Human Resources Professionals' Perceptions of Quality of Working Life and Its Determinants: A Qualitative Study

Quality of working life is a multidimensional concept that refers to the level of physical, psychological, and social well-being of employees in the work environment. Human resources professionals hold a unique position in terms of quality of working life, as they are a professional group that both manages employee experience and is at the center of organizational processes. Therefore, examining the perceptions of human resources professionals the quality of working life constitutes an important research area for understanding organizational working conditions. The aim of this research is to reveal the perceptions of human resources professionals the quality of working life and the organizational factors that shape this perception. The research was conducted using a qualitative research method, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants working in managerial positions in the human resources departments of companies operating in different sectors in Istanbul. Participants were reached using the snowball sampling method. The obtained data were analyzed using the MAXQDA 2020 program in accordance with the thematic analysis approach developed by Braun and Clarke (2006). The analysis identified six key themes influencing quality of working life: legal security and perception of employment, work structure and work-life balance, career management and fairness, organizational climate and participation, nature of work and qualification fit, and wage policy and economic satisfaction. The findings indicate that perceived job security, open communication, and job-person fit positively impact quality of working life; while long working hours, role ambiguity, and limitations in career development can negatively affect this quality.