Employees’ Perception On Motivation Mechanism In Nigeria Public Service

Employees’ Perception On Motivation Mechanism In Nigeria Public Service

Chapiter 1

Introduction

1.1 The Study’s Background

The issue of how to manage employee performance so that they can give their best effort at work has frequently been encountered by public sector firms. The way firms handle training and development, labor-management relations, employee punishments or disciplinary measures, and performance appraisal systems has a big impact on how their employees feel about the company. Any firm wants to attain industrial harmony because it makes it easier to realize the target level of output and productivity.

Experience has shown that in some businesses, some employees perform at a very high level requiring little to no supervision, while others perform with regular, high-level supervision. The many variations in numerous businesses have been taken into account by these scenarios (Emesowum, 2010).

The idea of managing employee performance is not new; rather, what appears to be new is how techniques and methods have evolved to keep up with the beginnings of technological breakthrough, shifting employment laws, and shifting worker dynamics. In addition, efficient employee performance management has become imperative for all managers due to the increased global competition brought on by innovation (Nwachukwu, 2009). This would allow for better competitive advantage to be attained through staff efficiency.

Regardless of their level of technology, employees are the backbone of any firm. Idemobi (2010) asserts that a worker’s performance within a company directly depends on how well they get along with the management.

Recognizing that human resources are the most important of all requires that you manage employee performance well. The correct use of human resources will make it easier to achieve the goals and objectives that have been defined (Eromaturu, 2010). Organizations are designed to accomplish specific objectives. The human aspect is crucial for achieving these aims and objectives. In order to achieve the desired performance of the organization, the human factor mobilizes and makes use of all other factors through leadership or management, including performance reviews, employee motivation, employee satisfaction, compensation, training and development, job security, organizational structure, and others. However, the focus of this study is on employee motivation as a variable that can improve job performance. This is so because without highly driven employees, no firm can hope to perform at a high level. It is commonly accepted that when workers are sufficiently motivated, they produce superior work. On the other hand, when individuals lack motivation, they frequently do poorly (Ejere, 2010).

This is why academics have invested a lot of time and money in research in an effort to learn the secrets or ways of inspiring workers to do their best work. However, a lack of motivation among employees in a company is a surefire way to prevent such goals and objectives from being achieved. Employee motivation is a must in order to avoid the failures that plague the majority of organizations, and the manager’s understanding of the kind of motivation that will help employees do their jobs best will result in the achievement of a high level of advancement for the company. As a result, the effectiveness and efficiency of each employee inside the business determines the performance of the entire organization. It is crucial to remember, however, that different employees in various organizations are motivated in various ways by various types of motivation (which could be intrinsic or extrinsic), which are inspired by leaders, managers, or administrators who encourage them to act in various ways toward job performance in the organization.

Over the years, it has been discovered that providing fair compensation is one of the measures an organization may implement to improve employee productivity. Additionally, most employers of labor have come to understand that, in order for their businesses to compete favorably, the performance of their staff plays a significant role in deciding the organization’s success. On the other hand, employee performance in any business is crucial for the development of both the organization as a whole and of individual employees (Meyer and Peng, 2006). An organization needs to be able to identify its top performers, those who require further training, and those who aren’t improving the productivity and welfare of the business or organization. Additionally, at all levels of employment, performance on the job can be evaluated for reasons such personnel decisions relating to promotions, job rotation, job enrichments, etc. (Aidis, 2005; Meyer and Peng, 2006).

In Nigeria, there has been an increasing interest in using prizes to stimulate employees’ performance since the 1970s. Numerous researchers—among them Oloko (2003), Kayode (2003), Nwachukwu (2004), Meyer and Nguyen (2005), and Egwurudi (2008)—have conducted studies in this field. The importance of worker performance has increased as a result of human resources and personnel specialists’ growing worry about the level of production produced by workers as a result of inadequate compensation. This mindset is also a social issue, and it is crucial to recognize the issues that arise in industrial settings as a result of managers’ careless attempts to manage their employees by properly compensating them to increase productivity.In order to solve issues brought on by motivational approaches in organizational settings, this study aims to determine the effect that motivation has on employee performance. According to Vroom (1964), workers tend to perform better if their pay is based on performance rather than personal bias or prejudice and is based on an objective assessment of an employee’s worth. Although several methods for evaluating employee performance have been established, the particular method selected generally depends on the nature of the activity. Organizations adopt various strategies to compete with their rivals and to improve the performance of the organizations in order to achieve wealth. Only a small minority of businesses think that their people are their most valuable assets and that they are what will determine whether they succeed or fail, depending on how well they are focused. No organization can advance or be successful unless and until its personnel are happy with it, motivated to do their responsibilities and reach their goals, and encouraged. All of these topics demand more study in order to highlight the ways in which a suitable reward package might encourage or inspire employees to adopt a positive attitude toward their work and consequently boost productivity. Therefore, the focus of this study is on how employees perceive the motivational system in the Nigerian public service.

1.2 Statement of the problem:

In recent years, much academic effort has been put toward understanding how organizations succeed and how to motivate their employees. The ability of a company to inspire its employees to work toward its mission and vision is of utmost importance. Employees in the public sector are becoming more and more aware of the link between motivation and productivity (Eromaturu, 2010). It is clear from the above and the current economic trend that the speed of change in our business environment creates new obstacles every day. People prefer to migrate to better-paying employment as a result of the Nigerian public sector’s struggles with the economy’s decline and its consequences, including bad working conditions and late salary payments (Eromaturu, 2010). According to this perspective, the nature of the job may serve as motivation for job happiness. It pervades social environment and the degree to which peculiar worker needs are satisfied. Working circumstances that are consistent with regional and global standards, as well as how closely they reflect those of other local professions. The availability of status and authority, job happiness, prospects for advancement, and charitable work are further inclusions.

Anywhere in the world, good government policy implementation is crucial for ensuring that the populace is sufficiently affected by governance. The public expects civil workers to offer services in an effective and efficient manner and to assist the government in implementing programs that would raise citizens’ standards of living. Sadly, this has not been the case due to a number of causes, many of which revolve around ineffective employee performance management (Ejere, 2010).

As a result of unfavorable labor-management relations, which in turn led to negative work attitudes like absenteeism, tardiness, and a general lack of commitment to duty, civil servants have voiced complaints about poor working conditions, an opaque performance appraisal system, selective application of disciplinary measures, and a lack of training opportunities (Emesowum, 2010).

In light of the aforementioned, this study investigates how personnel in the Nigerian public service perceive the mechanisms of motivation.

1.3.1 Purpose Of The Study

Investigating employees’ perceptions of the Nigerian public service’s motivational mechanisms is the study’s main goal. The following are some of the specific goals:

1. To determine whether government motivation is a common one among public servants.

2. To find out how employees in the public sector view the impact of financial incentives on performance.

3. To ascertain whether public employees are frequently driven by both personal and organizational aims.