Remuneration As A Means Of Public Servants Motivation For Productivity

The study"s overall objective is to assess remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity. The study further find out the impact of motivation on job performance of public servants, analyze the perception of the motivation schemes desired by employees and give recommendation to public sector managers regarding the most influential motivation factors and tools. The research adopted the survey descriptive design and with the aid of convenience sampling method, the researcher conveniently selected eighty (80) participant who are civil servant in Aba South, Abia State. Self- structure questionnaire was issued to the respondent of which seventy-seven (77) responses were retrieved and validated for the study. The study made use of of descriptive analysis and inferential statistics where data from field survey was analysed using simple percentage, mean and standard deviation presented in frequencies and tables. Hypothesis test was conducted using ANOVA Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS v.23).Findings of the study concludes that remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity, It strengthens the relationship between the employee and the employer and through prompt payment of salaries, the needs of workers are addressed. The study therefore recommends that Public sector remuneration system should be structured to address the issue of employee satisfaction. This is because employee satisfaction has a bearing on employee commitment and productivity.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Human resource management is based on the mutual satisfaction. On the one side the employees have to achieve the company"s objectives in an efficient and productive way, and on the other side the employees expect a compensation for their work in mind of wages, benefits, promotion, and so on. On this point motivation comes into focus. Motivation is the inner drive that influences a person"s behavior toward goal achievement. Public organizations most times fulfill their goals through employees, so it is crucial to have efficient and productive staff.

Motivated employees contribute to the long-term success of the organization trough creativity, innovation, and their orientation towards costumers, which is of utmost importance in the public sector. The most influential productivity factor is job performance, and it is a function of four variables (Mitchell, 1982, pp.82-83): ability, understanding of the task, environment, and motivation.

In his article Behn (1995) forced management scholars to focus their research on motivation, as one of the most important questions of public management.

As many authors have recognized the importance of motivation, a big number of theories and approaches were developed.

In the beginning most of the literature referred to the private sector. The topic of motivation of public sector employees has become popular since the work of Perry and Wise (1990) and Behn (1995).

Today, the global financial crisis forces governments and public sector organizations to motivate employees in order to become more productive, and to help to overcome the problems caused by the crisis. According to Perry and Porter (1982) productivity seeks to get "more for less". Motivation and productivity are in a positive correlation.

They impact each other. So, when motivation in an organization increases, the expectation is that productivity increases too. One of the most popular tools for enhancing motivation and productivity are performance-related pay systems (hereinafter: PRP). PRP systems use monetary tools like bonuses and rewards to motivate employees. Although it is a wide-spread tool, according to OECD (1993 and 1997) PRP systems did not meet the expectations in terms of employee motivation, and performance and pay relation.

The motivation of employees in the public sector differs from the private sector motivation. The approach of Public Service Motivation (hereinafter: PSM) describes features through which the employees can be especially motivated, and that are concentrated mainly in the public sector. Some of them are (Schweizerischer Nationalfonds, n.d.): the possibility to participate in political processes and have a certain impact, the opportunity to commit for the public interest or to promote it, the opportunity to commit and help the society and particular persons.

According to Jurkiewicz, Massey and Brown (1998) as motivation factors of public sector employees are considered job security and stability, while for private sector employees a high salary is the number one motivation factor. Because there are differences regarding sectors, a large number of motivation theories were developed.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Crucial to the success of an organization is competence of the management and workforce, employees" productivity on the other hand, had been hinged on the employee"s capability and motivation received amongst other factors, to perform the various tasks assigned to the employee. The importance of understanding motivation has been reflected in its relationship with productivity. From the management"s point of view, the motivation level of subordinates is a reflection of the potential human energy available for production. The unleashing and directing of that energy requires the management to activate the energy source of applying stimuli (incentives) (Richard, 1991). The intensity of stimulation required is inversely related to the motivation level. Therefore, motivation and productivity are directly related; the higher the motivation level, the higher the productivity potential of subordinates.

A worker can be extremely satisfied with his/her job and at the same time be unmotivated to exert effort. In fact, that is exactly one of the problems the public sector experiences - some employees are very pleased with their comfort work conditions, e.g. job security, and still have very little motivation to work. Nonetheless, job satisfaction should not be mislaid. It may not have a direct effect on motivation, performance, and productivity, but it sure has been found to be related to employee retention, thus indirectly influencing organizational costs associated with employee absenteeism and turnover (Wright/Davis, 2003, p.71).

Public servants must be effectively motivated through remuneration for efficient productivity.

