HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT
AN
ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN
THE UNIFORMED FORCES
(CASE STUDY OF THE
GENERAL SERVICE UNIT-RUARAKA)
PRESENTED
BY: KABERE MARTIN MWANGI
SUPERVISED BY: INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
A
research project submitted to the Kenya national examination council in partial
fulfillment of the requirements of
Higher Diploma in Human Resource Management
JULY, 2012
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that
the work herein submitted is my original work and has not been presented to any
other institution of higher learning for the award of any academic credentials.
Singed………………………………… Date…………………………………….
Student: Kabere Martin
Mwangi
APPROVAL
This research project
has been submitted to the Kenya National Examination Council with my approval
as the research project supervisor.
Singed
…………………………………… Date ……………………………………..
Supervisor: Mrs Ruth
Musau
This research project
has been submitted to the Kenya National Examination council with my approval
as the Principal
Signed ……………………………………. Date………………………………………
Principal: Margaret
Kinyanjui
DEDICATION
I
dedicate this project to all who have made my post university education a
success especially my all time supportive and loving mum. Thanks for your
inspiration, love and support to me. May God bless you all.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First
and foremost I thank God for giving me the strength to work hard in achieving
the completion of this research project. Most special thanks to my supervisor
Mrs Ruth Musau for her selfless assistance, tireless efforts and sacrifice in
providing extensive guidance, courage and direction towards a successful
completion of this project. I also humbly express my heartfelt appreciation to
my lecturers, classmates, work mates, friends and relatives for all their
support during this period.
ABSTRACT
This
study was set out to analyze the factors that influence employee performance in
the uniformed forces. 37 respondents representing different ranks in the
General Service Unit filled in questionnaires that assisted in analyzing the
effects of work life balance, job satisfaction and remuneration on performance.
Descriptive
research design was used to assess how the variables under study affect
performance of officers in The General Service Unit. After field work, the
questionnaires were coded for completeness, keyed in a computer, analyzed using
statistical package for social sciences software (SPSS) and results presented
using bar graphs, pie charts and percentages.
The
results clearly indicated that performance in the General Service Unit was
largely affected by the variables under study and this was evident where a
majority of officers were found to state that the General Service Unit does not
recognize the importance of addressing the same.
Factors
that were found to cause low performance levels are unreasonable remuneration
levels coupled with failure to have a mechanism that links pay to individual
performance, competence, contribution and skills, inexistence of a healthy
balance between individual’s work and life outside work and the inability of
the officers to derive job satisfaction
from their day to day duties.
Some
of the recommendations were that the police force should address all issues
related to remuneration, introduce incentive schemes, integrated policies,
processes and practices for rewarding the officers in accordance to their
contribution, skills, competencies and their market worth. Flexible working
schedules should also be introduced so as to allow for a healthy work life
balance and also re-designing of police job so as to enhance job satisfaction.
It was also observed that there was need for more research on both performance
and motivation of employees working in the uniformed forces hence a
recommendation that this be done.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………...1
1.1 Background
of the study……………………………………………………………....1
1.2 Statement
of the problem………………………………………………………….......3
1.3 Research
Objectives ...………………………………………………………………...4
1.4 Research
Questions……………………………………………………………………4
1.5 Importance
of the study..……………………………………………………………...4
1.6 Limitations
of the study…………...……………..…………………………………...5
1.7 Scope of the
study…………………………………………………………...………5
1.8 Definition
of terms……………………………………………………………………5
CHAPTER
TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………………….….8
2.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………..……..8
2.2 Review
of past studies………………………………….………………………..……8
2.3 Critical
review……….……………………………………………………………….19
2.4 Summary……………………..………………………………………………………20
2.5 Conceptual
frame work……….……………………………………………………..21
CHAPTER
THREE
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………….22
3.1 Research
Design…………………………………………………………………...…22
3.2 Target
population………………………………………………………………….....22
3.3 Samples
and sampling techniques………………………………………………..….22
3.4 Data
collection…………….…………………………………………………………23
3.5 Data
analysis and presentation………………….…………………………………...24
4.0 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
4.1 Introduction
/ Overview…………………..………….………………………………25
4.2 Presentation
of findings…………………….………………………………………..25
4.3 Summary of data analysed……………………………………..…………………….46
5.0 .SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
5. 1 Summary of
findings……………….………………………………………………….47
5.2
Conclusions……………………………...……………………………………………..48
5.3
Recommendations…………………………...…………………………………………48
5.4 Suggestion for further
studies…………………...……………………………………..49
REFERENCES
………………………..………………………………………………..50
APPENDICES
………………….……………………………………………….……...52
Appendix i Introduction Letter
…………………..………………………………….….52
Appendix ii Questionnaire
…………………………………………………….................53
LIST OF TABLES
Table
4.2.1Gender…………………………………..……………………………………………25
Table
4.2.2 Age ……………………………………………………………………………...…..26
Table
4.2.3 Marital Status…………………………………………………………………..……27
Table 4.2.4 Years of
service……………………………………………………………………..28
Table 4.2.5 Educational
Level………………………………………………………………...…29
4.2.6
Rank held in the police force………………………………………………………..…….30
Table 4.2.7 whether general service unit has put in
place measures to facilitate improved
performance…………………………….………………………………………………….…….31
Table 4.2.8 Rate on Levels of
performance……………………………………………………...32
Table
4.2.9 The General Service Unit values remuneration of officers…………………..……..33
Table
4.2.10 Value of work life balance…………………………………………………..……..34
Table
4.2.11 Value of job satisfaction……………………………………………………….…..35
Table
4.2.12 Whether current level of remuneration affects performance………………………36
Table 4.2.13 Motivates me to continue improving my
performance……………………………38
Table 4.2.14 Increase in remuneration would
translate to improved performance ……………..38
Table 4.2.15 Remuneration is inadequate but i got no
option but to continue working……...….39
Table 4.2.16 I am able to enjoy work life
balance……………………………………………….40
Table 2.2.17 I feel that i am able to enjoy work
life balance………………………….……..…..40
Table 4 2.18 Current state of work life balance has
got an effect on performance……….…….41
Table 4.2.19 An improvement in work life balance
would lead to improved performance…….41
Table4.2.20 Ratings of Job satisfaction in the
General Service Unit……………..………...…..42
Table 4.2.21 I am satisfied with my job in the
general service unit……………………….…….43
Table 4.2.22 Current state of job satisfaction has
an effect on performance at work……………44
Table 4.2.23 Improved job satisfaction would
translate to improved performance at work….....45
Table 4.2.24 Variable that would help improve
performance most if properly addressed………45
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 4.2.1
Gender……………………………………………………………………….……..26
Figure 4.2.2
Age…………………………………………………………………………………27
Figure 4.2.3 Marital status……………………………………………………………………….28
Figure 4.2.4
Years of Service……………………………...…………………………………….29
Figure 4.2.5 Educational Level…………………………………………………………………..30
Figure 4.2.6 Rank Held in the police
force………………………………………………………31
Figure 4.2.7 whether general service unit has put in place measures that
facilitate improved performance…………………………………………………..………………………………….32
Figure 4.2.8 Rate on Levels of performance…………………...………………………………...33
Figure 4.2.9 The
General Service Unit values remuneration of officers……….………………..34
Figure 4.2.10
Value of work life balance………………………………………………………..35
Figure 4.2.11
Value of job satisfaction…………………………………………………………..36
Figure 4.2.12
whether current level of remuneration affects performance……...……………….37
Figure 4.2.13 I am satisfied with my job in the general service unit…………….………………43
Figure 4.2.14 Current state of job satisfaction has an effect on
performance at work………..…44
Figure 4.2.15 Variable that would help improve performance most if
properly addressed to…..46
CHARPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
In
today’s globally competitive environment, every employee’s competencies and
efforts must focus on helping an organization achieve it’s strategic goals and
objectives. The basic idea is that the management and employees must
continuously monitor performance relative to goals and continuously improve
results. Performance management must examine how results are attained because
this provides the information necessary to consider what needs to be done to
improve those results. (Armstrong, 2006)
With
increased business pressures, organizations are required to become more
effective and efficient, execute better on business strategies and do more with
less so as to remain competitive. Continuous improvement is a management
philosophy which means continuously setting and meeting even higher quality,
cost, delivery and availability goals. Central to this philosophy is the idea
that each employee and team must continuously improve performance from one
period to the next. (Dessler, 2008)
Organizations
are in the business of achieving sustained high performance. They do this
through the systems of work that they adopt but these systems are managed by people.
