Influence of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity of Civil Servants in Rivers State

Transcription

1 e , p x Influence of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity of Civil Servants in Rivers State Thomas Bariere & Effiong E. Asuquo (Ph.D) Department of Vocational Education University of Uyo, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Abstract The study determined the extent to which human resource management practices influence the of civil servants in Rivers State. Three research questions were answered and three null hypotheses were tested at.05 level of significance. The population of the study comprised 371 male and female civil servants. A sample of 104 civil servants obtained through cluster sampling technique was used for the study. A 50-item structured instrument named influence of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity of Civil Servants Questionnaire (IHRMPPCSQ) designed by the researchers was used for data collection. The questionnaire was face-validated by three experts in Faculty of Education, University of Uyo. Cronbach Alpha Technique was used to determine the reliability of the instrument and a coefficient index of 0.70 was obtained. Mean was used to answer the research questions and t-test was used to test null hypothesis 1, while ANOVA was used to test null hypotheses and 3. The findings of the study revealed that the three variables have great influence on the of civil servants. Similarly, the findings also showed that there is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent to which these human resource management variables influence the of civil servants in Rivers State. The study therefore recommended among others that Rivers State Government should make provision for regular and qualitative development exercise to update the knowledge and skills of civil servants for optimum. Keywords:Human Resource, Management Practices, Productivity, Civil Servant Introduction The concept of human resource management as a management task is not new. Evidence abound regarding scholarly efforts expended from time immemorial till present day in man s attempt to proffer lasting solutions to the problems that repeatedly confront managers in terms of how to effectively and efficiently utilize the human element in an organization for group goal accomplishment. The need to gain control over greater share of the market in the face of stiff competition has compelled organizational managers to result to different methods of managing the human element, and like never before, human resource management has apparently become the most discussed of all managerial tasks. This development may not be unconnected to the modern line of thinking which recognizes, emphasizes and holds the human element as central to organizational success. Guest (00) Vol. 4(1) Page 75

2 e , p x defined human resource management as a set of policies designed to maximize organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. Effective discharge of human resource management responsibilities leads to the actualization of human resource management goals. The practice of human resource management therefore involves the manipulation of several variables such as human resource development, workplace discipline, employee welfare, regular promotion and job security, for the actualization of increased human resource. The desired human resource management practice is that which guarantees staff development. This according to Okereke (010) is organiz ed learning activities arranged within an organization in order to improve performance and/or personal growth for the purpose of improving the job, the individual or the organization. Staff development is about the most important variable that promotes employee competence and effective job performance. The importance of staff development has long been observed by Becker (00) who observed that investment to gain skills and knowledge through training programmes is more important than any concern on the physical capital investment. Ivancevich (008) also identified training and development as one important human resource management variable that leads to workforce efficiency and increased. Employee welfare influences the of workers in an organization. Employee or worker s welfare is a term including various services, benefits and facilities offered to employees. The welfare measures need not be monetary but in any kind or forms. Components of employee welfare include allowance, transportation, housing, medical, insurance, monitoring of working conditions, creation of industrial harmony through infrastructure for health, and insurance against disaster and accident for workers and their families. Mamoria and Rao (014) opined that the i nitial effort and investment required to institute sound employee welfare programmes may prove to be quite heavy but the long run reward are quite fruitful as improvements in employee welfare result in better work attitude, higher morale, job satisfaction, reduced absenteeism and turnover. Regular promotion as a human resource management variable also affects employee. Promotion according to Lazear (000), involves the movement of an employer upward in the hierarchy of the organization, typically that leads to enhancement of responsibility and rank and an improved compensation or package. Promotion motivates workers to perform optimally within the organization. Productivity as both a managerial and organizational concept presupposes the ability of an organization to actualize set goals. The application of cost reduction techniques, technology in use and managerial expertise in the recruitment, selection and placement of human resource are core determinants of optimum. Lazear (000 ) opined that effective human resource management affords an organization the right to getting the right people with the right skills, in the right jobs and at the right time. Civil servants are employees of government charged with the responsibilities of delivering services to members of the public. It would be worthwhile to note that government Vol. 4(1) Page 76

