Are Welfare Facilities Affecting Job Satisfaction?

 Are Welfare Facilities Affecting Job Satisfaction?

SMBL Suraweera, Bgvagi Jayasinghe
Department of Business Management, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihinthale
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2023.10725
Received: 14 July 2023; Accepted: 25 July 2023; Published: 19 August 2023

Abstract: Human capital in today’s business world becomes an organization’s most precious resource. In contrast to financial assets, human assets can be created, optimized and driven for achieving an organization’s targets and objectives. In addition, happy workers would make the organization’s priorities and goals smoothly achieved. Retaining workers satisfaction is therefore a requirement for every organization. The main emphasis of this research was on the relationship between the welfare facilities and labourers’ job satisfaction. This analysis tests empirically five independent variables (health and safety facility, education facility, housing facility, transport facility, sanitary facility) and their relation to job satisfaction of labours in the tea plantation industry with reference to: Nuwara Eliya district. The sample consists with 100 of respondents selected from convenience sampling procedure. Research showed that there are strong positive relationships between health and safety, transport facilities and educational facilities, and that residential and sanitary facilities have moderate positive relationships.

Keywords- Job satisfaction, Welfare facilities, Labourers, Tea plantation industry

I. Introduction

The most precious resource in an organization is employees and employees. Regardless of how well the corporation has financial and physical resources, only the commitment and competence of the human capital of the enterprise will reap their advantages. Therefore, compulsory welfare facilities and working atmosphere must be provided in order to retain, protect and foster potential for human resources. The purpose of staff welfare services is to protect the physical and mental health of workers. Satisfaction being one of the main concepts in Human Resource Management, it needs to realize that the dissatisfied employees will negatively affects a company because employees who are typically lack motivation, perform poorly and possess negative attitudes.

Factors influencing the satisfaction of employees are not considered to be the same aspect. Gunes, Ayanta, and Tutuncu (2008) described promotion and monitoring as key drivers of job satisfaction while Jain (2014) determined that decent jobs, refreshments, leisure facilities, health and safety facilities, enjoyment at the workplace improve the level of employment. Anitha (2011) has acknowledged the work arrangements, benefits, health and employment protection conditions of workers, and Daljeet, Verghese and Wadhwa (2011) have declared that the behavioural, operational and environmental variables that contribute to employee satisfaction will be included. Opatha (2009) states that the welfare facilities increase employee productivity through commitment and, thereby, decrease the absenteeism and attrition of workers that would have an impact on efficiency.
The tea industry played an integral role in the economy with its contribution to employment, export earnings and so on, in accordance with the Business Times (2013). Sri Lankan tea industry is currently facing great difficulties in terms of production costs, decreasing productivity and an acute lack of labor. Low labor productivity also includes manufacturing costs in the tea market. As stated by Silva (2013), workers suffer from poor healthcare facilities and poor salaries, which is the reason for the discontent that causes low productivity and the lack of enthusiasm in the context of Sri Lanka. The main contribution for the tea plantation industry in Sri Lanka comes from the district of Nuwera-Eliya, and compared to other districts there is no large number of employees working in this sector. As Sri Lanka’s tea industry is heavily dependent on labour, persistent absenteeism has a big effect on labour efficiency and costs, while longevity of workers and profitability of industry are challenged by out-migration for better conditions and a more satisfactory life outside of the tea industry.

This current study thus underlines the link between welfare facilities and the satisfaction of jobs in the tea planting industry: with regard to the district of Nuwara Eliya. In order to identify ways to track and improve the quality of life, this report would examine the welfare dimensions closely correlated with satisfaction.