Ultimately, therefore, high performance working is about improving performance
through people. This can be done through the development and implementation of
high performance work systems which incorporate to varying degrees of high
performance, high commitment and high involvement management.
High
performance working can involve the two ‘ideal type’ approaches to HRM
identified by Guest (2007):1) the ‘high commitment’ model-a move from external
control through management systems, technology and supervision to self-control
by workers or teams of workers, who, because of their commitment to the
organization, would exercise responsible autonomy and control in the interests
of the organization’. The emphasis is on intrinsic control and intrinsic rewards.
2) The ‘performance management model’ in which the management retains much of
the control-‘the focus is on the adoption of practices designed to maximize
high performance by ensuring high levels of competence and motivation.’ The
emphasis is on external control and extrinsic rewards.
According
to Guest, reconciling these has been attempted through high-performance work
systems. These achieve high performance by ensuring that HR practices are
adopted ‘that leads to workers having high ability/competence, high motivation,
and an opportunity to contribute through jobs that provide discretion, autonomy
and control required to use their knowledge and skills and to exercise
motivation.’ The focus is on performance and not the well being of employees.
An
organizations must therefore strive towards instilling a high performance
culture which is characterized by, the organization defining what it requires
in the shape of performance improvements, setting goals for success and
monitoring performance to ensure that goals
are met, adopting alternative work practices such as job redesign, autonomous
work teams, improvement groups, flexible working and team briefing, ensuring
that employees understand their goals and accountabilities, ensuring that
employees feel that their jobs are worth doing and there exists a strong fit
between the job and their capacities, empower employees to maximize their
capacities and contributions, putting in place a strong leadership from the top
that engenders a strong belief in the importance of continuous improvement,
valuing and rewarding employees according to their contribution, facilitating a
climate of teamwork aimed at delivering distinctive service to customers
amongst others.
1.2 Statement of the problem
A fully functioning security system is
vital for maintenance of peace, provision of security, and enforcement of the
law. In the last two decades the security situation in Kenya has deteriorated
to a point where the government has been unable to guarantee security to its
citizens and their property. This has emerged as a result of several factors
which include but not limited to performance by police officers, low morale and
lack of professionalism, inadequate resources, political interference and
rampant corruption in the police force. The effective enforcement of law,
maintenance of public safety, and the guarantee of the protection of life and
property are fundamental to economic growth and the creation of an enabling
environment for private sector-led growth and development.
The uniformed forces are faced with
several issues which by extension affect the performance of it’s employees.
This research project therefore will seek to analyze the factors that influence
their work performance.
1.3
Research objectives.
1.3.1
General objective
The general objective of this research
was to analyze the factors that influence employee performance in the uniformed
forces.
1.3.2
Specific objectives
i.
To establish the extent to which remuneration affects
performance.
ii.
To determine the extent to which work life balance
influences employee performance.
iii.
To determine the effects of job satisfaction on
performance.
1.4 Research questions
i.
Are there any
effects of remuneration on performance?
ii.
What is the effect of work life balance on performance?
iii.
Does job satisfaction affect performance?
1.5 Importance of the study
To the General Service Unit the
study will seek to contribute to the understanding of the importance of work
life balance, job satisfaction, and remuneration on performance and day-today
job practices. The study hopes that the discussion will provide insight to help
officers (the commanding team) as they handle the whole body of the Kenya
Police in effort to make headway along journey to improved performance.
To the Academicians the study
will seek to shed light on importance of addressing performance issues within
an organization.
To students, the research will
seek to possibly help them recognize and appreciate that performance is an
important aspect of management as well as a strong competitive strategy if
issues that affect it are well addressed and attended to.
To researchers, the study will
seek to stimulate interest for further research on factors that influence
employee performance in an organization and mainly in the uniformed forces.
1.6 Limitations of the study
With the high level of secrecy
that characterizes operations in the uniformed forces, a good deal of
difficulty was expected when looking for information especially when answering
the questionnaires.
1.7 Scope of the study
The
study mainly focused on the Kenya Police Force (General Service Unit); this is
due to the vital role that it plays in the maintenance of law and order in
society and most specifically officers based at GSU headquarters Ruaraka.
1.8 Definition of terms
Performance
Performance can be defined as
the measure of the level of effectiveness of a given system where accomplishment of a given task is
measured against preset standards of accuracy, completeness, cost and speed.
Remuneration
Reward
for employment in the form of pay, salary, or wage, including allowances,
benefits (such as company car, medical plan, and pension plan), bonuses, cash
incentives, and monetary value of the noncash incentives.
Work life balance
Work-life
balance is about people having a measure of control over when, where and how
they work. It is achieved when an individual's right to a fulfilled life inside
and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual
benefit of the individual, business and society.
Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction has been defined as
a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job, an
affective reaction to one’s job, and an attitude towards one’s job.
Individual performance:
It
means the actual effort that the individual undertakes in order to carry out
the work. Performance relates to the person's ability to perform all of the
tasks and duties required for a specific job.
Organizational
performance:
In
summary, the performance of institutions can be conceived as falling within
three broad areas: performance in activities that support the mission
(effectiveness), performance in relation to the resources available
(efficiency), and performance in relation to long-term viability or
sustainability (ongoing relevance).
Organization
This
term was used in the study to refer Kenya police force.
Productivity
This
term was used in the study to refer the output obtained per unit of input.
Respondents
This term was used in this study to
refer to a group of employees selected to act as an information source during
the time the researcher will be collecting the data.
CHARPTER TWO
2. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW
This
chapter comprises of studies conducted by other researchers on performance.
2.1 Introduction
Performance can be defined as the
accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of
accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed
to be the fulfillment of an obligation, in a manner that releases the performer
from all liabilities under the contract.
Most business and organizations strive
to improve quality and performance of their products, services, internal or
external operations. The reasons for this can be various, depending on the
goals the business or the organization have set. Important goals could concern
an effort to assure a firm a stable ground in the market or to improve cost
effectiveness. The competition between organizations and business can be a
difficult task, and make it difficult to reach higher goals and development
(Bolman, 1997).