3 e , p x is the machinery by which a state or country is governed. Civil servants, therefore, serve as windows and vehicles through which key government services are delivered to the people. Successive governments both within and outside Nigeria have had to establish different/specific agencies for different/specific purposes, pursuance to their public administration objective. These agencies are usually referred to as Public Parastatals. The focus of this study, therefore, is on selected public Parastatals whose existence is being threatened by human resource management challenges in Rivers State. Civil servants in most Public Parastatals in Rivers State are currently experiencing the most difficult times in the history of their career, due to the numerous human resource related challenges that they are facing. These challenges include delayed staff promotion, mass retrenchment of workers, non-payment of staff salaries and other benefits on time, incessant strikes, low and declining income amongst others. There is equally the challenge of how to efficiently combine, deploy, mobilize and utilize the available staff for optimum considering that the recent restructuring and job-rotation policy initiated by the management of most Public Parastatals in Rivers State has become counter-productive. The outstanding problem of this study includes the need to critically examine the extent to which the identified human resource management variables influence the of civil servants in the Parastatals being studied. Absence of sufficient empirical evidence to support, refute or review existing view-points regarding appropriate human resource management practices to adopt in resolving the present challenges threatening the survival of public Parastatals in Rivers State equally form part of the problem that this study sought to provide solution. Besides, much research attention has not been given to human resource management practices as it affects workforce in Rivers State Public Parastatals. It is against this background that the researcher carried out this study to determine the extent of influence of human resource management practices on of civil servants in Rivers State. Purpose of the Study The main purpose of this study was to determine the extent of influence of human resource management practices on of civil servants in Rivers State. Specifically the study sought to: 1. determine the extent of influence of staff development on the of civil servants in Rivers State;. determine the extent of influence of regular promotion on the of civil servants in Rivers State; 3. determine the extent of influence of staff welfare on the of civil servants in Rivers State; Research Questions The following research questions guided the study 1. To what extent does staff development influence the of civil servants in Rivers States? Vol. 4(1) Page 77

4 e , p x. To what extent does regular promotion influence the of civil servants in Rivers State? 3. To what extent does staff welfare influence the of civil servants in Rivers State? Null Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Ho 1 There is no significant difference in the mean responses of male and female civil servants on the extent of influence of staff development on their in Rivers State. Ho There is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on their in Rivers State based on age. Ho 3 There is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servant on the extent of influence of staff welfare on their in Rivers State based on marital status. Methodology The descriptive survey research design was employed for this study. The study was carried out in Rivers State. The population of the study comprised all 371 male and female civil servants on salary grade level These civil servants are basically junior and middle level workers directly involved in the discharge of the daily activities of the Parastatals. The sample of the study comprised 104 male and female of the civil servants. The sample was statistically determined using Taro Yamane s formula for a finite population. Cluster sampling technique was used to ascertain the actual number of civil servants (respondents) drawn from each Parastatal. The cap and ball technique was used to draw the sample from the population. An instrument tagged Influence of Human Resource Management Practices on Productivity of Civil Servants Questionnaire (IHRMPPCSQ) developed by the researchers was used to obtain data for the study. The instrument was divided into two parts, I and II. Part I focused on obtaining data that concern personal information of the respondents while part II was presented in 5 clusters based on the variables of the study. The instrument was constructed on a 4-point rating scale of Very Great Extent (VGE) 4 points, Great Extent (GE) 3 points, Little Extent (LE) points and Very Little Extent (VLE) 1 point.three research experts who are Lecturers in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, ascertained the face-validity of the instrument. The internal consistency of the instrument was determined using Cronbach s alpha reliability technique. In this method, the trial-test was carried out using 30 civil servants from Port Harcourt City Local Government Council who were not part of the actual study. This yielded a reliability coefficient of The questionnaire was administered on the respondents by the researchers together with two research assistants. Mean score and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The t-test statistic was used to test nullhypothesis 1 based on gender (male and female ), while null hypotheses and 3 were tested using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) based on age (0 30 years; years; 41 Vol. 4(1) Page 78

