The Measurement of Quality of Working life

Abstract

This paper argues that the questionnaire measures of job satisfaction relied on for so long by industrial psychologists do not provide information that can help improve quality of working life. There is little agreement as to what is measured by such scales and the employees' responses to them reflect a variety of things besides satisfaction with their jobs. The problems with job satisfaction measures are highlighted by the fact that such measures have shown high and stable levels of job satisfaction at a time when signs of employee frustration and alienation have been increasing. It is argued that industrial psychologists need to develop quite different ways of assessing job satisfaction in which the subjects participate in the development of the measuring instruments themselves.

Opsomming
Die bruikbaarheid van vraelyste om inligting te voorsien op grond waarvan die gehalte van 'n werklewe nagevors kan word, word bevraagteken. Daar is weinig ooreenstemming oor wat sodanige vraelyste meet. Die probleem word onderstreep deur die feit dat navorsing waarin sodanige meetinstrumente gebruik word deurgaans 'n hoë mate van werkstevredenheid toon terwyl werknemerfrustrasie en vervreemding aan die orde van die dag is. 'n Nuwe benadering tot die bepaling van werkstevredenheid word bepleit waarin die werknemer deelneem aan die ontwikkeling van die meetinstrumente wat gebruik word.