Human resource practices, commitment and performance of employees in Turkana County Government

Abstract

Although employee performance is pertinent to the overall success of an organisation, its antecedents remain largely unknown. Studies have shown that human resource practices in an organisation have been shown to greatly influence employee performance but the precise nature of the relationship is largely unclear with some researchers characterising it as a ‘black box’. Some authors have suggested that human resource practices influence employee performance. However, this nature of the relationship has not been assessed completely. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of employee commitment on the relationship between human resource practices and employee performance in Turkana County. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the effects of employee recruitment, training, remuneration and work-life balance on employee performance. The study further assessed whether commitment mediates the relationship between employee recruitment, training, remuneration and work-life balance on employee performance in Turkana County. The study was grounded on the human capital, expectancy, social exchange and the human relations theories. This study adoptedboth the cross-sectional explanatory survey design. The target population comprised of all employees of Turkana County Government who were 3781. The final sample comprised of 362 employees. This study used stratified random sampling to select respondents across the various departments in the County government. The data collected was analysed using both descriptive as well as inferential statistics including regression and Pearson correlation. Mediation was tested using Haye’s Process Macro. Findings indicated that employee recruitment (β 1 =0.155, p<0.05), employee remuneration (β 2 =0.149, p<0.05), work life balance (β 3 = 0.166, p<0.05) and employee training (β 4 =0.302, p<0.05) positively and significantly influence employee performance. In addition, the regression results showed that employee commitment positively and significantly mediated the relationship between employee recruitment and employee performance (β 5a = 0.1951, p<0.05), employee training and employee performance (β 5b =0.1639, p<0.05), employee remuneration and employee performance (β 5c =0.1924, p<0.05), work life balance and employee performance (β 5d =0.2067, p<0.05) among employee in Turkana county government. Thus, the study concluded that human resource practices play a significant role in employee performance in Turkana county government. Moreover, employee commitment mediates the relationship between human resource practices and employee performance. The study recommends that Turkana county government should make financial investments in staff training and development programs in order to improve performance. Moreover, it is essential to put in place a solid performance management system in order to define and communicate clearly, what is expected of employees in terms of performance, as well as to provide consistent feedback and conduct performance reviews. Additionally, Turkana county government may develop remuneration systems that are both fair and competitive, as well as programs that provide appropriate rewards and recognition. In conclusion, the county government should maintain a healthy balance between employee professional and personal life because it is essential for employee effectiveness. Employees should be provided with the conditions necessary to sustain healthy work-life integration by maintaining a work-life balance as a priority.