EFFECTS OF INDUCTION PROGRAMS ON EMPLOYEE JOB PERFORMANCE IN ELDORET WATER AND SANITATION COMPANY LIMITED

Abstract

With the rapid development of today’s global market, organizations are continuously seeking ways to grow and keep competitive through deliberately planned, implemented and monitored activities. One of these activities is induction programs which is a form of training. However numerous studies conducted reveal that in spite of the substantial benefits, induction programs can bring to an organization; many managers do not give it the attention it deserves. This study therefore sought to assess the effectiveness of induction programs on employee job performance in Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (ELDOWAS). The study objectives were: to establish the existence and goals of induction programs; to examine the effects of induction programs on employee job performance; to document the challenges of conducting induction programs and finally; to explore the strategies of enhancing induction programs and their likely impact on employee job performance. The study was guided by Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) by Falcione and Wilson (1988). The Study targeted all the 215 employees of the company. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews and analyzed descriptively. The results were presented in frequency distribution tables, graphs and percentages. The findings of the study were that induction programs existed in ELDOWAS and their goals included: providing new employees with information, conveying employees’ expectations and relieving the new employees’ anxieties about the job. Challenges facing induction programs included: lack of clearly stated goals for induction, failure to balance the needs of the employees against the needs of the company, inability to deliver appropriate and accurate information to new employees, lack of re-orientation when employees are transferred to new stations or when they are promoted. Strategies for enhancing induction programs included: giving the employees the information they need about the organization, building workplace relationships, making induction programs relaxing, allowing two way interactions, ensuring that the programs give a healthy balance between the needs of the company and those of the employees. Based on the above findings it was concluded that induction programs enhance employee job performance. The study recommends that the immediate supervisors should be trained and equipped with skills and knowledge necessary for conducting effective induction programs, the employee handbooks should be given to employees at the time of induction, managers should accord induction programs the seriousness it deserves. The study is significant to ELDOWAS management and any other organization that may wish to use it in policy and decision making.