2.2
Review of past studies
2.2.1
Remuneration in relation to performance at the work place
The
remuneration strategy is one link in a chain of HR initiatives and processes
that support each other and the organization. While the most obvious link is
between performance and reward (remuneration), the linkages to other processes
(e.g. organizational strategy and career development) are no less significant
(Gill et al., 2001)
Compensation
may be defined as money received for the performance of work plus many kinds of
benefits and services that organizations provide for their employees.
Compensation is recompense, reward, wage or salary given by an organization to
persons or a group of persons in return to a work done, services rendered, or a
contribution made towards the accomplishment of organizational goals. Wage,
dearness allowance, bonus and other allowance are examples of monetary
compensation, while good accommodation, children education, transport
facilities, subsidized ration of essential commodities, etc. come under
non-monetary compensation. In short, wage paid to collar workers or salaries
paid to white collar employee can be classified as compensation.
A
good compensation package is a good motivator. Hence, the primary
responsibility of the HR manager is to ensure that the company's employees are
well paid. Objectives of compensation include:-To attract capable applicants,
to retain current employee so that they don't quit, the employee is motivated
for better performance, reward desired behavior, to ensure equity, to control
cost, to facilitate easy understanding by all i.e. employees operating manager and
HR personnel.
Several authors who include Parker
(2001) and White (2005) state that compensation packages must support the
organizations global objectives, while at the same time being flexible enough
to cater for local (geographic) market variations. As
stated by Ellerman (2001), once the organization has selected a compensation
strategy, it must be prepared to invest the necessary resources (personnel,
time and money) into designing, developing and implementing the compensation
scheme consistently across the organization so that it supports the business
strategy and performance in general.
A balanced scheme provides
savings in annual compensation by not rewarding under performers, aligns
employee behavior with the organization goals by providing incentives for, and
rewarding employee behaviors that increase organizational performance and
shareholder value (White, 2005). Watson Wyatt Worldwide (2006) reported in Aligning Rewards With the Changing Employment
Deal on the
results of survey of 262 US organizations with more than 1,000 employees and
found that organizations were increasingly linking pay increases to
performance. The increases typically ranged from 0% for employees not meeting
performance expectations, 1.5% for employees who partially met expectations,
and 5% for employees who exceeded expectations. The report concluded that this
shift in
strategy allowed organizations to deliver larger increases to the organizations
best performers.
Parker (2001) found that the structure
of the incentive (compensation) package was critical to the organization’s
ability to attract and retain employees, with the package needing the
flexibility to cater for local (geographic) variations, while supporting the
organizations global objectives. High performance organizations such as
Stockland view their compensation package as critical to their ability to
recruit and retain employees (MacDonald, 2009).
The best and fair way to motivate
employees is to link compensation to individual performance, competence,
contribution and skills of the individual. The introduction of performance
related salaries would also be an additional motivation for committed personnel
(Hosek, 2005).
HRM strives to achieve organizational
goals and the goals of employees through effective personnel programs policies
and procedures. Successful performances of the personnel function can greatly
enhance the bottom line of any organization. The personnel practitioners
however are challenged more today than at any time in the history by a changing
and more demanding labor force that has high expectation about the work place.
At the same time, rapidly advancing technologies and outside influences are
changing the nature of our jobs. It is thus more critical and more difficult to
maintain a work environment that motivates and satisfies human resources (Paré
2001, De Cenzo, 1996).
Flippo (1875) states: "personnel
management is the planning, organizing, directing and controlling of the
procurement, development compensation, integration, maintenance and separation
of human resources to the end that individual, organizational and societal
objectives are accomplished.
Cascio (2006) states that,
"Compensation which includes direct cash payment, indirect payments in the
form of employee benefits and incentives to motivate employees to strive for
higher levels of productivity is a critical component of the employment
relationship. Compensation is affected by forces as diverse as labor market
factors. Collective bargaining, government legislation and top management philosophy
regarding pay and benefits".
2.2.2
Work life balance
Work-life balance is about
creating and maintaining supportive and healthy work environments, which will
enable personnel to have balance between work and personal responsibilities and
thus strengthen their loyalty and productivity. As Kodz (2002) explains, the principle of work life balance is that:
‘There should be a balance between an individual’s work and their life outside
work, and that this balance should be healthy.’ As
a recession looms and companies slash their payrolls, it is more important than
ever to make the remaining workforce to be happy. Work Foundation (2003), the concept of work life balance is about
employees achieving a satisfactory equilibrium between work and non-work activities.
One issue that employers constantly wrestle with is work/life balance, the
allocation of employees’ time and energy between work and family, health
activities, hobbies and all of life's nonworking requirements.
The stress of frequent and often
unexpected deployments in the uniformed forces is detrimental to the morale of
troops and jeopardizes their ability to retain high-quality people. Already
understaffed units undertake more missions that last longer. Some 58 % of U.S. troops are married,
and long deployments often result in strains in family life, leading many to
leave the service. The Center for
Strategic and International Studies recently concluded that the high tempo
of operations had had a significant, negative effect on morale and performance.
More recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) of U.S. concluded, "long deployments can adversely affect morale
and performance."
Too much work can lead to a
variety of stress related illnesses that sap workers’ vitality, making them
more prone to errors on the job, absenteeism, burnout and turnover. The IRS (2002) considers that, ‘Flexible
working is considered the most practical solution to establish an effective
work life balance.’ The tendency for work to dominate employees' lives is
increased when layoffs and hiring freezes leave fewer workers with more to do.
The remaining workers are often the hardest to replace because they are the
best. It behooves companies to encourage employees to sustain healthy work/life
balances so as to remain productive in their work places.
The commanders’ support for
work/life balance is critical, and it must come from the top. Too often, the
perception that hard work is the only way to rise in a company keeps personnel
at the grindstone, working them into illness. Senior level commanders can set
examples of good work/life balances and make it known that the same is expected
from rank-and-file personnel. Surveys of personnel’ work/life issues can help
the senior officers understand employees’ needs and design appropriate policies
to meet them.
Some forms of work life balance
activities offered by organizations are, working on shifts, care leave, career
breaks, varying working hours, reduced hours, job sharing, compassionate leave
and workplace counseling or stress management
Supervisors in the uniformed
forces should advise their personnel to use their vacation and sick-leave
benefits when signs of burnout or illness arise. They can implement use-it-or-lose- it policies to encourage
employees to take time off when it is necessary. Paid childbirth or adoption
leave gives service women and men the flexibility to keep their jobs while
attending to a new addition to the family. This option is almost always cheaper
than the alternatives of burnt-out officers or those who leave the force.
Sponsoring officers’ family-oriented activities is another way to combine work
and life. Sporting events, excursions to amusement parks, fishing trips and
other family-oriented jaunts are good opportunities to help officers strike a
work/life balance (Jane’s defense
magazine-November, 2009)
Uniformed forces need to promote
their work/life-balance policies year round not just in personnel orientations
and handbooks. Frequent, positive communication of these benefits will
reinforce commanders’ commitment to help officers achieve work/life balances
and gives them the feeling that it is OK
to live a little.
