Impact Of Incentive (Welfare Scheme) On The Performance Of Workers

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The administration of staff incentives scheme has now become a popular phenomenon of the total personnel policy of any organization. The scheme involves these extra benefits which may not necessarily be money, which emanate from the kind relationship of the employer to the employees, to supplement their usual wages, from time and which are at most times geared purposely towards the enhancement of workers performance in the organization.
This scheme, is very important to both the organization and the employees, from the employer’s point of view, it is anticipated that a good staff employee incentive scheme will induce the employees to work hard and improve their general attitude toward the organization. But for the employee, these benefit represent some additional right such as extra income, additional security or more desirable working conditions that should not require any additional effort.
In business organizations, employers of labour have seen in staff welfare services the ability to invoke commitment and co-operation of the subordinates to contribute more to the achievement of the organizational goals and aspiration. This discovery has led many employers of labour to the introduction of well packaged welfare services, with the sincere belief that a good staff services will induce staff to work hard and improve the general staff morale.
The situation remains relatively the same but for the difference in methods of payment and apparent change in emphasis. The appraisal of the staff welfare scheme are defined as “something of value apart from the agreed regular monetary payment of salaries and wages given to staff”. This will be used as the working definition for this research work.
Staff welfare services exist in all culture and in all organization and had existed at all times. They take different shapes and forms and attracts different names. In recognition of their worker need fulfillment functions, they are variously called “welfare services” “welfare benefits employees” “income” or simply “supplementary, compensation or “pay and non wage remuneration. As non taxable income and expenses, they are beginning to be called “indirect compensation and non tax benefit”.
In the past, they used to be tiny bits and pieces of goodies that occasionally full from the high tables of paternalistic employer i.e when the top management play a fatherly role of the staff.
It should be noted that for the company to achieve its objective her welfare service should be adequate, competitive and tailored towards the real need of the staff. Staff are directly influenced by nature, quality and quality of welfare services offered because they compare themselves with their counterparts in other organizations.
In this research work, workers do prefer increase in welfare services to increases in salaries especially during the period of inflation and rising prices, workers normally get frustrated and dissatisfied when welfare services are inadequate. But if the opposite condition prevails workers have been observed to be satisfied and more committed to give off their best to the achievement of the company’s objectives.
Welfare scheme, is a kind of incentives given in cash or kind aimed at getting the best out of an employee or group of employees. Motivation aims at optimum performance of employees. Many factors have to do with characteristics of the individuals, different people are endorsed with different potentials, training, skills and receptions ability to change. Employees attitude and behaviour are also influenced by their remuneration and other incentive such as prestige, special allowance and retirement benefits. Conditions and environment of work also affect productivity.
Incentive (welfare scheme) can also be a compensation package, reward for performance, staff prefer cash items such as salary, allowances, Christians bonus, or in non cash items such which we call fringe benefits such as giving the product of the organization to the workers, protective clothing, cars with or without driver.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
Often workers or employees are attracted to certain organization not only because of the pay packets that are stated in the advert but also because of the benefits attached to them. Those benefits usually include, housing, transport and medical allowances together with pension or retirement benefits to mention but a few.
These attractions may constitute a considerable objective for which such individuals made-up their mind to serve in each organization. The Spence or reduction in these primary attractions of such individuals into the organization will certainly lower the morale as well as the efficiency of such individuals performance, which will in turn reflect on the organizations productivity.

CORRECTION FROM STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
These dissatisfaction expressed by the staff either on the provision or administration to staff welfare service activities become some serious problem which demand for proper investigation and examination in order to find lasting solution to them, are as follows:
(i) The implementation of staff welfare scheme in the company is not too effective.
(ii) Workers welfare is not taken care of their salary structure or payment is nothing to write home about.
(iii) The management function is not effective as workers or employees show a negative attitude towards their job, that is inadequate responsibility, high rate of absenteeism and indiscipline.
(iv) Also, the flow of communication between the workers and management is inadequate.
(v) Measure to be used in making sue this problems are tackled to enhance productivity.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of this study are as follow:
(a) To determine if any incentive welfare scheme exist in NEPA.
(b) To ascertain whether any of the service rendered by the staff in the company has been withdrawn due to withdrawal of some incentives.
(c) To identify if welfare scheme package is given by NEPA.
(d) To ascertain whether there are other benefits which the staff demanded for effective performance of their job that are not yet provided.
(e) To ascertain the problems if any that is encounter by the company in the administration of welfare services.
(f) To determine the effectiveness of staff welfare programme in National Electric Power Authority as perceived by the staff.
(g) To make recommendation based on this study on how to improve the provision and administration of staff welfare scheme in NEPA Plc Enugu Zone if need be.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study covers only a large spectrum of government owned enterprises in Nigeria called NEPA Plc Enugu Zone.
It is hoped that the study of the administration of staff welfare scheme in NEPA will serve as an eye opener to efficient administration of welfare services in other government owned companies in Nigeria.

1.5 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
A study of this nature cannot be completed without encountering some constraints or limitations, in the course of this research, these constraints range from time, duration posed a limitation, finance, cost to get these materials. Another notable limitation as experienced by the researcher was the unco-operative and uncompromising respondents.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
In view of this research work, the beneficiaries are as follows, management, staff and other organization.
MANAGEMENT: The management tends to benefit when this incentives such as special allowance and retirement benefits, prestige, condition and environment of work are provided. Workers are committed to give off their best to the achievement of the company’s objective.
STAFF: – The staff will also benefit when welfare services are introduced in the organization due to the employers sincere belief that a good staff/employee service activity will induce them to work hard and improve general staff morale.
Other organization thus, try as much as possible to attain their corporate objectives by helping their staffs to accomplish their own personal objectives. This they do by setting ups ideal welfare scheme for the benefit of their staff.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
For the purpose of this research work the following key words are defined as follows:
STAFF: Any person who enters into a (employer in return for wages, salary or other valuable consideration.
ORGANIZATION: It is an act of organizing a body of people, company, school. It is also the structure of relations that exist between positives in a group.
MORAL: This means the moral condition of workers regarding discipline and confidence.
INCENTIVES: These are wages and salaries.
EMPLOYEE: Those employed to work in an organization.
WORK: A task which employee is assigned to perform.
PERFORMANCE: This refers to the execution of carrying out notable worker.