In this paper we aim to draw attention to the historicity and the polysemy of the concept of Quality of Life at (of) work (QWL), or rather, Quality of Work (QW) and its political nature, as it involves contradictory class interests, with the idea of placing it at a level of discussion that questions the 'clinical' approach commonly adopted by capital and that designates individuals´ change of' habits as the main strategy. Thus, the discussion shifts to the category 'control' over the work processes in the point of view of workers' collectives allowing a relation between the concept and the notion that achieving QWL involves a political struggle that is originates from the correlation of the capital-labor strengths in concrete societies. In this sense, even if it is deemed incompatible to think of QWL as a reality of precarious work (and rights), this article advocates that the introduction of another 'vision' concerning this issue, which also has a strong political and counter-hegemonic character, can contribute to addressing the 'speech' and the skills that come along with it, the ones which are defended as being 'the' model approach of QWL by businesses and the intellectuals from the academy that advise them.
work; total quality; control; work process; neoliberalism