Long work hours and highly
stressful jobs not only hamper officers’ ability to harmonize work and family
life but also are associated with health risks, such as increased smoking and
alcohol consumption, weight gain and depression. Work life conflict has been
associated with numerous physical and mental health implications that have an
adverse effect on their performance.
Officers, especially the younger
generation who are faced with long hours, the expectations of 24/7 connection
and increasing pressure of globalization are beginning to demand changes from
their commanders. Also, those in the elderly employee segment are working
longer now than in the past and are demanding different work arrangements to
accommodate their life style needs.
The Kenyan uniformed forces
should highly recognize the importance of work life balance on its personnel.
All possible measures should be put in place to enhance this. The lack of work
life balance has influenced a very big percentage of the personnel to engage in
irresponsible behaviors like alcohol abuse and prostitution. This has greatly
resulted to the high levels of AID’s infection in the forces and family
break-up’s. They rarely get to meet with their spouses because of the job
nature, they don’t spend time with their children either and this leads to
frustrations in life. Many have left because of this very crucial factor in
life. It is for this reason that something has to be done to have a balance
between work and life in the forces. It’s wise for the uniformed forces to look
for better ways of solving this problem; flexibility in job especially during
peace time is a better way of solving this. If one has to work away from his
normal place of work, substantial hardship allowances should be offered so that
to take care of transport needs for regular visit to see the family. The number
of personnel to do the normal guard duties should be of a reasonable number to
encourage the personnel to rush home during weekends and see their families. It
is not reasonable having everyone around during the week days and also during
the weekend. It’s good to give them time to relax their mind comfortably to
prepare for the coming week.( Kenya Police Service Strategic plan, 2003-2007)
Steven
L. Sauter, chief of the Applied Psychology
and Ergonomics Branch of the National
Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, states that recent studies show that
"the workplace has become the single greatest source of stress”. Michael Feuerstein, professor of
clinical psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
at Bethesda Naval Hospital states, "We're seeing a greater increase in
work-related neuroskeletal disorders from a combination of stress and ergonomic
stressors".
Evidence suggests that
improvements in uniformed forces management practices, especially work time and
work location flexibility, and the development of supportive commanders, will
contribute to increased work-life balance. Work-life balance programs have been
demonstrated to have an impact on employees in terms of recruitment,
retention/turnover, commitment and satisfaction, absenteeism, productivity and
accident rates which translates to poor performance.
2.2.3
Job satisfaction in relation to performance
Job
satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from
the appraisal of one’s job, an affective reaction to one’s job and an attitude
towards one’s job. Weiss (2002) has argued that job satisfaction is an attitude
but points out that researchers should clearly distinguish the objects of
cognitive evaluation which are affect (emotion), beliefs and behaviors. This
definition suggests that we form attitudes towards our jobs by taking into
account our feelings, our beliefs, and our behaviors. The level of job
satisfaction is affected by intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors, the
level of supervision, social relation with work groups and the degree to which
individuals succeed and fail in their work. (Armstrong, 2006)
The
happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be.
Job satisfaction is not the same as motivation or aptitude, although it is
clearly linked. Job design aims to enhance job satisfaction and performance.
Job design methods include job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment and
job re-engineering. Other influences on satisfaction include the management
style and culture, employee involvement, empowerment and autonomous work
position. Job satisfaction is a very important attribute which is frequently
measured by organizations. The most common way of measurement is the use of
rating scales where employees report their reactions to their jobs. Questions
relate to rate of pay, work responsibilities, variety of tasks, promotional
opportunities, the work itself and co-workers. Some questioners ask yes or no
questions while others ask to rate satisfaction on 1-5 scale (where 1
represents "not at all satisfied" and 5 represents "extremely
satisfied").
(http://www.answers.com/topic/job-catisfaction#ixzz1XtVUOFi60)
Purcell
et a l (2006) believes that
discretionary behavior, which helps employees to perform is most likely to
happen when employees are well motivated and feel committed to the organization
and when the job gives them high levels of satisfaction. Their research found
that the key factors affecting job satisfaction were career opportunities, team
work, job influence and job challenge.
Job
satisfaction is an integral composition of organizational health. The level of
job satisfaction seems to have some relation with various aspects of work
behavior such as lateness, accidents, turnover and performance. Several studies
have revealed varying degrees of relationship between job satisfaction and
these factors of job behavior. (Gupta, 2008)
It
is generally assumed that satisfied employees are more productive. Herbal et al, 1957 analyzed the results of
twenty six studies focusing on the relationship between job satisfaction and
performance. Fourteen of these studies revealed that workers with positive job
attitudes were punctual at work and better performers than those with negative
attitude. Fortunately, researchers agree that job satisfaction has a positive
effect on customer satisfaction. Employees are usually in a positive mood when
they feel satisfied with their jobs and working conditions. They also display
friendliness and positive emotions more naturally and frequently and this
creates positive emotions for customers. Customers build their loyalty to
specific employees, not organization so keeping employees punctual tends to
build customer loyalty, (Sharma et al,
2008)
It
is a commonly held belief that an increase in job satisfaction will result to
improved performance but researchers have not established any strongly positive
connection between satisfaction and performance. A review of extensive
literature on this subject by Bayfield and Crockett (1955) concluded that there
was little evidence of any simple or appreciable relationship between employee
attitudes and their performance.
An
updated review of the analysis by Vroom (1964) covered twenty studies, in each
of which one or more measures of job satisfaction was correlated with one or
more criteria of performance. It can be argued that it is not job satisfaction
that produces high performance but high performance that produces job
satisfaction, and that a satisfied worker is not necessarily a productive
worker and a producer is not necessarily a satisfied worker. (http://www.teammotivation.com)
Bayfield
and Crockett (1955) concluded that performance is seldom a goal but a means of
goal attainment. Therefore we might expect high satisfaction and high
performance to occur together when performance is perceived as a path to
certain important goals and when these goals are achieved. Under such
conditions, satisfaction and performance might be unrelated or evenly negatively
related. (http://www.teammotivation.com)
Frequently,
work underlies self-esteem and identity while unemployment lowers self-worth
and produces anxiety. At the same time, monotonous jobs can erode a worker's
initiative and enthusiasm and can lead to absenteeism and unnecessary turnover.
Job satisfaction and occupational success are major factors in personal
satisfaction, self-respect, self-esteem, and self-development. To the worker,
job satisfaction brings a pleasurable emotional state that often leads to a
positive work attitude. A satisfied worker is more likely to be creative,
flexible, innovative, and loyal.
For
the organization, job satisfaction of its workers means a work force that is
motivated and committed to high quality performance. Increased productivity—the
quantity and quality of output per hour worked—seems to be a byproduct of
improved quality of working life. It is important to note that the literature
on the relationship between job satisfaction and productivity is neither
conclusive nor consistent. However, studies dating back to Herzberg's (1957)
have shown at least low correlation between high morale and high productivity,
and it does seem logical that more satisfied workers will tend to add more
value to an organization. Unhappy employees, who are motivated by fear of job
loss, will not give 100 percent of their effort for very long. Though fear is a
powerful motivator, it is also a temporary one, and as soon as the threat is
lifted performance will decline.
