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purpose of the paper is to examine the quality of work-life QoWL and its influence on job satisfaction

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Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to examine the quality of work-life (QoWL) and its influence on job satisfaction and turnover (job-leaving) intention of Emirati women employed in various public sector organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through a structured questionnaire gleaned from literature, and were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings – QoWL was found to have a significant relationship with all variables in the model, and was found, as hypothesized, to have a positive effect on job satisfaction and a negative effect on turnover intention.

Research limitations/implications – One of the main limitations of this study is that the sample is drawn from only Emirati female employees who were working in public organizations based in the Abu Dhabi region, the capital of UAE, and hence, cannot be generalized.

Practical implications – This study helps policy makers by identifying crucial points that can improve Emirati female employees’ QoWL with a commensurate reduction in turnover intention in a collectivistic society. Public sector organizations should address the factors that directly affect Emirati women’s QoWL and job satisfaction, as it will ultimately result in less staff turnover, greater productivity, and will also

support the localization strategy.

Originality/value – The study is one of the first enquiries which stresses the importance of understanding how Emirati female employees perceive and categorize themselves as a valuable element of the workplace alongside the significance of augmenting their sense of belongingness to their organization.

Keywords United Arab Emirates, Job satisfaction, Public Sector, Turnover Intention, Emirati women, Structural equation modelling (SEM), Quality of work life (QoWL)

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

The population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is approXimately 9.5 million with nationals accounting for approXimately 1.4 million (Snoj, 2015) with an almost equal split of local males and females (Dubai Women Establishment, 2012a, b). Having benefited from the extensive higher education opportunities made available to them by the government, Emirati women, with an overall 91 percent literacy rate, account for a

significant portion of the country’s graduates and are expected to actively participate in the economic development of the country. The strong preference of Emiratis for public sector

jobs has been established through various survey-based evidence (Al Waqfi and Forstenlechner, 2012).

Emirati women in the workforce: preferences and reluctance

Various scholars have affirmed that female labor market participation has a positive impact on a nation’s socioeconomic development (Gaddis and Klasen, 2014; Tsani et al., 2013). However, according to a report published by Tahseen Consulting (2015), female labor market participation rates in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are significantly below the OECD average, and are amongst the lowest in the world: labor market participation of UAE

female nationals is 20 percent as compared to their male counterparts at 58 percent.

Emirati women prefer public sector employment which is relatively well-paid, less strenuous and provides substantial benefits over the private sector (Dubai Women Establishment, 2012a, b; Kirdar, 2010). Currently, 89 percent of employed UAE female nationals work in the public sector, second in the GCC only to Kuwait where almost 94 percent of females are similarly employed (Tahseen Consulting, 2015). Although public sector employment in the UAE is generally more secure and provides higher benefits than private sector employment, high turnover rates have been observed and reported by the UAE Federal Government. For example, an employee turnover report covering 54,000 employees in 17 ministries and 18 federal entities reveals that the employee turnover percentage is 4.2 percent in the UAE. Out

of 1,400 employee turnover cases, the majority (64 percent) were females (Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, 2015). As per the UAE Vision 2021,“Gender balance with regard to both rights and duties is the primary path to achieving happiness, security, stability, a high standard of living and progress. Based on this concept, the UAE has been a leader in this domain as it has made men and women equal in all aspects of life and has achieved progress in women’s empowerment by helping them achieve greater levels of success, which in turn

advances society as a whole” (United Arab Emirates Cabinet, 2015). Therefore, a focus on

increasing female employment participation rates is a strong priority for the UAE.

Work life balance is a key aspect that influences Emirati women to stay in the labor force (Dubai Women Establishment, 2012a, b). Although many UAE organizations have addressed work life balance concerns, women remain more likely to switch careers or stop working due to misalignment of organizational and individual mindsets (Dubai Women Establishment, 2012a, b). This may be due, in part, to what Pontefract (2016) identifies as

“workplace actualization,” where a person’s satisfaction at the workplace is the result of whether their individual purpose is in alignment with the organization’s purpose, as well as with the duties required to accomplish in the role itself.

It is economically beneficial for companies to address work life balance. Companies incur substantial direct and indirect costs due to employee turnover (Niedermann and Summer, 2003; Harhara et al., 2015), and are adversely impacted by distressing operations as well as group dynamics and performance, translating into additional monetary overheads (Mello, 2011). Establishments that offer superior quality of work life (QoWL) are able to more easily attract and retain skilled workers (Sidhu, 2011), which will help the organization to attain competitive advantage in the long run.

In the UAE context, several studies have been undertaken to explore the relationship between employee turnover intentions (Yousef, 2002; Suliman and Al-Junaibi, 2010; Harhara et al., 2015) and job satisfaction (Abdulla et al., 2011). However, no previous study has conceptualized or measured the QoWL construct of Emirati females in a public sector context, or tested a model that considers the role of QoWL, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. To fill this research gap, this study tested the effects of QoWL on job satisfaction and turnover intentions of Emirati females in the UAE public sector. Specifically, the first objective of this study is to identify the major factors that influence the QoWL of working Emirati women. The second objective is to determine the effect, if any, between factors of QoWL, job satisfaction and turnover intention of the Emirati women. The third objective is to study the QoWL of Emirati women in relation with their socioeconomic background, and to suggest the measures to improve their QoWL.