5 e , p x years and above), marital status (single, married, divorced and widowed).respectively at.05 level of significance. Result Research Question 1 Table 1: Mean responses of respondents on the extent of influence of staff development on the of civil servants in Rivers State. (n=94) S/N Staff Development Practices X SD Decision 1. Orientation courses leads to employee Productivity GE. Study leave with pay enhances workers VGE 3. Study leave without pay aids LE 4. Sponsorship for workshops enable employees to be productive LE 5. Sponsorship for conferences enhances GE 6. On-the-job train ing leads employee VGE 7. In service training leads to employee VGE 8. Apprenticeship promotes workers GE 9. Induction programmes lead to employee GE 10. Mentoring enhances employees VGE Cluster Mean 3.8 Source: Field Survey, 017 The result presented in Table 1 reveals that the staff development influence on of civil servants has the cluster mean of 3.8. This indicates that staff development has a great influence on the of civil servants in Rivers State. Notably, the item on on-the-job training leads to has the highest mean ( x =3.96); this is closely followed by the item on study leave with pay enhanced workers. On the other hand, item on study leave without pay aids has Little Extent of influence on of civil servants in Rivers State with a mean of.07. The Table also shows that the standard deviation of the items fall within the range of This indicates that respondents were not too far apart in their opinions. Vol. 4(1) Page 79

6 e , p x Research Question Table : Mean responses of respondents on the extent of influence of regular promotion on the of civil servant in Rivers State. (n=94) S/N Regular Promotion Practices X SD Decision 1. Upward shift of rank without increasing pay (Dry promotion) enhances workers LE. Upward shift of rank with increased pay leads to employee VGE 3. Promotion based on merit promotes workforce VGE 4. Promotion based on seniority enable workers to be more productive LE 5. Transfer from one department to another aids employee LE 6. Transfer or charge of employee duty within the same department enable workers to be productive LE 7. Promotion based on management discretion leads to increased LE 8. Posting of employees to jobs matching their abilities enhances active participation and increased VGE 9. Enlargement of a workers responsibility increases his or her LE 10. Combining ability and seniority as a basis of promotion leads to employee VGE Cluster Mean.83 Source: Field Survey, 017 The result presented in Table reveals that the influence of regular promotion on has a cluster mean of.83. This shows that regular promotion has a great influence on the of civil servants in Rivers State. Worthy of note, is the item on promotion based on merit promotes workforce with the highest mean of This is followed by the item on combining ability and seniority as a basis of promotion leads to employees with a mean of However, the item on promotion based on management discretion leads to increase has the lowest mean of The Table also shows that the standard deviation of the items fall within the range of This indicates that respondents were not too far apart in their opinions. Research Question 3 Vol. 4(1) Page 80

7 e , p x Table 3: Mean responses of respondents on the extent of influence of staff welfare on the of civil servants in Rivers State. (n=94) S/N Staff Welfare Practices X SD Decision 1. Free health care for employees and members of their family motivate workers to be productive VGE. Safe working environment and insurance against workplace hazards enhances workers VGE 3. Prompt payment of first 8 days of accommodation for workers transferred from one station to another promote employee VGE Access to soft loans and salary advances leads to employee VGE Provision of recreational facilities promotes employee LE 6. Provision of free transport facilities or payment of transport allowances increases employee GE 7. Provision of staff accommodation enhances employee VGE 8. Good pay package positively influence employee VGE 9. Unhealthy work environment negatively affect employee VGE 10. Moderate office ventilation encourages employee GE Cluster Mean 3.5 Source:Field Survey, 017 The result presented in Table 3 reveals that the influence of staff welfare on has a cluster mean of 3.5. This indicates that staff welfare has a very great influence on civil servants in Rivers State. All the items except the one on provision of recreational facilities promotes employees have their mean above the cutoff point of.50. More importantly, items on free health care for employees and members of their family motivated workers to be productive and safe working environment and insurance against workplace hazards enhance workers have the highest mean of This is followed by the item on good pay package positively influence employees with a mean of However, the item on provision of recreational facilities promotes employees with a mean of.17 is the lowest. The Table also Vol. 4(1) Page 81

8 e , p x shows that the standard deviation of the items fall within the range of This indicates that respondents were not divergent in their responses. Null Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were tested in the study: Null Hypothesis 1: There is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff development on their in Rivers State. Table 6: t-test analysis of significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff development on their in Rivers State based on sex. S/N Items Male(1) Female() t-cal t-tab Decision X SD X SD 1. Orientation courses leads NS to employee Productivity. Study leave with pay NS enhances workers 3. Study leave without pay NS aids 4. Sponsorship for NS workshops enable employees to be productive 5. Sponsorship for NS conferences enhances 6. On-the-job training leads NS employee 7. In service training leads NS to employee 8. Apprenticeship promotes NS workers 9. Induction programmes NS lead to employee 10. Mentoring enhances employees to be NS Source: Field Survey, 017 The result in Table 6 shows the t-values of the t-test analysis comparing the mean Reponses of civil servants in Rivers State on the influence of staff development on Vol. 4(1) Page 8