Tangible
ways in which job satisfaction benefits the organization include reduction in
complaints and grievances, absenteeism, turnover, and termination; as well as
improved punctuality and worker morale. Job satisfaction is also linked to a
more healthy work force and has been found to be a good indicator of longevity.
And although only little correlation has been found between job satisfaction
and productivity, Brown (1996) notes that some employers have found that
satisfying or delighting employees is a prerequisite to satisfying or
delighting customers, thus protecting the "bottom line." No wonder
Andrew Carnegie is quoted as saying: "Take away my people, but leave my
factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my
factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better
factory" (quoted in Brown, 1996, p. 123).
2.3
Critical review
For
many employees today, both male and female, their lives are becoming more
consumed with a host of family and other personal responsibilities and
interests. Therefore, in an effort to improve employees’ performance, it is
increasingly important for organizations to recognize this balance. Workplace
policies that provide flexible scheduling leave for care giving, and assistance
with child care likely benefit employers in recruitment, retention,
productivity, and health care costs. Their benefits to employees seem obvious.
Researchers, however, are just beginning to move beyond correlation,
descriptive studies into rigorous intervention research. These new
investigations examine not only the effects of formal policies, whether federal
law or company human resource initiatives but also changes in workplace
culture. Work-Life Policies
assembles a diverse group of commentators, industrial psychologists, labor
organizers, policy analysts, management scholars, organizational psychologists,
and others to offer fresh ideas and new insight.
The best and fair way
to motivate employees is to link compensation to individual performance,
competence, contribution and skills of the individual. The introduction of
performance related salaries would also be an additional motivation for
committed personnel but linking rewards to performance requires a good line of
sight, robust measures and sufficient rewards to motivate. Few organizations
concede to doing this well or getting it right yet it is one of the most
powerful levers of driving business strategy.
Assuring
job satisfaction, over the long term, requires careful planning and effort both
by management and by workers. Managers are encouraged to consider such theories
as Herzberg's (1957) and Maslow's (1943) Creating a good blend of factors that
contribute to a stimulating, challenging, supportive, and rewarding work
environment is vital. Because of the relative prominence of pay in the reward
system, it is very important that salaries be tied to job responsibilities and
that pay increases be tied to performance rather than seniority. So, in
essence, job satisfaction is a product of the events and conditions that people
experience on their jobs. Brief (1998) wrote: "If a person's work is
interesting, her pay is fair, her promotional opportunities are good, her
supervisor is supportive, and her coworkers are friendly, then a situational approach
leads one to predict she is satisfied with her job" (p. 91). Very simply
put, if the pleasures associated with one's job outweigh the pains, there is
some level of job satisfaction.
2.4 Summary
With
the above still under consideration, past studies have failed to ascertain the
levels which remuneration, work life balance and job satisfaction influence
performance which has led to many organizations towards paying less attention
to human behavior and thus translating to poor performance.
2.5 Conceptual frame work
Independent Variables
Dependent Variable
 |
Source (Researcher, 2012)
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Research Methodology
This
chapter gives details regarding the procedures and the methodology that were used in conducting the
study. The researcher therefore presents the research
design, the target population, sample and sampling technique, data collection,
data analysis and presentation.
3.1 Research Design
The researcher used the descriptive research method to analyze the
factors that influence employee performance in the uniformed forces. The method
is convenient and economical since it does not involve a lot of time and
financial resources.
3.2 Target Population
The
population of interest comprised of 400 personnel who are based at General
Service Unit headquarters in Ruaraka (The Unit police and Garrison Section).
This number was obtained from the Unit registry (2012).
3.3 Sample size and Sampling Technique
A sample of 40 officers was chosen and which consist of employees who were picked as a
representative of the whole. The sample
design that was used is stratified random sampling. The officers were
stratified based on ranks as shown in Table 3.1. The merit of this sample
design was to achieve the desired representation from various sub groups (from
unit and garrison sections) in the population.
Table 3.1: Sample Size
Rank
|
Population Frequency
|
Percentage (10%)
|
Inspectors
|
50
|
5
|
Sergeants
|
80
|
8
|
Corporals
|
120
|
12
|
Constables
|
150
|
15
|
Total
|
400
|
40
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
3.4 Data collection
The
tools that were used to collect data were the questionnaires. This was a
compilation of relevant questions to the study that was taken and was made up
of closed ended questions. The advantage of using them is that they are free
from the bias of the researcher and the respondents have adequate time to give
well thought answers.
Data
collection involved both primary and secondary methods of data collection.
Primary data was obtained from questionnaires which were hand delivered to the
respondents who were expected to fill them within a day and then return them.
Secondary data was obtained from the library, journals and the internet amongst
other source
3.5 Data Analysis and Presentation
After
field work, the questionnaires were coded for completeness, keyed in a
computer, analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and
presented using, bar graphs, histograms, pie charts and percentages.
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION
This
chapter presents an analysis of data and interpretation of findings.
Descriptive statistics was used to describe the key variables of interest to
this study.
4.1 Introduction / Overview
The
study targeted forty (40) personnel but only 37 responded resulting to a
response rate of 92.5% which was considered adequate for the study.
4.2 Presentation of findings
4.2.1 Gender of the respondents
All the respondents were male (100%) as shown
on Table 4.2.1 and a majority (51.4%) fell in the age bracket 20-30 years as
shown in Table 4.2.2 which is a clear indication that the General Service Unit
is comprised of a very youthful workforce.
Table
4.2.1 Gender of the respondents
Gender
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Male
|
37
|
100
|
Total
|
37
|
100
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.1 Gender of the respondents
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.2
Age
A
majority (51.4%) fell in the age bracket of 20 to 30 years as shown in Table
4.2.2 and Figure 4.2.2 which means that most of the employees in Kenya police
force (GSU) are youthful and might have more of physiological needs as
stipulated by Abraham Maslow (Physiological needs: The basic physical needs for
sustaining the human life. For example food, water, sleep, medicine, education
(Shah, K. and Shah, P.J. et al.,2007; Latham and Ernst et al., 2006).
Table 4.2.2 Age
Age bracket
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
20-30 Years
|
19
|
51.4
|
31-40 Years
|
17
|
45.9
|
41-50 Years
|
1
|
2.7
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.2 Age
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.3
Marital Status
Of
those interviewed, 86.5% were found to be married while 13.5% single as per
Table4.2.3 and Figure 4.2.3. The married respondents are assumed in the study
to have huge financial obligations and the desire to spend adequate time with
their families hence necessitating the organization to put measures in place to
facilitate this.
Table 4.2.3 Marital Status
Marital
Status
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Married
|
32
|
86.5
|
Single
|
5
|
13.5
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.3 Marital Status
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.4 Years of Service
On the question of years of service, a majority of
the respondents 64.9% had worked from 1-12 Years as shown in Table 4.2.4 and
Figure 4.2.4. This implies that this age group is the most active at
work, has aspirations of career development and hence measures to ensure that
they are developed to their full potential must be put in place.
Table
4.2.4 Years of Service
Years
of Service
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Less
than one year
|
2
|
5.4
|
1-12
Years
|
24
|
64.9
|
13-24
Years
|
10
|
27.0
|
Over
25 Years
|
1
|
2.7
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure 4.2.4 Years of service
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.5 Education level
From the research, a majority of officers (54.1%) were found
to have attained secondary level education. This indicates that there is a dire
need to facillitate for a well educated and knowledgeable work force which
would in return translate to improved performance .
