final assignment quality of working lifeback up aqaq

8/9/2019 Final Assignment Quality of Working Lifeback Up Aqaq

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In troduction

Since the 1930s economic thinking has been strongly dominated by growth theory and

the idea that economics is primarily about maximizing production. However the last 20

years have seen a growing belief that production, while important, is by no means the

only issue, and other dimensions of the economy also deserve attention. In particular it is

now widely accepted that workers do not simply give up their time in order to acquire

cash incomes, but rather that work is an important part of their lives and the quality of

their working life has real significance for them. Thus, if productivity and cash incomes

rise but at the expense of less happiness in the workplace, there could be a trade-off in

which the gains from greater earnings are partially or even totally offset by rising

personal costs

Work is not only important as a source of income; it is also an end in itself (Saunders,

2002). It is demoralizing if those who would like to work are unable to find anything

suitable, and failure to find work is associated with health problems (Martin, 1994). Work

gives people a sense of belonging (Phelps, 1997), a sense of identity (Barrett and

Spoonley, 2001) and a sense of self-worth in addition to the financial rewards (Lane,

1991; Freeman and Soete, 1994). People need to be needed (Layard, 2006.(

Since work matters to people it is not surprising that the quality of their working life

(QWL) matters (Birch and Paul, 2003). QWL is found to significantly reduceabsenteeism, minor accidents, grievances, and quits (Havlovic, 1991), and several life-

satisfaction studies have found that non-financial aspects of workplace satisfaction,

especially the climate of workplace trust, can have substantial income-equivalent effects

(Firth et alia, 2004; Helliwell, 2005; James, 1992.(

Quality of work-life has attracted a lot of interest in the last decade. Measurement of

work-life satisfaction, stress at work, and psychological health at work has become a part

of a healthy human resources management. More recently, the notion of psychosocial

risks has begun to be introduced in the field of prevention of mental health problems at

work.

In 1995, the INSERM had proposed a definition of psychosocial factors: The

psychosocial factors at work referred to a large set of variables that are at the crossroad of

individual, collective and organisational dimensions of the professional activity. It

encompassed three types of factors. The first type are factors associated to work demand

and control: organisational and technical constraints, overwhelming hierarchical control,

low individual latitude, lack of opportunities to take work break during the day, lack of

clear directives, ambiguous attitude from the direction. The second type covers factors


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link to social support : dynamic of the interpersonal relations on which the cooperation

and mutual help between colleagues and from the direction are based. The symptoms of

stress at work constitute the third type. They are personal indicators of adaptation to work

constraints, whatever they are. In order to shift from a curative paradigm to a preventive

one, we have to consider the psychosocial risk factors similarly to classical risk factors at

work such as those responsible for work injuries, intoxication, etc. We should be able to

adequately measure these risks in order to implement preventive strategy and prevent

organisational crisis as well as burn out and mental health problem at work.

QUALITY OF LIFE AT WORK

Quality of Work Life, at a given time, corresponds to a

condition experienced by the individual in his or her dynamic

pursue workers of his or her hierarchically organized goals

within work domains where the reduction of the gap separating

the individual from these goals is reflected by a positive impact

on the individuals general quality of life, organizational

performance, and consequently the overall functioning of

society. (p.22)

The fundamental assumption of this definition is that humans are goal directed behaviour

organisms and as such, all their behaviours are oriented toward reducing the gap that

exists between their present living condition in different life domains and their objectives

in these domains. This assumption find it roots in the systemic approach applied to

biological organisms by Bertalanffy (1973), Ashby (1956), Weiner (1948) and Powers

(1973). In this model, the pursuit of goals is based on the Aristotelicians view of

happiness. Our behaviours are oriented toward goals and certain goals are subordinate to

others but the ultimate one is the pursuit of happiness. The notion of happiness connoteshere not the search for pleasure or hedonistic satisfaction but a relatively stable condition

over time, influenced by the individuals adaptability and a minimum of material goods.

From these premises Dupuis et al. (1989) developed a new theoretical framework based

on the concepts of goal, control, positive and negative feedback loops and hierarchical

organization of goals in different domains of life to define the notion of quality of life.

Thus, according to Dupuis et al. (2000), general QOL is defined as follows:

Quality of life, at a given time, is a state that corresponds to the level attained by a

person in the pursuit of her hierarchically organized goals (page 107). This general

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framework has been extended by Martel and Dupuis (2006) to the definition of quality of

work life.

Quality of Working Life is a term that had been used to describe the broaderjob-related

experience an individual has.

Whilst there has, for many years, been much research into job satisfaction (1), and, more

recently, an interest has arisen into the broader concepts of stress and subjective well-

being (2), the precise nature of the relationship between these concepts has still been little

explored. Stress at work is often considered in isolation, wherein it is assessed on the

basis that attention to an individuals stress management skills or the sources of stress

will prove to provide a good enough basis for effective intervention. Alternatively, job

satisfaction may be assessed, so that action can be taken which will enhance an

individuals performance. Somewhere in all this, there is often an awareness of the

greater context, whereupon the home-work context is considered, for example, and other

factors, such as an individuals personal characteristics, and the broader economic or

cultural climate, might be seen as relevant. In this context, subjective well-being is seen

as drawing upon both work and non-work aspects of life.

However, more complex models of an individuals experience in the workplace often

appear to be set aside in an endeavor to simplify the process of trying to measuring

stress or some similarly apparently discrete entity. It may be, however, that the

consideration of the bigger, more complex picture is essential, if targeted, effective action

is to be taken to address quality of working life or any of its sub-components.

In such a way as to produce real benefits, are they for the individual or the organisation.

Quality of working life has been differentiated from the broader concept of Quality of

Life. To some degree, this may be overly simplistic, as Elizur and Shye,(1990)(3)

concluded that quality of work performance is affected by Quality of Life as well as

Quality of working life. However, it will be argued here that the specific attention to

work-related aspects of quality of life is valid.Whilst Quality of Life has been more widely studied (4), Quality of working life, remains

relatively unexplored and unexplained. A review of the literature reveals relatively little

on quality of working life. Where quality of working life has been explored, writers differ

in their views on its core constituents.

It is argued that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts as regards Quality of

working Life, and, therefore, the failure to attend to the bigger picture may lead to the

failure of interventions which tackle only one aspect. A clearer understanding of the

inter-relationship of the various facets of quality of working life offers the opportunity for

improved analysis of cause and effect in the workplace.

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This consideration of Quality of working Life as the greater context for various factors in

the workplace, such as job satisfaction and stress, may offer opportunity for more cost-

effective interventions in the workplace. The effective targeting of stress reduction, for

example, may otherwise prove a hopeless task for employers pressured to take action to

meet governmental requirements.

Theories about Quality of Working Life

Various authors and researchers have proposed models of Quality of working life which

include a wide range of factors. Selected models are reviewed below.

(1) Hackman and Oldham (1976) (5) drew attention to what they described as

psychological growth needs as relevant to the consideration of Quality of working

life. Several such needs were identified; Skill variety, Task Identity, Task

significance, Autonomy and Feedback. They suggested that such needs have to be

addressed if employees are to experience high quality of working life.

(2) Taylor (1979)(6) 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 ones present skills, self development, a meaningful future at

work, social relevance of the work or product, effect on extra work activities.

Taylor suggested that relevant Quality of working life concepts may vary

according to organisation and employee group.