To achieve the above stated research objectives, the contents of this paper are divided into five sections as follows: second section gives a review of literature on QoWL, job satisfaction, turnover intention, and a series of hypotheses proposed; third section presents the research methodology that covers a detailed description of data and analyses; fourth section depicts the research findings and discussion, and fifth section provides the conclusions, limitations, suggestions for further research, and recommendations that might enhance the QoWL of Emirati females and reduce turnover intentions along with actual

overall turnover.

Literature review and theoretical foundation

QoWL

QoWL has been defined by previous researchers (Walton, 1975; Elizur, 1990; Carayon, 1997; Sirgy et al., 2001; Sinha, 2012). According to Carayon (1997), QoWL embodies the composite connections of the work structure components such as the individual, the responsibilities, structural factors, the environment setting, and work related technologies and equipment’s.

Davis (1983) has defined QoWL as “the quality of the relationship between employees and

the total working environment, with human dimensions added to the usual technical and economic considerations.” Casio (1992) and Wan and Chan (2012) defined it as employees’ perceptions of their physical and mental well-being.

There are two dominant theoretical approaches in the QoWL literature, namely need satisfaction and spillover (Sirgy et al., 2001).The need satisfaction approach to QoWL is based on models developed by Maslow (1954), McClelland (1961), Herzberg (1966), and Alderfer (1972). According to this approach, workers derive satisfaction from their jobs to the extent that their jobs meet basic needs. The QoWL can be conceptualized in terms of worker satisfaction with two major categories of needs: lower-order (basic) needs and higher-order (growth) needs (Maslow, 1970). The Spillover approach to QoWL posits that satisfaction in one area of life may influence satisfaction in another. In other words, workplace job satisfaction extends into non-work spheres to create positive or negative

influences on employees’ overall life (Sirgy et al., 2001). Eventually, QoWL has grown to be one of the most substantial organizational topics (Harrington and Ladge, 2009), and has gained extensive popularity in research and policy fields (Gregory and Milner, 2009).

The benefits of QoWL are linked to both employees and employers (Adhikari et al., 2011). For employers, it nurtures positively a more flexible, dedicated, and motivated staff, vital for the company’s competitiveness and sustainability (Bassi and Vanburen, 1997; Roth, 1993). Further positive outcomes include reduced absenteeism, lower turnover, and improved job satisfaction (Havlovic, 1991; Cohen et al., 1997; King and Ehrhard, 1997). Various authors

(KnoX and Irwing, 1997; Lewis et al., 2001; Daud, 2010; Tabassum et al., 2011; Naguib and Jamali, 2015) have reported the predictors of QoWL in various organizational and national settings: KnoX and Irwing (1997) reported that autonomy is significantly associated with QoWL; however, Lewis et al. (2001) found that pay, benefits and supervisory style are the major contributors to QoWL satisfaction.

 

QoWL and job satisfaction

QoWL is a construct that concerns the well-being of employees, and is conceptually different from job satisfaction (Sirgy et al., 2001). QoWL enhances employees’ dignity through job satisfaction and humanizing work (Adhikari et al., 2011). The scope of QoWL not only affects employees’ job satisfaction but also their lives outside of work, such as family, leisure, and social needs. When employees’ needs are not met, they are likely to experience work life stress which may have adverse consequences on their well-being and job

performance (Gallie, 2005). Previous research (Chi and Gursoy, 2009; Lu and Gursoy, 2013; Rich et al., 2010; Ziegler et al., 2012) have explicitly emphasized job satisfaction due to its

positive affect on job performance and firm’s performance. Hence, it is important for researchers to capture the key antecedents of employee job satisfaction:

H1. QoWL is positively associated with job satisfaction.

QoWL and turnover intention

Turnover intentions refer to one’s behavioral approach to leave their workplace, while turnover describes the real act in separating oneself from his workplace (Aydogdu and Asikgil, 2011). Previous researchers ( Jang and George, 2012) have reported a robust link between intentions

and actual behavior, and therefore turnover intention is reflected as a proXy sign to predict real turnover. According to Surienty et al. (2014), supervisory behavior, job characteristics and work life balance all have a significant negative relationship with turnover intention with work life balance the most significant predictor of turnover intention. Enhancing the QoWL for employees would surely lead to lowered absenteeism, employee turnover and grievances (Wan and Chan, 2012; Celik and Oz, 2011). Moreover, it would help to entice and hold talented staff (Catanzaro et al., 2010), and may cause in augmented organizational success particularly in developing countries (Aryeetey and Sanda, 2012). Thus:

H2. QoWL is negatively associated with turnover intention.

Job satisfaction and turnover intention

Job satisfaction is a type of motivational vigor that deters workers from thinking about leaving the workplace (Direnzo and Greenhaus, 2011; Hom et al., 2012). Various researchers (Chen et al., 2011; Cegarra-Leiva et al., 2012) have affirmed the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. Poor attitudes of job contentment arise when the worker starts feeling that an undesired financial, emotional and intellectual benefits are associated with his employment (Holtom et al., 2008) which may prompt him to adopt a withdrawal behavior such as absenteeism and substandard performance (Mihelič, 2014). The rise and decline of job satisfaction correspondingly account for a variation in turnover intention (Chen et al., 2011). We therefore posit that the relationship between QoWL and turnover is mediated by job satisfaction:

H3. Job satisfaction is negatively associated with turnover intention.

Proposed conceptual model

The proposed conceptual model is depicted in Figure 1 which visualizes three proposed relationships: the effect of the QoWL is hypothesized to directly influence job satisfaction, job satisfaction is hypothesized to directly influence turnover intention, and QoWL is hypothesized to directly and indirectly influence turnover intention.

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