Table
4.4.5 Education Level
Education
level
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Secondary
Level
|
20
|
54.1
|
College
Level
|
9
|
24.3
|
University
Level
|
8
|
21.6
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure 4.2.5 Educational Level
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.6 Rank Held
The research sought to find whether rank held had
any relationship with low performance levels among police officers. The
findings were that most officers were police constables (40.5%) which are the
least paid and lowest in rank which is an indication that they comprise a
majority in the force, are responsible for carrying out most tasks thus the
need to ensure that they are highly motivated to perform their duties.
Table
4.2.6 Rank held in the police force
Rank
held
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Police
constable
|
15
|
40.5
|
Police
corporal
|
10
|
27.0
|
Police
sergeant
|
7
|
18.9
|
Police
Inspector
|
5
|
13.5
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.6 Rank held in the police force
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.7 Performance in the General Service
Unit
The study sought to find out whether or not the
General Service Unit recognizes the importance of putting in place measures
that facilitate improved performance for its officers and from Table 4.2.7 and
Figure 4.2.7, a majority 62.2 % were of the opinion that this has not taken
place hence the need to address this issue if the officers are expected to show
improved performance.
Table 4.2.7 Whether general service unit
has put in place measures that facilitate improved performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Yes
|
14
|
37.8
|
No
|
23
|
62.2
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure 4.2.7 Whether The General Service
Unit has put in place measures that facilitate improved performance
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.8
Performance levels.
On
individual ratings on performance levels, 10.8% felt that the levels were
excellent, 51.4 % good, 32.4 % fair and 5.4 % poor. This is a clear indication
that most respondents believe that they were performing despite the absence of
measures to improve their performance.
Table
4.2.8 Rate on Levels of performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Excellent
|
4
|
10.8
|
Good
|
19
|
51.4
|
Fair
|
12
|
32.4
|
Poor
|
2
|
5.4
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure 4.2.8 Rate on Levels of
performance
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.9
Whether the General Service Unit Values Remuneration, Work life balance and Job
satisfaction.
From
Table 4.2.9, 18.9 % agrees and 2.7 % strongly agrees that the General Service
Unit values remuneration as one of the variables that affect performance at
work place, when this is compared to 18.9 % who strongly disagrees, 43.2 % who
disagree, this is a very clear indication that much needs to be done to improve
remuneration for officers and a recognition that this has got a impact in their
performance. This is also clearly evident from Figure 4.2.9.
Table
4.2.9 The General Service Unit values remuneration of officers
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
7
|
18.9
|
Disagree
|
16
|
43.2
|
Uncertain
|
6
|
16.2
|
Agree
|
7
|
18.9
|
Strongly
Agree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure 4.2.9 The General Service Unit
values remuneration of officers
From
Table 4.2.10 on work life balance, 13.5% agrees that the General Service Unit
values work life balance as one of the variables that affects performance of
officers. This is in contrast with the majority who strongly disagree 32.4% and
another 32.4 % who disagree which clearly indicates that work life balance
plays a very big negative role in the performance of officers.
Table 4.2.10 Value of Work life balance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
12
|
32.4
|
Disagree
|
12
|
32.4
|
Uncertain
|
8
|
21.6
|
Agree
|
5
|
13.5
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.10 Value of Work life balance
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Job
satisfaction has a very big impact on the performance of employees in their
work places. From Table 4.2.11 it is very evident that so much must be done to improve
job satisfaction of officers as 24.3% strongly disagree and 29.7% disagree that
the General Service Unit values it and this is clearly depicted by 21.6% who
agree and 2.7% who strongly agree.
Table 4.2.11 Value of Job Satisfaction
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
9
|
24.3
|
Disagree
|
11
|
29.7
|
Uncertain
|
8
|
21.6
|
Agree
|
8
|
21.6
|
Strongly
Agree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure 4.2.11 Value of Job Satisfaction
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.10
Whether current level of remuneration affects performance
A
majority of officers as per Table and Figure 4.2.12 were of the view that the
current remuneration level has an effect on their performance (83.8%) when
compared to 16.2 % who felt otherwise. This clearly indicates that remuneration
plays a very big role on performance of officers at their work places.
Table
4.2.12 Whether the current remuneration
level has an effect on performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Yes
|
31
|
83.8
|
No
|
6
|
16.2
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.12 Whether
the current remuneration level has an effect on performance
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.11 Effects of remuneration on
performance of officers in the General Service Unit.
The study sought to find out whether the current
remuneration motivates officers to continue improving their performance at
work. From Table 4.2.13, 10.8 % strongly disagreed, 21.6 % disagreed, 10.8 %
were uncertain whereas 43.2 % agreed and 13.5 % strongly agreed. This shows
that if remuneration issues were addressed fully, this would translate to ever
better performance by the officers under study.
Table 4.2.13 The current
remuneration motivates me to continue improving
my performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
4
|
10.8
|
Disagree
|
8
|
21.6
|
Uncertain
|
4
|
10.8
|
Agree
|
16
|
43.2
|
Strongly
Agree
|
5
|
13.5
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
When asked whether an increase in remuneration would
translate into improved performance, from Table 4.2.14, an overwhelming
majority strongly agreed (56.8%), 35.1% agreed as compared to 2.7 % who
strongly disagreed, another 2.7% disagreed whereas 2.7% were uncertain. This
shows that an upward salary review would practically boost motivation levels in
the General Service Unit which would translate to improved performance and
commitment to execute tasks and assignments delegated to the officers.
Table 4.2.14
Increase in remuneration would translate to improved performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Disagree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Uncertain
|
1
|
2.7
|
Agree
|
13
|
35.1
|
Strongly
Agree
|
21
|
56.8
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
From
table 4.2.15, 5.4 % strongly disagreed, 13.5% disagreed and 16.2 % were
uncertain that the remuneration is inadequate but they had no option but to
continue working. A big majority strongly agreed (32.4 %) whereas another 32.4 %
agreed that remuneration was inadequate but they had no option but to continue
working. This shows that the officers are barely working because they have
failed to secure better options elsewhere which shows that even their
performance is much compromised.
Table 4.2.15
Current remuneration is inadequate but i got no option but to continue
working
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
2
|
5.4
|
Disagree
|
5
|
13.5
|
Uncertain
|
6
|
16.2
|
Agree
|
12
|
32.4
|
Strongly
Agree
|
12
|
32.4
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.12 Ability to enjoy work life
balance
The
researcher sought to find out whether the respondents were able to enjoy work
life balance. From Table4.2.16 the biggest majority (78.4%) said that they
could not enjoy a work life balance as compared to 21.6 % who were found to
enjoy the same. This is a clear indication that the current work arrangement
needs to be looked at in totality so as to help the officers strike a favorable
balance between their life at work and outside work which would lead to
improved productivity hence improved performance too.