(3) Warr and colleagues (1979)(7), in an investigation of Quality of working

life, considered a range of apparently relevant factors, including workinvolvement, intrinsic job motivation, higher order need strength, perceived

intrinsic job characteristics, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, happiness, and self-

rated anxiety. They discussed a range of correlations derived from their work,

such as those between work involvement and job satisfaction, intrinsic job

motivation and job satisfaction, and perceived intrinsic job characteristics and job

satisfaction.

(4) Mirvis and Lawler (1984)(8) suggested that Quality of working life wasassociated with satisfaction with wages, hours and working conditions, describing

the basic elements of a good quality of work life as; safe work environment,

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equitable wages, equal employment opportunities and opportunities for

advancement.

(5) Baba and Jamal (1991)(9) listed what they described as typical indicators

of quality of working life, including: job satisfaction, job involvement, work role

ambiguity, work role conflict, work role overload, job stress, organizational

commitment and turn-over intentions. Baba and Jamal also explored routinisation

of job content, suggesting that this facet should be investigated as part of the

concept of quality of working life. Some have argued that quality of working life

might vary between groups of workers. For example, Ellis and Pompli (2002)(10)

identified a number of factors contributing to job dissatisfaction and quality of

working life in nurses, including: Poor working environments, Resident

aggression, Workload, Unable to deliver quality of care preferred, Balance of

work and family, Shift work, Lack of involvement in decision making,

Professional isolation, Lack of recognition, Poor relationships with

supervisor/peers, Role conflict, Lack of opportunity to learn new skills.

(6) Sirgy et al.; (2001)(11) suggested that the key factors in quality of

working life are: Need satisfaction based on job requirements, Need satisfaction

based on Work environment, Need satisfaction based on Supervisory behaviour,

Need satisfaction based on Ancillary programmes, Organizational commitment.

They defined quality of working life as satisfaction of these key needs through

resources, activities, and outcomes stemming from participation in the workplace.

Maslows needs were seen as relevant in underpinning this model, covering

Health & safety, Economic and family, Social, Esteem, Actualisation, Knowledge

and Aesthetics, although the relevance of non-work aspects is play down as

attention is focussed on quality of work life rather than the broader concept of

quality of life.These attempts at defining quality of working life have includedtheoretical approaches, lists of identified factors, correlational analyses, with

opinions varying as to whether such definitions and explanations can be both

global, or need to be specific to each work setting.

(7) Bearfield, (2003)(12) used 16 questions to examine quality of working

life, and distinguished between causes of dissatisfaction in professionals,

intermediate clerical, sales and service workers, indicating that different concerns

might have to be addressed for different groups. The distinction made between job

satisfaction and dissatisfaction in quality of working life reflects the influence of

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job satisfaction theories. Herzberg at al., (1959)(13) used Hygiene factors and

Motivator factors to distinguish between the separate causes of job satisfaction

and job dissatisfaction. It has been suggested that Motivator factors are intrinsic to

the job, that is; job content, the work itself, responsibility and advancement. The

Hygiene factors or dissatisfaction-avoidance factors include aspects of the job

environment such as interpersonal relationships, salary, working conditions and

security. Of these latter, the most common cause of job dissatisfaction can be

company policy and administration, whilst achievement can be the greatest source

of extreme satisfaction. An individuals experience of satisfaction or

dissatisfaction can be substantially rooted in their perception, rather than simply

reflecting their real world. Further, an individuals perception can be affected

by relative comparison am I paid as much as that person - and comparisons of

internalised ideals, aspirations, and expectations, for example, with the

individuals current state (Lawler and Porter, 1966) (1).

In summary, where it has been considered, authors differ in their views on the core

constituents of Quality of Working Life (e.g. Sirgy, Efraty, Siegel & Lee, 2001 (11) and

Warr, Cook & Wall, 1979)(7).

It has generally been agreed however that Quality of Working Life is conceptually similar

to well-being of employees but differs from job satisfaction which solely represents the

workplace domain (Lawler, 1982)(15).

Quality of Working Life is not a unitary concept, but has been seen as incorporating a

hierarchy of perspectives that not only include work-based factors such as job

satisfaction, satisfaction with pay and relationships with work colleagues, but also factors

that broadly reflect life satisfaction and general feelings of well-being (Danna & Griffin,

1999)(16). More recently, work-related stress and the relationship between work and non-

work life domains (Loscocco & Roschelle, 1991)(17) have also been identified as factors

that should conceptually be included in Quality of Working Life.3. Constructs of Quality of Work Life

The selected constructs of QWL that we use in this in this report are derived from the

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Condition (EWON)

(2002) who have used the dimensions widely in their QWL studies. These factors are

believed to be appropriate and reliable in the context of Asia generally and Malaysia

specifically because some of the factors were used separately by researchers in Japan

(Fujigaki, Asakura and Haratani, 1993), Singapore (Lau et al., 2001) and Malaysia 2001)and Malaysia are health and well-being, job security, job satisfaction, competence

development and the balance between work with non-work life. The following section

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discusses each of the constructs of QWL from the perspectives of professionals in Kot

Addu Power Company Limited.

3.1. Health and well-being

Health and well-being of QWL refer to physical and psychological aspects of an

individual in any working environment. Asakura and Fujigaki (1993) examined the direct

and indirect effect of computerization and equipment base work on workers health and

well-being. Their results were similar to the study of Iacovides, Fountoulakis and Kaprins

(2003) that higher job demand leads to higher strain work environment, hence; it affects

their health and well being. An unstrained work environment ensures good health and

psychological conditions which enable the employees to perform job and non-work

related functions without inhibitions. Thus, it leads to an unstressful work environment

providing comfortable work life.

There are many definitions of stress as it is deemed as a subjective phenomenon of QWL.

Chan et al. (2000) define stress as a response to the perceived relationship between the

demands on individuals and the ability to adjust to their work environment. Carayon,

Smith and Haims (2001) revealed that stress arises in the process of interaction between a

person and the work environment that threatens the individuals physical, psychological

and physiological homeostasis. Physical illness and psychological disorders increase

when pressure at work increases. Stress causes problems to the muscular system and

circulation thus, increasing the risk of myocardial infarction which is well documented in

psychosomatic studies. They further reported that employees who have been exposed

over two years in high strain work environment are associated with higher systolic blood

pressure.

The nature of engineering professions reflect a similar situation that continuously

demanding and monotonous work environment that affects the brains resulting in

exhaustion and decreasing in some of professionalscognitive abilities.

Depression and anxiety are also another form of stress that contributes towards thedeterioration of health. Employees develop various symptoms of stress that can harm job

performance, health and even threaten the ability to cope with the environment. In the

past few decades, impressive developments of information technologies have taken place

in workplace. Apart from the positive effects of IT there are also potential adverse effects

that must not be overlooked.

Korunka et al. (1997) identified automated office proponents to subjectively experience

stress and dissatisfaction at work. Technical work related jobs have been associated withrepetitive strain as well as problems related to excessive exposure to video display

terminals (Ng and Munro-Kua, 1994; Duxbury, Higgins and Johnson, 1999). Routine

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work, badly designed instruments such as computers and furniture in IT work

environment have significantly increased work related disorders (Blatter and Bongers,

2002) such as musculoskeletal problems (Cardosa and Wan Fauziah, 1994).

Jobs in Technical work environment have become a critical factor because they involve a

new set of stressors that are also physically demanding. Many researchers highlight

Techno-stress concept when discussing stress that is related to IT (Bradley, 2001).

Techno-stress includes the pressure of mastering the IT revolution, the daily frustrations

and sudden interruptions of software bugs or system crashes, resulting in work

intensification and workplace stress. The symptoms of techno stress are related to

physical and psychological conditions such as backache, uncertain tempers, ulcers, acne,

insomnia, low morale and job-hopping. On the other hand, resistance to learn and keep up

with IT or rejection of the technology due to individual ambivalence, reluctance or fear of

IT also causes stress particularly among seasoned IT professionals.

