Use of Job Satisfaction Initiatives in Enhancing Performance of Non-Teaching Employees in Selected Public Universities in Western Kenya

Abstract

Deducing and appreciating levels of job satisfaction amongst non-teaching staff in public university has never been a simple task yet the non-teaching staff is amply indispensable as their job satisfaction levels may enhance performance leading to improved quality of service they offer to both the academic faculty and students at large. Further, in the 2015/2016 Financial Year, the Government of Kenya cut its funding to Public Universities by 6% causing significant constraints in budgetary allocations that negatively affected non-teaching staffing levels, growth, and development which translates to the current unending labour unrests. The investigation was steered by the Affective Event, Equity, Two Factor and Job characteristics which provided a description and analysis of how employee behaviour could be energized, directed and sustained to increase job satisfaction levels and enhance performance. The specific objective  of the study was to analyze the influence of Transformational Leadership Style in enhancing the performance of non-teaching employees in selected Public Universities in Western Kenya. Use of descriptive survey design employed on a target population of 1054 non-teaching employees. Using a stratified random sampling technique a sample size of 290 respondents selected from the target population of non-teaching staff from the public universities chosen in Western Kenya. The study used primary data with structured a questionnaire adopted as the main instrument for collecting data. Analysis of the data done by use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Application of Inferential statistics techniques such as Correlation analysis and regression analysis was to test the hypotheses of association and differences. Idealised Influence, Intellectual Stimulation and Individualized Consideration were used to measure transformational leadership style, and there was a positive relationship between transformational leadership style and employee performance. From the results of the study, the researcher concluded that there was a positive relationship between transformational leadership style and employee performance. The study recommended that Public Universities should adopt Job Satisfaction Initiatives to enhance the performance of non-teaching employees.

Keywords: Job Satisfaction Initiatives, Performance, Non-Teaching Employees