Table
4.2 .16 I am able
to enjoy work life balance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Yes
|
8
|
21.6
|
No
|
29
|
78.4
|
Total
|
37
|
100
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.13
Views on effects of work life balance
The respondents were also tasked to express their
feelings on the ability to enjoy a work life balance and from Table 4.2.17 a 35.1
% strongly disagreed, 29.7 % disagreed and 13.5% were uncertain that they felt
that they were able to enjoy a work life balance .Looking at the 18.9 % who
agreed and 2.7 % who strongly agreed that they felt that they were able to
enjoy a work life balance, the researcher therefore found that not unless the
issue was addressed comprehensively the officers would just be physically at
their work places without much worry on their performance.
Table 4.2. 17
I feel that i am able to enjoy work life balance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
13
|
35.1
|
Disagree
|
11
|
29.7
|
Uncertain
|
5
|
13.5
|
Agree
|
7
|
18.9
|
Strongly
Agree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
From Table 4.2.18, the respondents overwhelmingly
agreed that the current state of work life balance had an effect on their
performance where 48.6 % agreed and 21.6 % strongly agreed as compared to those
who were of a different opinion as 8.1 % strongly disagreed, 10.8% disagreed
and another 10.8 % were uncertain. This can be interpreted to mean that if
necessary measures to address the issue of work life balance were put in place,
then the performance of the officers would be seen to improve as supported by
the figures in Table 4.2.19 below.
Table 4.2.18
Current state of work life balance has got an effect on performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
3
|
8.1
|
Disagree
|
4
|
10.8
|
Uncertain
|
4
|
10.8
|
Agree
|
18
|
48.6
|
Strongly
Agree
|
8
|
21.6
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Table
4.2.19 An improvement in work life balance would lead
to improved performance
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
Disagree
|
2
|
5.4
|
Uncertain
|
1
|
2.7
|
Agree
|
9
|
24.3
|
Strongly
Agree
|
25
|
67.6
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.14 Rate of Job satisfaction in the
General Service Unit
The respondents were tasked to rate job satisfaction
where 12.5% felt that the levels were good, 57.5% fair, 15% unfair and 7.5%
very unfair. This show that with such rates, measures that would lead to
improved rates of job satisfaction need to be put in place so as to effectively
boost performance levels of officers in the General Service Unit.
Table
4.2.20 Rate of Job satisfaction in The General Service Unit
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Good
|
5
|
13.5
|
Fair
|
23
|
62.2
|
Unfair
|
6
|
16.2
|
Very
Unfair
|
3
|
8.1
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.15
Views on job satisfaction
On
individual ratings, the respondents were asked whether they were satisfied with
their job in the General Service unit and as per Table 4.2.21, 16.2 % strongly
disagreed, 27 % disagreed, 29.7 % uncertain, 24.3% agreed and 2.7 % strongly
agreed. This is also very evident from Figure 4.2.13 which is a clear
indication that the current levels of job satisfaction are a set back on the
performance of employees.
Table 4.2.21
I am satisfied with my job in The General Service Unit
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
disagree
|
6
|
16.2
|
Disagree
|
10
|
27.0
|
Uncertain
|
11
|
29.7
|
Agree
|
9
|
24.3
|
Strongly
Agree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.13 I am
satisfied with my job in the General
Service Unit
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
The researcher also sought to find out whether the
current state of job satisfaction had an effect on the respondents performance
and from Table 4.2.22, a majority (73 %) were found to agree, 16.2 % strongly
agreed, 5.4 % strongly disagreed, 2.7 % disagreed and only 2.7 % were
uncertain. This shows that performance is highly affected by levels of job
satisfaction hence the need to put in measures to improve these levels.
Table
4.2.22 Current state of job
satisfaction has an effect on performance at work
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Strongly
disagree
|
2
|
5.4
|
Disagree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Uncertain
|
1
|
2.7
|
Agree
|
27
|
73.0
|
Strongly
Agree
|
6
|
16.2
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Table
4.2.14 Current state of job
satisfaction has an effect on performance at work
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
When asked whether an improvement in job
satisfaction would translate to improved performance at work, 70.3 % of the
respondents strongly agreed, 24.3 % agreed, 2.7 % disagreed and 2.7 % were
uncertain which shows that if the issue was well addressed then performance
would also be seen to improve.
Table 4.2.23
Improvement in job satisfaction
would translate to improved performance at work.
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Disagree
|
1
|
2.7
|
Uncertain
|
1
|
2.7
|
Agree
|
9
|
24.3
|
Strongly
Agree
|
26
|
70.3
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.2.16 Variable that would help improve
performance most if properly addressed.
The study revealed that if remuneration issue was
properly addressed, this would be a boost on performance of
the respondents as it attracted a 45.9 % rating. This was followed by work life
balance at 29.7 % and Job satisfaction at 24.3 %.This shows that the single
largest variable that affects performance at work as per the study is remuneration hence the dire need to address
it in totality.
Table
4.2.24 Variable
that would help improve performance most if properly attended to
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
|
Remuneration
|
17
|
45.9
|
Work
life balance
|
11
|
29.7
|
Job
satisfaction
|
9
|
24.3
|
Total
|
37
|
100.0
|
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
Figure
4.2.15 Variable that would help improve performance most if
properly attended to
Source
(Researcher, 2012)
4.3 Summary of data analysed
From the data, it was observed that the General Service Unit has not put in
place measures that facilitate improved performance which has resulted to low
performance levels among the employees.Remuneration was found to be the single
most variable that affects the performance of officers, followed by work life
balance and then job satisfaction taking the third slot.
CHAPTER FIVE
5. O SUMMARY OF FINDINGS,
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This
chapter contains the summary of the findings, conclusions, recommendations and
suggestions for further research.
5. 1 Summary of findings
The
overall purpose of the research was to analyze the factors that influence
employee performance in the uniformed forces. The specific objectives were to
establish the extent to which remuneration and work life balance affects
performance and also to determine the effects of job satisfaction on
performance. In relation to this study was also the need to find the variable
that would improve performance most if properly addressed to.
The
study revealed that a majority of officers were of the view that remuneration
was not fully addressed thus has the biggest negative effect on
performance. It was however noted that
the officers felt that their performance was good irrespective of poor
remuneration. The officers also cited
that an improvement in their remuneration would translate to improved
performance but there was a feeling that most employees working in the
uniformed forces were only doing so due to the failure to secure better jobs
elsewhere which explains the rampant performance problems in the uniformed
forces.
On
work life balance, a majority of officers were found to be un able to strike a
balance between life at work and outside work hence not able to enjoy a work
life balance. The officers also pointed out that the current state of work life
balance had an effect on their performance and an improvement on the same would
translate to improved performance.
The
levels of job satisfaction were found to be wanting where a majority was found
to be unsatisfied with their job and were of the view that this had an impact
on their performance. They also largely agreed that if measures that facilitate
improved job satisfaction were put in place, then this would translate to
improved performance.
It
was also established that if issues on remuneration were fully addressed to,
then performance levels would increase but would do so at expected levels if
measures to improve work life balance and job satisfaction were put in place.
5.2 Conclusions
In
conclusion, the outcome of the study
shows that a majority of the officers
were of the view that the current remuneration discourages improved performance
as it is neither adequate nor competitive which is an indication of them being
unable to meet their financial obligations as most were found to be married and
young hence huge financial requirements. The manner in which work is organized
and administered was found to be wanting hence leading to a poor work life
balance which translates to job dissatisfaction. However, the respondents were
very categorical in the way they ranked the three variables (remuneration, work
life balance and job satisfaction) hence showing the value they attach to each
of them and the order they felt that needs to be followed in addressing them.