There are substantial literatures linking computerization and health and well being in

Occupational industry. Cardosa and Wan Fauziah (1994) had highlighted the alarming

situation of health and safety among the computer users in various occupational offices

Workers. They suggested for a serious policy initiatives on computer users because they

argued that the workers health should not be sacrificed for the sake of greater

productivity and efficiency in the industry. A recent research conducted by Blatter and

Bongers (2002) on the duration of computer and mouse use in relation to musculoskeletal

disorders of neck or upper limb, indicates that the duration and the frequency of computer

use have substantially increased the health risk of the users.

The majority of these studies showed substantial increase in neck, shoulder and hand or

wrist problem among those working for longer hours with poor ergonomic practices

while working on a computer and other office equipment. Several large cross-sectional

and longitudinal studies have focused on job components such as demands, control,rewards and support. The results indicate that the combination of high demands and low

control at work have impact on health and well being. The European Agency for Safety

and Health at Work (2000) examined the number of European employees that are

exposed to risks or that have experienced illness.

They observed that the main indicators for Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) risks

are the work pace which is determined by a high prevalence of repetitive movements and

high-speed work. This finding is parallel to the earlier research by Ng and Kua (1994) on

the health hazards among techno- professionals. The research signifies that a substantial

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number of Technical professionals experienced OSH outcomes such as musculoskeletal

disorders, stress and work-related sick leave. Although, the health and well-being of

workforce has improved due to the disappearance of harsh and hazardous work in the last

century, workforce are again at risk because of the nature of contemporary work

especially in Tecnical industries is psychologically demanding. Therefore, job demands

that cause strain can be detrimental to individual health, thus leading to psychological

distress andhealth complaints (Karasek and Theorell, 1991; Cheng et al., 2000; De Jonge

et al., 2000). As a concluding remark, Tecnical workplace should focus on prevention

strategies from poor health and wellbeing in order to provide a good QWL. Factors that

lead to physical and psychological disorders should be nipped in its bud in order to

provide a good QWL among the fastest growing Techno-professional workforce.

Stress Management techniques and complementary medicine may have some positive

benefits as short-term relief of strains, but they cannot eradicate the problem completely.

The prevention strategies should focus on the relationship between the individual job

context, working conditions and the changes in the workplace. The prevention strategies

must be healthy and humanistic nature in order to enable Techno-professionals to work

comfortably. An unstressful workplace is not merely from the financial reimbursement or

other benefits that matter. It is a feeling of fulfillment and gratification that the employees

experience from working, thus it eventually provides a good health and well being.

3.2. Job security

A dramatic change of workforce in contemporary work environment has revealed a

significant amount of organization change (Watson et al., 2003). Organization change

such as downsizing, rightsizing and outsourcing have adversely affected employees

loyalty, morale, motivation and perceived job security. Organization of Economic

Cooperation and Development (OECD) (1996) highlighted that job security is the mostcontroversial issue in contemporary work environment. Job security, the central aspect of

QWL represents strength of the organizations to provide permanent and stable

employment regardless of the changes in work environment. Hence, providing a sense of

security is important especially in the work environment where many facets of jobs can

be outsourced.

The increase in industry wide unemployment and outsourcing trends have made it evident

that job security cannot be taken for granted (Probst, 2003). Jobs in industries such as

computer programming, software development, system analysis in power generation

companies are highly paid but the chance to extend the contract is uncertain. Therefore, it

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is observed that Technical work industry has practiced high employment rate but low job

security which has led to the intrinsic insecure work environments that lead to poor

QWL.

This move has prompted some critics to view that employers are adopting an active

policy of creating a division between the core of highly protected workers, with long-

term career perspectives and a periphery of project based technical professionals where

employer can leverage scarce and high value talents that tend to be terminated at the end

of every project. The increase in project based working arrangements is often regarded as

employees choice, although the desire has come from the employer to increase the part

timers or contract workers and long work culture (Cooper, 1998).

The emergence of outsourcing and IT automation concept also has significantly fuelled

the sense of job insecurity among Technical and working at professionals. As a

conclusion, the unstable work nature and the way working culture are being diversified,

point to a considerable impact on the job security among the Technical and working at

professionals.

The ability of organization to provide better QWL to retain their Technical professionals

has been a critical factor in the effort to achieve strategic business goal. The exit of

Technical professionals who seem to know a project in detail can ultimately contribute to

the lost of business opportunities. Not long ago, Fortune magazine reported that quitting a

job in the technology profession has become an annual event, as the average job tenure in

IT shrank to about 13 months, down from about 18 months in 1998 (Daniels and Vinzant,

2000). Changing employers may be an effective career strategy for some Technical

professionals. On the other hand, most organizations strive to retain the valued Technical

professionals by various means. This is one of the realities of QWL among the Technical

professionals even though the organization provides secured job environment that is

expected to provide better QWL.

3.3. Job Satisfaction

As Technical professionals become vital in leapfrogging a country such as Pakistan into a

developed nation, the stable transformation of the existing workforce towards knowledge

workers emphasizes the importance of having satisfied employees. Traut, Larsen and

Feimen (2000) suggested that a better understanding of job satisfaction will ensure a

sustainable development of Technical workforce. Although, job satisfaction has been

studied ever since the emergence of concept of job (Lamond and Spector, 2000),

It remains as one of the most heavily studied topics in the human resource management

especially among the industry like IT which experiencing high turnover culture.

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Typically job satisfaction is defined as an employees level of positive effect towards job

or job situation that enhances quality of work life. The definition, however, evolves as the

changes take place in work environment. Later, cognitive and behavioural components

were added to this definition. The cognitive aspect represents an employees belief about

his job or job situation.

This means an employee may believe that his or her job is interesting, stimulating, or

otherwise. The behavioural component represents an employees behavioural tendencies

toward his or her job. The action of attending work regularly, working hard and intending

to stay in the organization for long period of time shows the positive behaviour which

indicates job satisfaction. In contrast, negative behavioural outcomes reveal

dissatisfaction in job. Job satisfaction of an employee differs in meaning and importance

in relations to the facets of work. Some may feel pay and fringe benefits that meet his

expectations to be extremely important; another, it may be essential to have a job that

provides an opportunity for challenging assignment.

The results of previous studies indicate that many different aspects of the job, such as

pay, promotions, supervision, fringe benefits, ones co-workers support, and excessive

working hours (Watson et al,. 2003) are associated with levels of satisfaction. Martinsons

and Cheung (2001) reported that Techno- professionals insufficient compensation and

poor promotion prospects were key sources of dissatisfaction. For example, offering

compensation and rewards significantly lower compared to the competitors for the same

type of work can trigger employees dissatisfaction that will create intention among them

to leave the organization. Therefore, it is important to know whether the employees are

satisfied. It is also widely expressed that job satisfaction appears to stem from the

interaction between the employee, the job itself and the organizational context within

which the job is carried out. In summary, the scope of job satisfaction varies with the

industries however, general concepts such as

physical conditions that allow the utilization of the ability of employees, proud ofworking in an organization and a sense of belonging that leads to job satisfaction are

among the items adopted in any study on QWL

3.4. Competency Development

There was a strong consensus that technical professionals would need to continuously

enhance their skill sets in order to remain employable in the Technical industry Work

associated with greater task variety, task discretion and skill development opportunities

foster the competency development among the workforce (Javernpaa and Eloranthay,

2001). There are types of work, which are intrinsically interesting and provide

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opportunities for competency development. The nature of Technology related jobs are

expected to stimulate growth in skills and knowledge. This is seen as an important aspect

of competency development that enhances QWL. Therefore competency development is

operationalized as the nature of the job that provides opportunities and stimulates growth

in skills and knowledge either for career or organizational development. Career

development opportunity will provide essential training that will help the individual

employees to equip with the new skills to spearhead in their career.