1.3 Research Question

What is the impact of motivation on the job performance of public servants

What is the perception of the motivation schemes desired by employees?

What are the recommendations to public sector managers regarding the most influential motivation factors and tools?

1.4 Aims and Objective of Study

The aim of this studies is to critically study remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity. The objectives are:

To find out the impact of motivation on job performance of public servants

To analyze the perception of the motivation schemes desired by employees.

To give recommendation to public sector managers regarding the most influential motivation factors and tools.

1.5 Research Hypotheses

Ho: there is no significant impact of motivation on the job performance of public servant

H1: there is significant impact of motivation on the job performance of public servant

1.6 Significance of the Study

The search for solutions to the numerous difficulties confronting the workfoce of numerous establishments has nearly proved futile. As a result of these non-performance or poor employee"s commitment, this study aims to contribute to the search for a solution to the problem of workforce motivation and low commitment in Nigerian workplaces. The study"s findings and recommendations will undoubtedly aid in resolving basic problems of work in Nigerian establishments. Again, the significance of the study will be appreciated once it is clear that an organization with all the trappings of efficiency and high productivity will be rendered impotent and ineffective if the individual human beings whose efforts are to be co-ordinated and harnessed towards the achievement of the organization"s goal are dissatisfied and thus unmotivated.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study is focused on assess remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity. The study will further find out the impact of motivation on job performance of public servants, analyze the perception of the motivation schemes desired by employees and give recommendation to public sector managers regarding the most influential motivation factors and tools..The study is limited to civil servant in the Aba South Local government.

1.8 Limitation of the study

Like in every human endeavour, the researchers encountered slight constraints while carrying out the study. The significant constraint was the scanty literature on the subject owing to the nature of the discourse thus the researcher incurred more financial expenses and much time was required in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature, or information and in the process of data collection, which is why the researcher resorted to a limited choice of sample size. Additionally, the researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. More so, the choice of the sample size was limited as few civil servant in the Aba South Local government were selected to answer the research instrument hence cannot be generalize to other Local Government outside that region. However, despite the constraint encountered during the research, all factors were downplayed in other to give the best and make the research successful.

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Introduction

The broad objective of this study is to examine remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity.. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, recommendations and suggestions for further studies.

5.2 Summary of the Findings

The study"s overall objective is to assess remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity. The study further find out the impact of motivation on job performance of public servants, analyze the perception of the motivation schemes desired by employees and give recommendation to public sector managers regarding the most influential motivation factors and tools.

The research adopted the survey descriptive design and with the aid of convenience sampling method, the researcher conveniently selected eighty (80) participant who are civil servant in Aba South, Abia State. Self- structure questionnaire was issued to the respondent of which seventy-seven (77) responses were retrieved and validated for the study. The study made use of of descriptive analysis and inferential statistics where data from field survey was analysed using simple percentage, mean and standard deviation presented in frequencies and tables. Hypothesis test was conducted using ANOVA Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS v.23).

5.3 Conclusion

Remuneration is essential to the organization as it has become important in managing employee"s performance. The reward systems are directly and indirectly involved in the vision and mission of the organization that gives sense to the employee that a reward system will benefit both parties. Salaries and monetary reward have a critical role in determining the organization"s ability to attract high potential employees and to retain high performing employees to achieve greater levels of quality and performance". A properly administered system of remuneration can provide good quality of employee performance especialy in public sector which has been characterized by late payment of salaries while most parastatals goes months without paying staff. If the organization does not have a proper reward system, it will lead to problems such as low employee morale, the unproductive performance of the employees, or it can lead to high turnover rate among employee.

Findings of the study concludes that remuneration as a means of public servants motivation for productivity.

Through prompt payment of salaries, the needs of workers are addressed

It strengthens the relationship between the employee and the employer.

Giving rewards for hard work is one way to boost employee motivation and participation

When employees are rewarded, they feel like they trust their employer and feel supported.

It helps in retaining qualified workforce and attracting new talents.

5.4 Recommendation

From the findings of the study, the following critical steps should be take n

Public sector remuneration system should be structured to address the issue of employee satisfaction. This is because employee satisfaction has a bearing on employee commitment and productivity.

Formulation and implementation of all policies especially those concerning employees" salary payment should be transparent and communicated properly to minimise perceptions of cronyism, nepotism and favouritism.

Employees form critical part of the organization, such that job satisfaction is greatly affected by the current reward system. Management should ensure that reward system is effective enough and competitive to influence employees to work harder.

Public organizations should pay its employees positively for the competencies rather than just the experience alone this will make employee to be committed.

• Public Administration Project Topics and Materials