5.3 Recommendations
For
the General Service Unit to attain improved and sustainable performance by it’s
officers, the government must facilitate for a review of their remuneration
with introduction of incentive schemes, integrated policies, processes and
practices for rewarding officers in accordance with their contribution, skills,
competencies and their market worth. These are necessary as they would
encourage and steer officers towards expected performance levels. It is however
worth noting that these schemes should also be tailor made to suit the unique
nature of police work.
Flexible
working schedules need to be introduced so as to facilitate for a healthy
balance between life at work and outside work. This may include working on
shifts, care leave, career breaks, varying working hours, reduced working hours,
job sharing, compassionate leave and workplace counseling or stress management.
There
is a dire need to re-design the police job so as to enhance satisfaction and
performance. This calls for methods like job rotation, job enlargement, job
enrichment and job re- engineering. More participative management styles needs
to be adopted, employees need to be empowered and involved in decision making
too.
5.4 Suggestion for further studies
It
was observed that very little research has been conducted on other variables
that affect both motivation and performance in the uniformed forces thus it is
recommended that more research be conducted on the same.
REFERENCES
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Agarwal, Ritu and Ferratt, Thomas W.
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USA
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Colin, P. (1995), Motivating your
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Company Europe, England
De Cenzo, David A. and Robbins, Stephen
P. (1996) Human Resource Management,
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Singapore.
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Houghton Mifflin Company, New York.
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(2001) IT staffing and Retention: A
success Story
Gupta C.B (2008) Human resource
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Edition, Bell & bain Limited Glasgow.
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what ails the organization. Organizational Dynamics, 3 (2)
Kenya Police Service Strategic plan,
2003-2007.
Latham,
G.P. and Ernst, C.T. (2006), ’Keys to
motivating tomorrow’s workforce’, Human Resource Management Review
McGregor, D. M. (1999), The Human Side of Enterprise. In M. T.
Matteson, & J. M. Ivancevich, Management & organizational Behavior
Classics
Paré, G., Tremblay, M., and Lalonde, P.
(2001), ‘Workforce Retention: What Do IT
Employees Really Want?’, SIGCPR 2001 San Diego, CA, USA
Smith, R., Jayasuriya, R., Caputi, P.,
& Hammer, D. (2008), Exploring the
role of goal theory in understanding
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KABERE MARTIN MWANGI
INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT,
P.O BOX 4322-00200,
NAIROBI, KENYA
1ST
March 2012
TO THE RESPONDENT
Dear Sir/Madam,
RE: REQUEST FOR RESEARCH
ASSISTANCE.
I am a post graduate student
pursuing higher diploma in Human
Resource Management at the institute of
human resource management
I am undertaking a project on: ‘An
analysis of the factors that influence employee performance in the uniformed
forces’. Case study of the General Service Unit-Ruaraka.
You have been selected to form part of
the population. In this regard, i kindly request you to fill the attached
Questionnaire. Your participation is at your own free will.
The response to the questions is
private and confidential and information provided will be purely for academic research
purpose only.
Your assistance and co-operation will
be highly appreciated. Thank you for your time and output.
Yours sincerely,
MARTIN MWANGI KABERE
QUESTIONNAIRE ON “AN ANALYSIS OF
THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN THE UNIFORMED FORCES”. (CASE
STUDY OF THE GENERAL SERVICE UNIT-RUARAKA)
INSTRUCTIONS
Kindly
complete all the questions by ticking in the boxes.
SECCTION ONE: RESPODENTS PROFILE
1.
What is your gender?
Male
[ ]
Female
[ ]
2.
What is your age bracket?
20-30 Years
[ ]
31-40 Years
[ ]
41-50 Years [ ]
51 Years and Above
[ ]
3.
What is your marital status?
Married
[ ]
Single
[ ]
Divorced
[ ]
Widowed [ ]
4.
How long have you served in the General Service Unit?
Less than one year
[ ]
1-12 years [ ]
13-24 years
[ ]
Over 25 years
[ ]
5.
What is your educational level?
Primary level
[ ]
Tertiary level
[ ]
Secondary level
[ ]
College level
[ ]
University level
[ ]
6.
What rank do you hold in the General Service Unit?
Police constable
[ ]
Police corporal
[ ]
Police sergeant
[ ]
Police inspector
[ ]
SECTION TWO: PERFORMANCE IN THE
GENERAL SERVICE UNIT
7.
In your own view, has the General Service Unit put in
place measures that facilitate improvement of performance for its officers?
Yes [ ]
No
[ ]
8.
How do you rate the levels of performance of officers
in the General Service Unit?
Excellent
[ ]
Good
[ ]
Fair [ ]
Poor
[ ]
9.
Does the General Service Unit value the following
factors in the work place?
Use
the criteria below to tick where appropriate.
Strongly disagree { SD}
Disagree { D }
Uncertain { U }
Agree { A }
Strongly agree { SA }
SD
|
D
|
U
|
A
|
SA
|
|
Remuneration
|
|||||
Work life balance
|
|||||
Job satisfaction
|
10. In
your own view, does the current remuneration level affect your performance at
work?
Yes
[ ]
No [ ]
11. What
is the effect of remuneration towards your performance in the General Service
Unit? Use the criteria below to tick where appropriate.
Strongly disagree { SD}
Disagree { D }
Uncertain { U }
Agree { A }
Strongly agree { SA }
View on remuneration
|
SD
|
D
|
U
|
A
|
SA
|
It motivates me to continue improving my performance.
|
|||||
An increase in remuneration level would translate to improved
performance.
|
|||||
It is very inadequate but I have no option but to continue working.
|
12. Are
you able to enjoy work life balance as you work for the General Service Unit ?
Yes [ ]
No
[ ]
13. Use
the criteria below to tick where appropriate in the table.
Strongly disagree { SD}
Disagree { D }
Uncertain { U }
Agree { A }
Strongly agree { SA }
Work life balance
|
SD
|
D
|
U
|
A
|
SA
|
I feel that am able to enjoy work life balance.
|
|||||
The current state of work life balance has an effect on my
performance at the work place.
|
|||||
An improvement in the state of work life balance would improve my
performance in the General Service Unit.
|
14. How
do you rate job satisfaction in the General Service Unit?
Good [ ]
Fair
[ ]
Unfair
[ ]
Very Unfair
[ ]
15. Use
the criteria below to tick where appropriate in the table.
Strongly disagree { SD}
Disagree { D
}
Uncertain { U }
Agree { A }
Strongly agree { SA }
View on job satisfaction
|
SD
|
D
|
U
|
A
|
SA
|
I am satisfied with my job in the General Service Unit.
|
|||||
The current state of job satisfaction has an effect on my performance
at the work place.
|
|||||
An improvement in the current state of job satisfaction would
translate to improved performance at
my place of work.
|
16. Among
these three, which one would most help you improve your performance if properly
addressed to?
Remuneration
[ ]
Work life balance
[ ]
Job satisfaction
[ ]
Thanks for taking part in this
research project.