Most contemporary organizations do not limit themselves to just training an employee

for a job, but they go beyond to furnish them with a support system that encourages

workplace learning. Empirical research portrays that Technical profession is associated

with higher skill levels, greater employee responsibility and greater task complexity that

lead to higher utilization of individual capabilities. Hence, individuals in such work

scenario, which use more advanced technological infrastructures, are exposed to greater

competency development (Wall, Cordery and Clegg, 2002).

Learning opportunities and skill discretion have also proven to have a positive effect on

job satisfaction and reduced job stress that will lead to better QWL. The opportunity to

develop and the use of skills is associated with learning mechanisms. This applies

especially when the job requires employees to deploy cognitive skills. With respect to

learning, greater autonomy on job enhances the acquisition and utilization of knowledge

whilst greater participation is held to promote cognitive

growth via increased knowledge transfer among employees (Scully, Kirkpatrick and

Locke 1995). Such a job environment expands knowledge base, leads to a better

understanding of how the job is related to other organizational practices and a greater

ability to solve problems. In such a situation, employees gain the cognitive and

behavioural repertoire to predict, control or cope with uncertain demands thus reducing

the likelihood of poor QWL. In contrast, high job demands with inadequate control

reduce the ability and opportunities to develop new skills and knowledge and thusenforce negative attitudes and anxiety which deteriorate QWL. Martinsons and Cheung

(2001) further reported that technical skills were perceived to be the most important skill

for new technical professionals.

Meanwhile the most important skills for experienced professionals were project

management, interpersonal skills and business knowledge. Technical skills are important

because they are related to creativity, flexibility and the ability to work as part of a team

(Jarvenpaa and Eloranta, 2001). Therefore, lack of career progression and professionals

development in such a working environment may cause Technical professionals to

experience poor QWL.

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Thus, understanding the constructs of QWL in terms of job environment that provides

essential competencies for the Technical professionals to excel in their careers will ensure

good QWL.

3.5. Work and non-work life balance

A major component of QWL, which is important for both the employees and the

employers, is the relationship between work and home life. In an increasing competitive

environment, it is difficult to separate home and work life. Employees today are more

likely to express a strong desire to have a harmonious balance among career, family life

and leisure activities. This has been suggested at the international level the need for

national policies in many countries. An ILO convention that was adopted in 1981, states

that it is necessary for organizations to help employees to balance their work and non-

work demands (Lewis, 1997). The advantage of being able to work anywhere and at

anytime has blurred the boundaries of work and leisure hours. Ironically, with Technical

revolution and intensified virtual communications, workload and working hours among

the workforce have increased. The extended function of IT as a communication tool

necessitates employees to distinguish between significant and insignificant information.

This could increase the intensity of work because the information overload through e-

mail consumes a considerable amount of time. Therefore, Technical professionals to

some extent are required to work long hours; hence compromising their personal time

will lead to an imbalance between work with non-work life.

The threat of imbalance in work and non-work life has implications not only on the

employees but also on organizations, governments and society (Grzywacz and Marks,

2000; Swanson, Power and Simpson, 1998). This relationship is bi-directional because

previous studies have indicated that less conducive environments in the workplace have a

greater impact on home life than vice versa.

Another important factor that creates an imbalance work condition was a commitment to

the work activities. The IT work environment is widely assumed to be a high-commitment workplace that forces the Technical professionals to sacrifice their personal

leisure hours to meet their work demand. The flexible scheduling of work hours which

supposedly contribute to balance work and family relationship, which may create a

conflict. Such a work arrangement demands the Technical professionals to be committed

with work whenever possible and hijack them from joining non work related activities. A

meta-analysis has confirmed that conflict between work and non-work life is associated

with impaired psychological well-being and other negative outcomes (Allen et al., 2000).

Work family conflict is a form of inter-role conflict in which the general demand of time

devoted to the job interferes with the involvement of family related responsibilities. The

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study carried out by Aminah (2002) supports that inter-role family conflict occurs when

the cumulative demands of multiple roles at home and at work become too great to

manage comfortably.

Allen et al. (2000) emphasized that problems associated with family responsibilities are

additional sources that may diminish QWL among technical professionals. They

additionally assert that when an employee has higher work responsibility there will be

more spillover of negative work outcomes on family life. The demands of managing

higher responsibility at work and home are also a potential source of stress because it

allows a spillover to family life thus creating an imbalance working environment. Burke

(1998) proposed three hypotheses to explain the work-family relationship.

The first is spillover, where the events of one environment affect the other; the second is

compensation, where the individuals attempt to compensate in one environment for what

is lacking in the other and the third is where the environments can be described as

independent. Accordingly, Technical based employers that have been slow to respond to

the continuing pressures have contributed to a growing incidence of work-life conflict

among their employees.

The spillovers between work and personal life have serious implications on employees

QWL. It has also been argued that the conflict related to work and personal demands can

lead to negative health outcomes for employees, may decrease organizational

commitment, job satisfaction and increase burnout, which will eventually lead to poor

QWL. Traditional human resource policy practices that require the Technical

professionals to work long hours at the expense of personal time is believed to generate

poor work family relationship. Working long hours consistently reflect poor health both

physically and psychologically. Most studies on hours of work and health re-affirm that

consistent long hours at work do reflect itself in employees ill health, both physical and

psychological. As the Technical work environment imposes its employees to work

extended hours either at office or home, this might have tremendous effect on the maritaland family relationship.

There is a link between long hours and the breakdown of the family, primarily because in

contemporary business environment an average family is a dual-earner family. Elisa and

Ellen (2001) revealed that the majority of employees suggested that their long work hours

have negatively affected their personal life and family responsibilities. The portability

and the connectivity of IT allow the connection of job task from remote areas. The

stringent deadline on their tasks encourages the Technical professionals to engage with

work task for longer hours in a day. Indeed, the Technical professionals are willing to

sacrifice non-work related activities to accomplish the task on time. Bradley (2001)

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argued that constantly increasing work demand creates an isolation of the personnel from

their families. Personnel and family responsibility are neglected in the process of securing

an economic prospect; hence, it deteriorates the interaction of family life that reduces

QWL. Competitive work pressures among Technical professionals to boost productivity

with skeleton resources make it difficult to achieve a balanced work-life.

The work pressures affect the employees social environment, and if no corrective action

taken, it may result in a poor social life. Therefore, alternatives such as career breaks,

flexible working arrangements (Bijleveld, Andries and Rijkevorsel, 2000) and family

friendly employment policies were suggested to balance between work and non-work

life.

Reducing the level of spillover may help to reduce the perceived stress and psychological

stress and assist to maintain some amount of balance between the two environments

(Aminah, 2002). The existing low level of organizational support with increase in work-

life conflict provides the risk of lower QWL. Organizations need to provide alternative

means of employment practices to eliminate the pressure of spillover without influencing

the career progression. The balance is important particularly among the Technical

professionals in order to nurture and develop the sustainable human resource practices in

the IT work environment. Therefore, balance between work and non-work life is

suggested as one of the measures of QWL.

