The new era of QWL: Sustainable practices for sugar co-operative employees

Introduction

Quality of Work Life (QWL) is a critical factor influencing employee satisfaction, retention, and organizational productivity. In the sugar co-operative sector, where operations are seasonal and labor-intensive, ensuring high QWL is essential for sustainable business practices. The dynamic nature of cooperative governance and the socio-economic profile of employees make QWL an important determinant of workforce stability. Despite being a core industry in rural economies, sugar co-operatives face challenges in providing a holistic work environment. Monotonous work patterns, limited participation in decision-making, outdated processes, and insufficient welfare measures often hinder QWL. Employees perceive these shortcomings as barriers to professional growth and work-life balance.

 Analysis: Mean score, ranking method, and triangulation approach

Results and Discussion

Suggestions of employees for developing management strategies for improving QWL: The study findings revealed that the overall perceived availability of QWL among the employees of sugar co-operatives is reported "Average" with cumulative mean score of 3.23. Even with reference to the eight components of QWL, none of the components were reported to have "Excellent" availability/existence at the work place; and ironically 3 of these components namely -Occupied space by work in life (Availability lagging behind by 5 ranks than Importance), Social integration at work and Adequate and fair compensation (Availability of lagging behind by 2 ranks than Importance) were found to be lagging behind far away from their importance as reported by the employees. Consequently, interventions are imperative to improve QWL of these employees in sugar co-operatives. The following suggestions were proposed to foster better and higher QWL for employees of sugar co-operatives.

Respondents were invited to contribute valuable suggestions for formulating a strategy to address the problematic areas of QWL at their work place and enhance overall QWL of these employees. The suggestions given by the respondents are presented in table 4.32 in order of importance. The results presented in table 1. reveals that majority (90.00%) of the respondents suggested to organize social gettogethers to involve the family members of the employees. 88.33 percent respondents suggested to have adequate provisions for regular training programmes in their organization. 85.33 percent of the respondents suggested to make provisions for ensuing competitive pay. 79.67 percent of the respondents suggested that family-oriented benefits such as children education support and family Mediclaim should be provided to employees. 79.00 percent of the respondents advocated merit-based promotion to improve the QWL at their work place. 76.67 percent of the respondents suggested to start canteen and rest room facilities. 53.33 percent of the respondents suggested to have clearly communicated and impartial leave policy; so that employees can have enough time for social functions and family concerns as and when required. Considering the adverse effects of stress in modern-day organizations, 50.00 percent respondents suggested for arranging stress management programme and counselling facilities at their work place.

Management Strategies to improve QWL of employees in

Sugar Co-operatives: Problems and suggestions may vary from person to person and place to place. Before evolving and exploring any strategy for the concerned stakeholders in the study area, it is crucial to gather appropriate suggestions from real information gatekeepers, respondents and experienced experts. Considering the problems/issues as limiting factors for improvement of quality of work life of the concerned employees, extension educationists have recommended using a Situation-Based Extension with a Participatory Approach (SBEPA) to address these issues and combat the problems effectively. As a part of this exercise, employees were asked to provide suitable suggestions for improving their QWL. The opinions of information gatekeepers and subject experts on the matters related to improvement in QWL and the suggestions offered by the employees were analysed separately. Using the triangulation method, a strategy to address the major concern areas of QWL of these employees was proposed. The developed strategies are presented in table 4.34. These strategies will be very useful for the policy makers, higher-ups and organizational authorities as well as other stakeholders; seeking to improve the overall QWL and consequently the quality of life of employees working in any organization in general and in sugar co-operatives in particular. The study also suggests that employees place significant value on ethical practices and the reputation of their organization. Sugar cooperatives should ensure that their operations are aligned with ethical standards, contributing to community development and upholding social responsibilities. This will not only improve employee satisfaction but also enhance the cooperative's public image, which in turn may attract talented individuals and improve organizational performance.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The study highlights critical gaps in QWL among sugar cooperative employees, emphasizing the need for holistic and sustainable approaches. Implementation of participatory decision-making, competitive compensation, social integration activities, and technology-driven processes will enhance job satisfaction, retention, and organizational performance.

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