goal satisfaction by the employee. This is
however linked to the value placed by the individual on the rewards. A person
will be satisfied with the rewards to the extent that they are attractive and
valued by him/her. Enjoyment the expected and valued reward ultimately leads to
good quality of work life (Figure - 2).
The authors would like to stress the fact that QWL is a resultant of a motivated
employee having specific goals, which is put into action for getting the
benefits.
Therefore QWL = MxGxExPxR
Where M is motivation, G is goals, E is expectancy, P is performance and R is
rewards.
Quality of work life can be achieved only if the employee is motivated to set
goals that are to be accomplished. He / she must further have the expectancy
that the efforts put in for achieving the goals lead to effective performance,
and this perceived performance leads to positive rewards. It therefore rests
with the employee to derive maximum quality of work life through putting in

commendable efforts and setting perceived valued rewards.
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