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Figure 2: Quality of work life global score (percentile.(

LIFE/WORK BALANCE

1. What is life/work balance?

2. What are the benefits to employers?

3. Key considerations

4. How to devise and implement a life/work balance strategy

5. Monitoring and evaluation

An organization that is committed to life/work balance:

Recognizes that effective practices to promote life/work balance will benefit the

organization and its employees

Acknowledges that individuals at all stages of their lives work best when they are

able to achieve an appropriate balance between work and all other aspects of their

lives

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Highlights the employers and the employees joint responsibility to discuss

workable solutions and encourages a partnership between work and all other aspects

of their lives

Develops appropriate policies and practical responses that meet the specific needs

of the organization and its employees having regard to:

fairness and consistency

valuing employees for their contribution to the business, not their working

pattern

monitoring and evaluation

Communicates its commitment to life/work strategies to its employees and

jobseekers

Demonstrate leadership from the top of the organization and encourages managers

to lead by example.

The key is to make life/work balance part of the way of life, rather than a procedure that

needs to be followed. It should pervade all policy, procedure and practice.

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WHAT IS LIFE/WORK BALANCE

Life/work balance can mean different things to different people and in different contexts and this

makes it very difficult to define. In the context of the Workload Agreement, the focus is clearly on

reducing working hours and workload and thereby to reduce the associated burdens and stress uponstaff. The successful implementation of the Workload Agreement, with the associated reduction in

work, bureaucracy etc, will in itself contribute to a better life/work balance for staff.

It is also about a more general desirability for workers to have control over their lives and to

manage the demands and expectations of modern life by achieving harmony between their work and

private commitments.

However, it is also important to be aware that life/work balance is not about employers having to

accommodate every employees wish for time of, flexible working etc. It is about mutual flexibility

which does not unreasonably impact on the business needs and accommodates the reasonable

wishes and needs of employees.

In general terms, achieving a reasonable life/work balance may mean a consideration of the

following issues

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Flexible workinge.g.

Part-time, job share

Term-time working, annualised hours

Flexi-time

Home-working

Flexible Absencee.g.

Sick leave

Parental leave

Compassionate leave

Holidays

Working Culture

Working smarter not harder

Expectations, either direct or implied (e.g.

by example), of the

organization/managers

Expectations staff have of themselves or

choices that individuals make

e.g.

Working hours

Timing of meetings, training etc,

Start and finish times

Workload (including working at home)

Breaks

Equalities

Facilities and benefits

)NB not necessarily paid for by the

organization but facilitated by it(

e.g.

Health & safety, training & development

Provision of laptops for use at home

Provision of staff room, drink facilities etc.

Arrangements for services to be provided at

organization. car washing, shopping delivery

Quality of work / home lifee.g.

degree of personal autonomy

health & fitness

recognition of the right to time to pursue

personal interests outside work

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO EMPLOYERS?

Life/work balance can be seen as something that benefits employees, but which is rather

inconvenient and some would say at times, detrimental to the employer. However, research has

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shown that there are a number of real benefits to employers of operating effective life/work balance

strategies.

Good Industrial relations a motivated

and committed workforce

Reputation as a good employer

Mutual flexibility an employer that looks after

its staff gets the best from them

Better recruitment and retention Access to a bigger potential pool of applicants by

offering a range of work options/patterns

Employees that are happy and have flexibility are

more inclined to stay

Reduced absenteeism and a more

productive and focused workforce

Staff are less likely to be stressed and ill

Employee who are afforded time to deal with

issues outside work are more likely to be 100%

focused when they are at work

More flexibility to meet business

demand

Mutual flexibility enables peaks and troughs in

demand to be met

Already exercised through term-time working for

example

Reduced overtime costs

Stress. It would of course be wrong to suggest that there

are not some challenges for employers.

A flexible workforce can:

take more organization and slightly increase staffing costs;

sometimes make it difficult to meet demand if staff are unable to commit to certain

working patterns/times and when staff are absent;

Lead to a perception by those that are happy with their life/work balance that they

are carrying the work of those who work reduced hours or are absent.

The provision of some facilities and benefits can have a cost either financial or time.

It can be difficult to change the organizational and individuals culture - this needs

commitment at every level.

However, the key to establishing an effective strategy is to embed practices that both the employer

and employee are familiar and comfortable with and which become the norm rather than a

procedural burden.

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WHAT ARE THE KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR LIFE/WORK BALANCE?

GENERAL

Demands, expectations and

priorities change over the period of

an individuals life

People with children usually have different demands

and these change as the children grow older

People who have worked for many years may want toenjoy more time away form work in pursuit of personal

pleasures


priorities are different for each

individual

Some people have elderly or sick dependants, some

have children, some suffer ill health themselves and others

have no commitments outside of work and live for work

Some people relish autonomy at work while others

prefer clear direction and supervision


priorities may be long term or

transient

People with children have long term commitments

others may suffer crises in their personal life which last a

relatively short time but are very demanding

FOR LIFE/WORK BALANCE ?

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Consideration of life/work balance must

be in the context of the business need.

But this needs to be balanced with rights, needs

and wishes of individuals

Clearly a organization has core business

hours and responsibility to children and

parents

e.g.

a employee cannot teach at home but

could do planning at home

an LSA must have core attendance hours

but a bursar may have more scope to work

flexible hours or at home

There must be mutual flexibility

Employers and employees must work

together to find an acceptable balance for each

other

e.g.

term-time working suits some posts as it

meets demand and some employees who have

child care commitments

One pattern does not fit all a mosaic

workforce

All posts should be approached with an

open mind do not assume full time working

is a necessity

e.g.

Employers may have every type of worker,

even in the same role e.g. office staff may be

full or part-time, on annualized or flexi hours

contracts etc.

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Balance individual needs against those of

others

Flexibility for individuals must not have a

disproportionate effect on others workloadsnor excuse individuals from appropriate

roles or responsibilities

e.g.

be cautious of overburdening other staff

when individuals have time off dont

overwork the willing

ensure fair distribution of work do not

always turn to the full time workers just

because they are there all the time

Manage perceptions and manage absencese.g.

full time staff may perceive those who work

part-time/term-time as doing less work and as

having to have their work covered when they

are not there but they are also paid for less

time

Absences must be managed and be reasonable

in the context of the role levels of absence,

however legitimate the reason, can become

unacceptable

Treat staff according to their roles and

responsibilities not their working pattern

A part-time employee has the same status as a

full-time employee and should be afforded the

same level of responsibility and access to

training, promotion etc.

Arrange meetings, training etc. so that all staff

have equal access or vary the pattern of

delivery to meet all needs

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FOR WORKING CULTURE?

Leading by example

The working culture is usually set by the

manager(s) either:

explicitly e.g. in determining start and

finish times, allocating work or

implicitly e.g. by coming in early/leaving

late (or visa versa !), taking work home

staff often feel obliged to mirror the working

culture of their manager or their colleagues

and can themselves, or be made to, feel

ineffective if they do not conform

it might reasonably be expected that managers

work harder and longer than other staff, but

they are entitled to a reasonable life/work

balance too !

Effective Management

Legal restrictions on working time and

ensure staff have adequate breaks

Allocate reasonable workloads

Monitor and manage stress levels, apply

flexible working policies effectively

Effective organization in discussion with

staff

Promotion of Equality

monitor and manage peaks and troughs,

facilitate team working

are meetings necessary, do they always

have to be after organization, do they have to

be as frequent, does everyone have to attend ?

can training be undertaken differently, do

all staff have to come into organizational non-

pupils days or can they work from home

Empowerment

Staff must be enabled, encouraged and

assisted in taking responsibility for facilitating

their own life/work balance

effective time management to enable

effective working

employees must manage the timing and

quantity of work outside directed time

themselves

staff must be able to question and in some

cases so no

HOW TO DEVISE AND IMPLEMENT A LIFE/WORK BALANCE STRATEGY

The fundamental key to achieving a successful strategy is that life/work balance issues become

embedded in the culture of the organization. As with any cultural change this requires everyone to

buy in to any changes and this requires

Consultation

Implementation

Communication

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Evaluation

Adjustments as required

In order to develop an effective strategy it is necessary to know your starting point and your goals.

