INFLUENCE OF WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY
Nderitu Margaret Wangechi - Master of Science (Human Resource Management), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Magdalene Ndeto - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Employee productivity is an important consideration for any organizations. The working environment involves several elements that influence on how the employees undertake their work. The recently formed county governments in Kenya have been facing the problem of poor service delivery which can be attributed to employee low productivity. As such, this study set out to understand the work environment and its influence on employee productivity among county governments in Kenya with the NCC being a case study. The general purpose of this study was to identify the influence of the work environment on employee productivity in relation to the NCC. The factors under investigation in this study were crucial to establish: the influence of workplace rewards, importance of training and development, influence supervisor support as well as how physical environment affects employee productivity. The study was anchored on two theories namely; Social exchange theory and affective event theory. The social exchange theory propose that social behavior is as result of exchange process and assume that different individuals make social choices depending on perceived benefits and costs of their decision while affective event theory is underline on a belief that human beings are emotional and that their behavior is guided by emotions and feelings. The study had a target population of 1872 and a sample size of 320 respondents of employees of NCC stationed at the headquarters. This sample was arrived at through stratified random process to allow all County Government employees under different departments to have an equal opportunity to be part and parcel of the selected sample. The study relied on primary data collected by use of the structured questionnaires containing both open ended and closed ended questions. These tools were pre-tested to affirm their reliability and validity. Quantitative data was collected and analyzed using SPSS and presented through frequencies, standard deviation, mean scores and percentage and the information displayed by use of bar charts, graphs and pie charts. The response rate of the study was 71.1%. From the findings of this study it was conclusive that conducive work environment ensures the wellbeing of employees which invariably will enable them exert themselves to their roles with all vigor that may translate to higher productivity. Moreover, it was established that workplace reward, training and development, supervisor support as well as physical working environment had an influence on employees’ productivity. Consequently, it was deemed necessary for the county government to set up a more comprehensive employee reward system and improve on supervisor feedback as well as enhance and integrate employees in decision-making. To further understand the interrelatedness of workplace environment and employees’ productivity, the researcher recommends further studies in areas relating to employees’ productivity, different leadership styles employed in different counties and the impact on the work culture and effects of recruitment and selection.
