Business and Management Studies Vol. 3, No. 4; December 2017 ISSN: 2374-5916 E-ISSN: 2374-5924 Published by Redfame Publishing URL: http://bms.redfame.com 23 An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Employees' Quality of Work Life and Assessment of the Status of These Factors Hamed Mohammadi 1 , Mahsa Tavakoli 2 , Sahar Yazdanian 3 , Mohammad Babaei 4 1 Ph.D. in Public Administration, Human Resource Expert at Mazandaran Gas Company, Iran 2 MSc at Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Human Science, Islamic Azad University Sari Branch, Iran 3 MSc at Department of Accounting, Faculty of Human Science, Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch, Iran 4 PhD Candidate in Public Administration, Islamic Azad University, Ghaemshahr Branch, Iran Correspondence: Hamed Mohammadi, Ph.D. in Public Administration, Human Resource Expert at Mazandaran Gas Company, Iran. Received: June 20, 2017 Accepted: November 6, 2017 Online Published: November 7, 2017 doi:10.11114/bms.v3i4.2779 URL: https://doi.org/10.11114/bms.v3i4.2779 Abstract The present study investigated the factors affecting the quality of work life of employees and assessed the status of these components in Mazandaran Gas Company. The population of this study included the employees of this company, and statistical sample involved 329 employees. Walton model was used to study the quality of work life components. To analyze data, test research hypotheses, and assess the status of components, the Chi-square test, Wilcoxon, Friedman, and confirmatory factor analysis were used. The results revealed that fair and appropriate compensation, providing opportunities for continued growth and safety, social relevance of work life, and development of human capacities were at a good status, and healthy and safe environment as well as social cohesion and integration were at an average status, and total space of life and constitutionalism were at an adverse status. Keywords: quality of work life, adequate and fair compensation, providing opportunities for continued growth and safety, social relevance of work life, development of human capacities 1. Introduction The efficient human capital is the most important capital within organizations (Troshani etal, 2011, p.470; Roos & Roos, 1997, p.418), and the higher and more optimal the quality, the greater the possibility of organization‟s success, survival, and promotion would be. Therefore, great attempt must be made to improve human resources qualitatively since this will be of benefit to both organizations and employees. Optimal use of human resources relies on measures taken to preserve and protect the body and soul of organization‟s employees. These measures include leisure amenities and health services, incentive plans, job safety, the importance of the role and position of the individuals within organization, providing the grounds for employees‟ growth and development, and so on which are called “the quality of working life (QWL)” (Filipo,1988, p.412). In recent decades, the increasing impact of factors such as globalization, information technology, corporate competition, and limited natural resources have changed individuals‟ perspectives regarding the definition of a successful company. In the past, financial resources were the most crucial factors in the definition of a successful company. Financial benefits that employees receive are very important to drive his or her QWL level (Sinha, 2012, pp.31-40). Explaining balanced scorecard model, Kaplan and Norton (1996, p.78) emphasized the financial aspects as well as the development and learning, customer, and internal processes to measure the overall performance of the organizations. Balanced scorecard is a method using which both financial measures and nonfinancial measures -staff training, participation, expertise, and quality of information systems etc.- are evaluated. Since the mid-1980s, approaches to human resources have changed from organizational factors to human resource factors (Maxwell, 2005, pp.189-179). In recent years, ethics, QWL, and job satisfaction were increasingly considered the essential factors for the success and