This will enable the development of an action plan.

Staff views

The fundamental tool for successful implementation of the workforce reform is discussion with the

whole staff group to share ideas and work together to find workable solutions. This not surprisingly

then is a good starting point for addressing the issue of life/work balance.

This may be achieved by one, or a combination, of the following:

establishing a working group within the organizational consortia groups;

focusing on life/work balance issues at a training day or staff meeting;

asking staff to complete a questionnaire (see attached for example);

Individual discussion at performance management/appraisal meetings.

Information needs to be gathered from a range of angles i.e.

What is currently in place?

How widely are existing practices known and applied?

What does staff want?

How might this be achieved?

What are the inhibitors?

The needs of the organization

Clearly getting the balance right is not just about the individuals work and private life but also

about meeting the needs of the organization. It is therefore tempting at this early stage to consider

the parameters of the organizations needs. However, central to the Workload Agreement is the

theme of working differently and this encompassing everything from the structure of the working

day, to the tasks that are carried out and importantly by whom they are undertaken. Managers

should therefore avoid creating absolutes in terms of what the business needs are and be prepared to

work with staff, collectively and individually, to achieve a mutually acceptable balance between the

organizations and the individuals needs.

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However, a life/work balance strategy must be designed to contribute to the organizations aims and

objectives and these need to be clear from the outset. The optimum objective is clearly the

provision of a high quality education service and the achievement of this includes:

recruitment and retention of capable staff;

staff motivation and commitment;

maintaining good staff health and attendance;

staff who are adequately trained and developed;

Successful implementation of the Workload Agreement.

An effective life/work balance strategy will be manifest in both

practice and policy

Policy development

There are a number of key policies/procedures which directly support life/work balance principles

and organization is recommended to ensure that these are in place.

Leave of Absence Policy

Flexible Working Policy

Equalities Opportunities Policy

Contracts of Employment

In addition, life/work balance issues need to be incorporated into other policies/procedures either

explicitly, or as part of their execution.

Induction and Probation procedures

Recruitment Procedures

Performance Management

Training and Development

Life/work balance strategies should also be evident in organization improvement and staffing plans.

A successful life/work balance strategy will depend upon effective communication

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The success of a life/work balance strategy will depend upon it being lead by example.

Managers need to ensure that staff knows that they are valued and supported.

Good employers attract good staff and flexibility and looking after staff are high in peoples

definition of a good employer. So tell potential employees in your recruitment pack that you are

committed to supporting the achievement of a reasonable life/work balance for all.

Include discussion about life/work balance issues during induction, performance

management, and career development discussions. This serves several purposes. It ensures that

the strategy and associated policies are understood; it provides a mechanism for individual

needs and wishes to be considered and provides an opportunity to reinforce the cultural

expectations if necessary and to monitor expectations and how well they are being met.

Staff should be consulted about all policies and procedures prior to formal adoption by the

governing body and all staff should be made aware of, and given access to, all relevant policies

and procedures adopted by the organization.

All relevant parties should be kept informed of new developments and involved in monitoring,

evaluations and reviews.

Individual and organisation needs naturally change over time and need to change where

improvement is not achieved.

Evaluation of hard and soft data will help to:

measure effectiveness, efficiency and cost;

measure benefits to the organisation and individuals;

measure impact on achieving goals and targets;

Raise awareness of what works and what doesnt and identify when alternative solutions may be

desirable.

Review will be an essential ongoing process - both in terms of the organisation and

individuals.

STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress is a fact of life for most people. And while stress may be natural and unavoidable, stress

overload can cause physical and mental harm. It is important for supervisors to learn to manage

their own stress and keep it form getting out of hand. Once they understand the basics of stress

management, they may also be able to help their employees reduce and manage stress.

Stress is usually considered a bad thing, but the pounding heart and other physical signals of stressare actually natural. They mean the body is gearing up to handle lifes pressures and strains.

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While a little stress is good, too much stress can cause physical, mental, and emotional problems.

The trick is to learn what parts of the jobs and personal life are stressfuland how to reduce and

manage stress.

Stress can cause a variety of physical ailments, from headaches and sleeplessness to heart

problems, and can reduce resistance to illness. People that claim they are sick due to stress may

not be exaggerating.

Some people seem to find little problems like traffic more stressful than beg problems. People

focus all their resources on handling big problems and may have nothing left to handle lifes small

but stressful hassles. A proper diet, regular exercise and other healthy habits are also helpful in

combating stress. Being stronger and healthier improves your abilities in all aspects of life,

including handling stress.

The following outline offer suggestions for yourself and those that you supervise.

STRESS CAN SHOW UP IN PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

Stress can release adrenaline, provide extra energy and ability to meet challenges.

If stress gets overwhelming or goes on too long, it can cause potentially harmful

physical symptoms such as:

o Exhaustion and/or insomnia

o

Strong headacheso Depression

o Reduced resistance to illness

o Increased risk of heart attack

JOB PRESSURES CAN CAUSE STRESS

Work-related causes of stress may include:

o Long work hours and weeks

o Deadline pressures

o Work overload, staff reductions, and budgetary constraints

o Fear of layoffs or cutbacks

o Learning and teaching new equipment and procedures

o Conducting performance reviews

o Trying to boost sagging staff morale

o Difficult relationships with bosses, employees or peers

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STRESS IN PERSONAL LIFE CAN CAUSE OR ADD TO STRESS AT WORK

Potentially stressful personal situations may include:

o A loved ones illness or death

o Divorce

o Childrens problems

o Financial Problems

o Major change, even when positive (marriage, moving, childbirth, etc.)

o Minor daily hassles, like traffic or waiting in long lines

o Having both personal and job stress creates more stress (inability to escape

from stress give the mind and body no time to recover)

HEALTH HABITS CAN AFFECT STRESS

The mind and body are less able to manage stress if they are weakened by poor

diet, sleep, or exercise habits.

Poor health habits plus stress may lead to :

o Low resistance to illness

o Painful muscle tension or spasms

o Inability to hold emotional reactions in check

Good basic health habits strengthen the body and mind to better manage stress

o East balanced nutritious meals, not junk food

o Minimize caffeine and alcohol

o Get enough sleep at the same time nightly

o Exercise regularly, including even walking or climbing stairs

o Take time to do nothing but relax

TRY TO IDENTIFY PERSOANL STRESS SYMPTOMS AND SOURCES

Stress may be the cause of physical ailments like:

o Headache

o Stomach ache or heartburn

o Back ache

o Recurring pain or discomfort from a previous injury or illness

Try to identify stress sources that cause the physical symptoms. Such as:

o Dealing with particular individuals

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o Sitting in traffic

o Preparing for certain types of encounters

DEVELOP WAYS TO MANAGE OR REDUCE STRESS

Plan ahead for stress-producing tasks, meetings, etc.

o Assemble all possible information and documentation

o Practice what you will say and how you will say it

o Give yourself enough time to avoid last-minute panic

o Reward yourself for getting through it by taking a short break, having a

snack, or other personal reward.