9 e , p x based on sex. This result reveals that there is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff development on their in Rivers State based on sex for all the items. With this result, the null hypothesis for all the items is retained. Null Hypothesis : There is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on their in Rivers State based on age. Table 7: One-way analysis of variance of the difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of Regular Promotion on their in Rivers State based on age S/N Item Source of Variation 1. Upward shift of rank without increasing pay (Dry promotion) enhances workers. Upward shift of rank with increased pay leads to employee 3. Promotion based on merit promotes workforce 4. Promotion based on seniority enable workers to be more productive 5. Transfer from one department to another aids employee 6. Transfer or charge of employee duty within the same department enable workers to be productive 7. Promotion based on management discretion leads to increased 8. Posting of employees to jobs matching their abilities enhances active participation and increased 9. Enlargement of a workers responsibility increases his Sum of Square Df Mean Square F-cal F-tab Decisio n NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS NS Vol. 4(1) Page 83

10 e , p x or her 10. Combining ability and seniority as a basis of promotion leads to employee NS Source:Field Survey, 017 The result in Table 7 shows the one-way analysis of variance of the difference in the responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on their. The calculated F-values range of is less than the Table value of 3.07 at.05 level of significance with the degree of freedom of and respectively. With this result, the null hypothesis for all the items is retained. This means that there is no significant difference in the responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on their in Rivers State based on age. Null Hypothesis 3: There is no significant difference in the mean response of civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on the in Rivers State based on marital status. Table 8: One-way analysis of the difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff welfare on their in Rivers State based on marital status S/ N Item Source of Variation Sum of Square df Mean Square F- cal F-tab Decision 1. Free health care for employees and members of their family motivate workers to be productive NS. Safe working environment and insurance against workplace hazards enhances workers NS 3. Prompt payment of first 8 days of accommodation for workers transferred from one station to another promote employee NS Vol. 4(1) Page 84

11 e , p x 4. Access to soft loans and salary advances leads to employee NS 5. Provision of recreational facilities promotes employee NS 6. Provision of free transport facilities or payment of transport allowances increases employee NS 7. Provision of staff accommodation enhances employee NS 8. Good pay package positively influence employee NS 9. Unhealthy work environment negatively affect employee NS 10. Moderate office ventilation encourages employee NS Vol. 4(1) Page 85

12 e , p x Source: Field Survey, 017 The result presented in Table 8 shows the one-way analysis of variance on the difference in the responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff welfare on their. The result shows that the calculated F-values range of is less than the Table value of 3.07 at.05 level of significance with the degree of freedom of and respectively. Therefore, the null hypothesis for all the items is retained. This means that there is no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff welfare on their in Rivers State based on marital status. Findings of the Study The following findings emerged from the study based on research questions answered and null hypotheses tested. 1. Staff development has a great influence on the of civil servants in Rivers State.. Regular promotion has a great influence on the of civil servants in Rivers State. 3. Staff welfare has a very great influence on the of civil servants in Rivers State. 4. There was no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff development on their in Rivers State based on sex. 5. There was no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on their in Rivers State based on age. 6. There was no significant difference in the mean responses of civil servants on the extent of influence of staff welfare on their in Rivers State based on marital status. Discussion of Findings Staff Development and Productivity The result obtained from analysis of data on Table 1 reveals that the opinion expressed by both male and female Rivers State Civil Servants is not significantly different, regarding the extent of influence of staff development on their as shown by result obtained from test of hypothesis one. This implies that staff development as a human resource management variable, influences of both male and female civil servants. All civil servants irrespective of sex, deserves equal development opportunities to enable them contribute meaningfully to public service. This result is consistent with that of an earlier study conducted by Don-Baridam (013) on and staff development in Vol. 4(1) Page 86

