You have certainly already heard about QWL, or Quality of Life at Work. For many years, some HR managers or managers have been implementing QWL initiatives aimed at improving the well-being of employees. Since 2020, we have been talking more about QLWC (Qualitiy of Life and Working Conditions), and this new acronym even has a place in the Labor Code. So, what are the new features brought by the QLWC? What are the new challenges for companies in terms of this performance driver? How to implement an effective QWL approach within your company? Our answers.
From QWL to QLWC: what is changing
The National Interprofessional Agreement (ANI) officially introduced the term of” QWL ” in 2013. The objective was to make companies understand the correlation between improving the working conditions of employees and increasing their overall performance.
It was in December 2020, during the COVID crisis, that a new agreement was signed, replacing QWL with the acronym “QLWC” for “Quality of Life and Working Conditions”. While the overall idea remains similar, the QLWC further emphasizes the responsibility of employers with regard to the health and safety risks of employees.
The QLWC has been included in the Labor Code since March 31, 2022. Article L2242-1 states that it must be part of the mandatory annual negotiation topics (NAO).
Why has QLWC become a major issue for businesses?
QLWC is a real performance driver for companies. Three major benefits can be identified.
A good QLWC approach reduces the absenteeism rate and turnover, by preventing health risks, in particular psychosocial risks. With a healthy and safe work environment, the number of absences tends to decrease. Employees also tend to stay longer in their company, which reduces the costs associated with turnover.
We also notice an increase in productivity: QLWC has a positive impact on the well-being of employees, which allows them to be more focused, more creative and therefore more productive.
Finally, an attractive and caring work environment makes it possible to attract the best talent. It is a founding element for the employer brand.
How to set up an effective QLWC approach?
If you have understood the importance of QLWC, but are not sure where to start implementing your approach, here are some key steps that can help you establish your action plan.
1 — Create a QLWC questionnaire
The QLWC questionnaire is a great tool for collecting the opinion and feelings of your employees concerning their working conditions. It allows both to establish an overview of the situation, but also to better understand the priorities of your employees in order to feel good.
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2 — Establish an action plan and share it with your employees
It is essential that your employees feel involved in the company's QLWC procedures. Once your questionnaire has been analyzed and your action plan established, share your QLWC policy and strategy with them.
You can also give them an even more important role by offering them to carry out projects that are important to them themselves thanks to a platform of crowdfunding Such as Teamstarter. This allows them to take initiatives, to engage in projects that interest them, but also to unite around their ideas.
3 — Do regular check-ups
Once you have taken certain actions within your organization, it is essential to measure their impact.
If you conducted a QLWC questionnaire with your employees before embarking on the process, do not hesitate to repeat the experience after a few months in order to compare the results and better understand what worked and what did not work.
Taking stock once or twice a year is interesting: it allows you to know which actions make the most sense for employees and to quickly reorient your strategy if necessary.
4 — Communicate transparently with employees
We have already mentioned it above, but it is essential: good communication is essential to the success of a QLWC approach. Transparency allows employees to be confident, and it is an element that promotes their commitment. So do not hesitate to share the results of the surveys, the action plans, the difficulties you encounter in implementing certain measures, etc.
5 — Be constantly attentive to changes in the world of work
For your employees to feel good about your company, it is necessary to remain attentive to changes in the world of work and in society in general.
For example, the arrival of Generation Z on the job market has forced companies to adapt the way they recruit. Indeed, young working people are no longer simply attracted by the salary and the rise of their career, they are also looking for meaning.
In this context, companies that offer a better balance between personal and professional life have more facilities to attract new talent. The same is true for those who give their employees time to get involved in associative projects, etc.
The QLWC, which replaces the QWL, aims to go further in the protection of employees with regard to their working conditions. This new name nevertheless includes the founding principles of the quality of life at work: the fact of offering a healthy professional environment to employees. QLWC is now recognized as a real performance driver for companies. Faced with such challenges, many of them are putting in place systems aimed at improving the well-being of their employees. If you too make this choice, do not forget to take stock of the situation before embarking on concrete actions: this will allow you to define your priority areas of work and to better measure the scope of your approach.
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