Make realistic schedules, plans and goals

Determine if all stress-producing tasks are necessary

Learn stress-reducing techniques you can do anywhere

o Spend a few minutes just breathing deeply, inhale deeply, hold it for a few

seconds, then slowly breath out

o Take a brisk walk

o Think about things that make you laugh

Company introduction

Kot Addu Power Plant (the "Power Plant") was built by the Pakistan Water and Power

Development Authority ("WAPDA") in five phases between 1985 and 1996 at its present location

in Kot Addu, District Muzaffargarh, and Punjab. In April 1996, Kot Addu Power Company

Limited ("KAPCO") was incorporated as a public limited company under the Companies

Ordinance, 1984 with the objective of acquiring the Power Plant from WAPDA. The principal

activities of KAPCO include the ownership, operation and maintenance of the Power Plant

Shareholding StructureOn June 27, 1996, following international

competitive bidding by the Privatization

Commission Government of Pakistan (the

"Privatization Commission"), the

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management of KAPCO was transferred to

National Power (now International Power)

of the United Kingdom, which acting

through its subsidiary National Power (Kot

Addu) Limited ("NPKAL"), bought shares

representing a 26% stake in KAPCO. Later,

NPKAL bought a further 10% shareholding

in KAPCO increasing its total shareholding

to 36%.

Mission Statement To be a responsible corporate citizen

To maximize shareholders' return

To provide reliable and economical power for our customer

To excel in all aspects relating to safety, quality and environment

Final 01/08/2008 31

The other majority shareholder in KAPCO is WAPDA with a present

shareholding of 46%.Following the successful completion of the Offer for Sale

by the Privatization Commission (on behalf of WAPDA) in February 2005, 18%

of KAPCO's shareholding is now held by the General Public. On April 18, 2005

KAPCO was formally listed on all three Stock Exchanges of Pakistan.


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Final 01/08/2008 32

KAPCO with its broad vision of Human Resource Management provides life-

long career development opportunities for qualified, competent and hard-working

professionals. Currently the employee strength is approximately 588. All of the

employees are well-trained and committed to their jobs. KAPCO endeavors to

create a conducive work environment which fosters pride, job satisfaction and

equal opportunity for career growth of the employees.


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Work Life Balance Arrangements at KAPCO

This document summarises the KAPCOs arrangements for work life balance for staff, including:

A - Maternity Leave Scheme

B - Adoption Leave Scheme

C - Paternity Leave Scheme

D -KAPCO Special Leave Schemes

E - Civic and Public Duties Scheme

Final 01/08/2008 33

KAPCO owns and maintains housing facilities for its employees and

their families. The residential colony is spread over 170 acres and

comprises over 900 houses, a ten bed hospital, staff and officers'

recreation facilities, two shopping centers, a bachelors hostel, a guest

house, secondary organizations for boys and girls and three mosques.

The employees and their dependants are provided with full medical

cover. Well-being of the employees families along with ample

recreational activities is essential for employees in order to deliver

optimum capabilities with complete peace of mind. Fully understanding

this importance, KAPCO promotes sports and recreation activities

amongst employees and their families.

KAPCO is an equal opportunity employer. KAPCO maintains a strict

induction standard and uses a merit base when hiring new employees to

ensure the concept of the "Right Person for the Right Job".

Human Resource Development

KAPCO greatly values its employees and therefore Human Resource

Development ("HRD") is a high priority in KAPCO's corporate

objectives. HRD programmes are developed, from time to time, with a

view not only to enhance essential business and professional skills but

also to focus on the personal development of employees. A long-term

view has been established to address personal development and

succession planning through effective training programmes.


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F - Working Flexibly at KAPCO Scheme

The information contained within this document will be updated to reflect statutory changes and is

correct as at 1 May 2008.

Policy Statement

The KAPCO is committed to ensuring that KAPCO provides and sustains a positive working

environment for all its staff to flourish and achieve in pursuit of the KAPCOs vision to be a world

leading KAPCO. As part of this commitment, the KAPCO has developed a flexible and responsive

framework of procedures to support staff in managing their work and personal commitments

wherever possible.

The aim of this document is to bring together all the current procedures available to establish a clearunderstanding of the schemes on offer and to ensure consistency of approach across the KAPCO.

The provisions set out within this document are not exhaustive and if any requests for special leave

fall outside this document, staff should contact their designated Human Resources Manager for

further advice.

A - Maternity Leave Scheme

KAPCO offers full and flexible maternity leave provision to ensure female staff has an opportunity

to integrate the development of their career with the birth of their child. The maternity provisions

included refer to the leave and pay to which female members of staff may be entitled.

All staff seeking any entitlement under the scheme will be required to provide the KAPCO with a

MATB1 (Maternity Certificate), which is provided on request by the relevant Medical Practitioner

between 20 and 26 weeks of pregnancy. Female staff will be provided with reasonable paid time off

for antenatal appointments, as well as any other treatments advised by a registered Medical

Practitioner. Evidence of appointments may be required.

1. Maternity Leave and Pay

1.1 The table below provides an outline of the various maternity leave entitlements available to

female staff. The entitlements will differ according to the length of service the member of staff has

with the KAPCO:

Staff Entitlement

All female staff, regardless of length of

service

52 weeks Statutory Maternity Leave

(SML)1

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Female staff who have 26 weeks

continuous service with the KAPCO at

the end of the 15th week before the

expected week of confinement (EWC)

and have paid National Insurance

contributions on their earnings

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) for

39 weeks -

90% of their average weekly pay for the

first six weeks and either 902 or 90% of

their average weekly earnings

(whichever is lower) for the remaining

33 weeks

13 weeks unpaid leave

There are four options forfemale staff who have 12 months continuous service

at the (EWC) which are dependent upon whether or not they intend to return to

work and when this decision is made:

Option 1 - Female staff intending to

return to work in a full or part time

capacity for a minimum of 13 weeks

after completion of their maternity

leave

KAPCO Maternity Pay Scheme

18 weeks at full pay (inclusive of SMP)

8 weeks at half pay (inclusive of SMP)

13 weeks at Statutory Maternity Pay

13 weeks of unpaid leave

Option 2 Female staff who decide at

any time prior to the birth of their baby

that they will not be returning to work

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) 39

weeks -


first six weeks and either 8700or 90%of their average weekly earnings


33 weeks

Option 3 - Female staff who decide

between the birth of their baby and up

to six weeks after the birth that they

KAPCO Maternity Pay Scheme

(Lump Sum Payment) -

The balance of any unpaid maternity

1Female staff not entitled to receive SMP may be entitled to receive Maternity Allowance from their local

Social Security office or Job Centre Plus. Where relevant, this is paid directly to the individual by the

Department of Social Security.2 This rate is determined each April by the Department of Work and Pensions and will increase wef 6 April2009.

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will not be returning to work pay will be paid as a lump sum in

compensation for loss of office and the

member of staff will resign their

position without needing to serve their

contractual notice period

Option 4 - Female staff who decide not

to return to work more than six weeks

after the birth of their baby

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) 39

weeks -


first six weeks and either 6400 or 90%

of their average weekly earnings


33 weeks

Any KAPCO Maternity Pay received

will need to be repaid to the KAPCO

All maternity pay is subject to tax and national insurance and, where appropriate, superannuation.

The maternity pay period can start on any day of the week up to 11 weeks prior to the week in

which the baby is due and can finish at any time after two weeks have elapsed since the birth of the

baby. Maternity leave cannot exceed 52 weeks.

Maternity pay may be triggered early by a pregnancy-related illness: if the member of staff is

absent as a result of a pregnancy-related illness for more than four days within four weeks before

her expected week of confinement, her maternity leave will commence automatically. If the baby

arrives early, the maternity leave will commence on the day after the birth of the baby.