13 e , p x corporate organizations. Don-Baridam (013) found tha t to increase, organizations require more initiatives, innovation and dedication, which can only be achieved when the organization is able to develop all its employees to the required level of competence. Staff development as shown by the result of findings, to a great extent (GE) influences of civil servants. This result equally agrees with the opinion of Armstrong (009), who had discovered that staff development involves a continuous learning process that not only enhances existing capabilities but also leads to the development of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that prepare people (workers) for enlarged or higher level responsibilities in the future. It is also obvious from the result of findings that some existing staff development practices in the Public Parastatals being studied are not yielding the desired outcome as evidenced by staff development not influencing of civil servants to a very great extent (VGE). This issue of some staff training and developme nt practice failing to yield the expected result was equally discovered by Harrison (005), who found that the aim of every training and development programme is that employees acquire new skills and knowledge and that one way of ascertaining the success of a training programme is when employees can demonstrate that they know something that they did not know before (insights, realization as well as facts) and when they can do something they could not do before (skills). Regular Promotion and Productivity The result obtained from analysis of field survey data on whether or not there exist a significant difference in the mean responses of Rivers State civil servants on the extent of influence of regular promotion on their based on age, show that their opinion is not influenced by age as indicated by their mean responses in Table The result shows that civil servants within different age brackets in the under-studied Parastatals share similar views on the extent to which regular promotion practices influence their. The result also reveals that the existing promotion practice of solely relying on seniority as the basis of moving employees to subsequent levels in the Parastatals does not lead to maximum employees. This implies that if maximum employees must be achieved by means of promotion, methodologies of promotion should be practiced in a manner that its influence on employees will be to a very Great extent (VGE). Mamora and Rao (014) ha d earlier discovered similar result while investigating on promotion on the basis of seniority when they observed that this form of promotion does not appreciate and recognize the worth of an individual and that this practice usually generates frustration and may constrain a good employee to leave the organization. Staff Welfare and Productivity It was also observed from the result obtained from Table 3 that irrespective of marital status, the opinion of civil servants in Rivers State regarding the extent of influence of staff welfare on their is similar. This implies that existing welfare practices in Rivers State civil service influence employees in the same manner. The result from the Vol. 4(1) Page 87

14 e , p x mean responses on the extent of influence of welfare on their, is to a very great extent (VGE). It was however, observed that most of the staff welfare measures, as stated in the Rivers State civil service handbook are never implemented, thereby constraining the extent of influence of staff welfare on their. This result is consistent with that of an earlier study conducted by Ukpai (005) who found that most organizations in their attempt to cut cost, have failed to take advantage of the positive impact of employees' welfare on corporate by neglecting the welfare of employees. The result revealed that although the stipulated welfare packages for Rivers State civil servants is fair, the desired extent of positive influence on is limited due to poor implementation. Conclusion The major conclusion drawn from the findings of this study is that of civil servants in Rivers State Public Parastatals depends on the human resource management practice in use. The aim of human resource management is to achieve maximum and this can only be achieved when the extent of influence of the identified human resource management (HRM) variables on is to a very Great Extent (VGE). This presupposes that HRM standards and practices within the civil service must be constantly reviewed to keep pace with emerging challenges within the public sector. Recommendations Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: 1. Rivers State Government should make provision for regular and qualitative development exercise to update the knowledge, skills and competences of civil servants for optimum.. Rivers State Government should expand its promotion criteria to include work attitude, capability and acquisition of additional qualification and skills to stir up civil servants to greater. 3. Government of Rivers State should set suitable modalities to ensure full implementations of welfare measures as stated in the Rivers State Civil Service Handbook. 4. Officers at the administrative cadre in Public Parastatals in Rivers State should be fair, firm, and unbiased in meting out disciplinary measures on subordinate. References Becker, F. (00).Improving Organizational Performance by Exploiting Workplace Flexibility.Journal of Management, 1(): Ivancevich, J. M. (008). Human Resource Management. New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 41. Vol. 4(1) Page 88

15 e , p x Lazear, E. (000). Performance Pay and Productivity. American Economic Review, 9(10): Mamoria, C. B. and Rao, V.S.P. (014). Personnel Management. Mumbai: Himalaya Publishing House, pp Okereke, C. I. (010). Staff Welfare and Productivity in Patani Local Government Council.Journal of Economics and International Finance, (1): Vol. 4(1) Page 89