If a member of staff has been away from the KAPCO on any type of unauthorised absence,KAPCO Maternity Pay may be withheld.

All members of staff who are paid during their maternity leave will continue to make pension

contributions during their leave. During any unpaid leave, staff may choose to maintain their

contributions or to repay the contributions on their return to work. For advice regarding

superannuation arrangements during maternity leave, please contact the Pensions Section, Finance

Division.

2. General Entitlements

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2.1 During the period of maternity leave, the member of staff is entitled to benefit from all the

terms and conditions of employment that would have been applied had they not been absent, with

the exception of salary.

2.2 Staff whose fixed term contract will expire during the maternity leave period or prior to the

completion of 13 weeks return to work should talk to their line manager to investigate the

possibility of an extension to their contract at the earliest opportunity. If no extension is possible

because there is no further funding available, the entitlement to KAPCO Maternity Pay will end at

the termination of the fixed term contract. However, any outstanding entitlement to Statutory

Maternity Pay will continue for the full 39 weeks for eligible staff.

2.3 KAPCO annual leave will continue to accrue at the normal rate during the period of leave.

Statutory days will only accrue during periods of unpaid leave or when a member of staff is only in

receipt of the Statutory Maternity Pay element of maternity pay. The accrued leave must be used in

conjunction with the maternity leave. Annual leave can be used flexibly to create a further period of

paid leave following the end of a period of paid or unpaid absence or, with the permission of the

Head of Organization/Directorate, to have a phased reduction in working hours prior to the

commencement of leave or following a return. If the maternity period overlaps to another leave

year, it is permissible to use the leave as outlined above. Any carry over of annual leave to another

leave year should be limited to 5 days unless permission has been granted by the Head of

Organization/Directorate to increase this in line with the Flexible Use of Annual Leave scheme and,

again, must be used in conjunction with the maternity leave.

2.4 It is the normal expectation that the member of staff will return to exactly the same position

as prior to her maternity leave. Where this is not practical, the member of staff will be entitled to

another job on no less favourable terms and conditions to previously which is both suitable for her

and appropriate for her to do in the circumstances.

2.5 Occasionally, a member of staff may be advised by her Medical Practitioner that she should

refrain from work for several weeks or for the duration of her pregnancy. In such circumstances,

line managers should consult their Human Resources Manager for advice.

2.6 Keeping in touch days (KIT)

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Keeping in touch days allow the member of staff to work for up to 10 days during the

course of their maternity leave, without loss of entitlement to any maternity pay. No extra payment

will be made for KIT days and they may not be worked during the two weeks following birth. The

days are to be agreed by both the staff member and the KAPCO and there is no compulsion for

either party to insist on such days. KIT days provide an ideal opportunity for keeping in touch,

including activities such as training or departmental meetings. Any part of a day worked will count

as one KIT day.

3. Procedures:

As soon as the member of staff is aware that they are pregnant, they should arrange with their linemanager to undertake a Health and Safety risk assessment. Where this may cause personal

difficulties, the staff member may wish to contact Health and Safety directly. Further advice on risk

assessments is available from the Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Unit Risk

assessments should be carried out for all pregnant women. If a pregnant employee is advised to

refrain from work during any part of her pregnancy, her line manager should contact Human

Resources for advice. On return, the KAPCO will make suitable provisions, including allocation of

time, for mothers who return to work but continue to breastfeed.

To ensure qualification for maternity leave and pay and to safeguard the right to return to work, the

member of staff should complete a KAPCO Maternity Leave Form as soon as they receive their

MATB1. The MATB1 is issued by a GP or midwife between 20 and 26 weeks of the pregnancy. If

outside the Pakistan, the member of staff must obtain a GPs certificate to confirm the pregnancy,

which must be translated into English. The form will confirm the date the maternity leave will

commence, how much maternity leave will be taken and confirmation of whether of not the staff

member intends to return to work. Any specific additional arrangements made with the Head of

Organization/Directorate should also be included.

After the member of staff has obtained the signature of the Head of Organization/Directorate or

their nominee, the member of staff should forward the Maternity Leave Form with the MATB1 to

the Human Resources Division.

Following receipt of the Maternity Leave Form and the MATB1, the Human Resources Division

will write to the member of staff to confirm the maternity arrangements and inform Salaries. A copy

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will be sent to the Organization/Directorate for their information. If Heads of

Organization/Directorate require information on their financial obligations for a member of staff on

maternity leave, they should contact the Finance Division.

If the member of staff wishes to change the start date of their maternity leave, they must give four

weeks notice in writing of the change to Human Resources.

If the baby arrives early, prior to the commencement of the member of staffs maternity leave, the

member of staff should inform the Human Resources Division in writing as soon as possible.

If the member of staff wishes to change the return date of their maternity leave, they must give eight

weeks notice in writing of the change to Human Resources.

On the return of a member of staff from maternity leave, it is recommended that an induction

session be conducted in order to update her with developments within the Organization/Directorate

and/or the KAPCO in general

B - Adoption Leave Scheme

KAPCO offers full and flexible adoption leave provision, which is similar to that available under

the KAPCO Maternity Leave Scheme, to ensure staffs has an opportunity to integrate the

development of their career with the adoption of their child. The adoption provisions refer to the

leave and pay to which members of staff may be entitled.

Unlike the maternity scheme, the adoption scheme is applicable to staff regardless of gender and is

available to one partner in the relationship, while the other partner would be eligible for paternity

leave. Staff seeking any entitlement under the scheme will be required to provide the KAPCO with

a matching certificate or appropriate documentation from the adoption agency. The matching

certificate will include basic details of the match and the expected placement date. In line with

statutory requirements, members of staff will be required to sign a declaration that they have elected

to receive the statutory adoption pay and not statutory paternity pay. Staff will be provided with

reasonable paid time off for official appointments prior to the adoption. Evidence of appointments

may be required.

All adoption pay is subject to tax and national insurance and, where appropriate, superannuation.

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1.2 The adoption pay period can start on any day of the week up to 11 weeks prior to the week in

which the child is placed and can finish at any time. Adoption leave may not exceed 52 weeks.

1.3 Adoption pay may be triggered early if the child is placed earlier than expected. In such

cases, the adoption leave will commence on the day after the child is placed.

All members of staff who are paid during their adoption leave will continue to make pension

contributions during their leave. During any unpaid leave, staff may choose to maintain their

contributions or to repay the contributions on their return to work. For advice regarding

superannuation arrangements during adoption leave, please contact the Pensions Section, Finance

Division.

C - Paternity Leave Scheme

KAPCOs Paternity Leave Scheme offers full and flexible provision for new parents, regardless of

gender. To qualify for Statutory Paternity Leave, an employee must be the biological father or be

married to, or be the partner of the childs mother and have (or expect to have) responsibility for the

upbringing of the child (apart from that of the mother). Paternity leave can be taken up to eight

weeks after the birth of the baby. Where employment comes to an end within the eight week period

and the member of staff has not taken paternity leave, the member of staff is entitled to receive the

statutory requirement. Staff will be provided with reasonable paid time off for antenatal/adoption

appointments where circumstances allow. The KAPCO will do its best to accommodate such

requests where the requests are made in reasonable time and appointment arrangements are made at

times of minimal disruption to work. Evidence of appointments may be required.

1. Paternity Leave and Pay

The table below provides an outline of the various paternity leave entitlements available to staff.

The entitlements will differ depending upon the length of service the member of staff has with

theKAPCO:

Staff

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