The Impact of Civil Service Training on Workers’ Productivity in Akwa Ibom State
Chapter One
Objective Of The Study
- To identify existing training programs at Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state.
- To evaluate the effectiveness in improving employee’s productivity in civil service.
- To find out if the training programs have impacted on employee morale and the firm’s overall performance.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATION
TRAINING
As one of the major functions within Human Resource Management, training has for long been recognized and thus attracted great research attention by academic writers (see e.g. Gordon 1992, Beardwell, Holden & Claydon 2004). This has yielded into a variety of definitions of training. For example, Gordon (1992, 235) defines training as the planned and systematic modification of behavior through learning events, activities and programs which result in the participants achieving the levels of knowledge, skills, competencies and abilities to carry out their work effectively. It is worth nothing that, as researchers continue with their quest into the training research area, they also continue their arguments into its importance. Some of these researchers argue that the recognition of the importance of training in recent years has been heavily influenced by the intensification of competition and the relative success of organizations where investment in employee development is considerably emphasized (Beardwell et al. 2004). Related to the above, Beardwell et al. (2004) add that technological developments and organizational change have gradually led some employers to the realization that success relies on the skills and abilities of their employees, thus a need for considerable and continuous investment in training and development. 3.2 Benefits of training The main purpose of training is to acquire and improve knowledge, skills and attitudes towards work related tasks. It is one of the most important potential motivators which can lead to both short-term and long-term benefits for individuals and organizations. There are so many benefits associated with training. Cole (2001) summarizes these benefits as below: 22
- High morale – employees who receive training have increased confidence and motivations;
- Lower cost of production – training eliminates risks because trained personnel are able to make better and economic use of material and equipment thereby reducing and avoiding waste; 3) Lower turnover – training brings a sense of security at the workplace which in turn reduces labor turnover and absenteeism is avoided;
- Change management – training helps to manage change by increasing the understanding and involvement of employees in the change process and also provides the skills and abilities needed to adjust to new situations;
- Provide recognition, enhanced responsibility and the possibility of increased pay and promotion;
- Help to improve the availability and quality of employee.
2.3 Training needs According to Wognum (2001, 408), training and development needs may occur at three organizational levels namely;
(1) Strategic level where needs are determined by top management while considering organizations goals, mission, strategy and problems, which need to be resolved or fixed
(2) Tactical level where needs are determined with middle management while considering developments needs to the coordination and cooperation between organization units and
(3) Operational level where needs are determined with lower executive management and other employees while considering problems related to operations such as performance problems of individual employees and departments in subject. In order to enable an organization formulate human resource training and development goals that will enable both formal and informal human resource training and development methods and programmes create a workforce that enables effectiveness and competitiveness, it is worth giving consideration to, providing proper coordination as well as proper incorporation of the needs within the three levels
The first issue is to identify the needs relevant to the organizations objectives. According to Wognum (2001) and Torrington et al. (2005), there are three 23 categories of identifying training and development needs. These include: resolving problems, this focuses on employees’ performance, improving certain working practices, this focuses on improvement regardless of the performance problems and changing or renewing the organization situation, which may arise because of innovations or changes in strategy.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
A research design means the instrument aimed at identifying variable and third relationship of one another, this is used for the purpose of obtaining data.
For this study work, survey research design was adopted, couples of questionnaires were personally distributed to the respondents and the same method adopted to collect the completed copies of the questionnaire distributed.
Population of the Study
The target population of this study comprises 25 employees of Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state. The aggregate number of employees which formed the population of Uyo Electricity Distribution Company consists of 25 employees. The population to be observed will cover entire employee of Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
A total of 25 copies of the questionnaire were issued. Therefore, data contained in 25 copies of the instrument that were correctly completed were adopted.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
With respect to the objectives of this study, the following findings were revealed by the researcher.
Data collected revealed that Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state state started introducing its training program at the time the company began its operations, till date. Most employees have had some form of training.
The research also revealed that the purpose of training and development activities at Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state is to achieve both individual and organizational performance. However the basic purpose of training as shown from the introduction is to improve the knowledge and skills of employees. It is also to change the attitudes and behavior of the employees for the purpose of enhancing the effectiveness of the organization as a whole and increase performance.
The rapid changes in technology also require that employees possess the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to handle the new processes and production techniques in order to be ahead of other competing organizations. Thus, there was the need to find out the major purposes for which Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state trains its employees because reasons may differ per organization.
According to the Human Resources Manager, employees at Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state are trained in order to improve their skills, knowledge, abilities, competencies, behavior and confidence. The ultimate objective however is to help improve both individual and organizational performance.
Concerning the second objective of this study, the following findings were made:
It is very essential that the employees who undergo the training know the objectives for each training program they undertake. Employees’ knowledge of the reason for which they undergo training will help them be focused and enable them appreciate the program. It will in the long-run also reflect in the growth of the organization through the profits, reduced time periods on the job among others. The organization however is also certain and confident of a strong employee base who are ready to work under changes in the Power sector sector that may occur and also replace the experienced employees who may retire or leave the business. The Human Resources Management manager stated that the objective for which their employees undergo training is to help them improve on their performance, acquire more skills, meet the required standards in the organization, as refresher courses to learn their processes and procedures so they become more efficient. The respondents also affirmed this, all the respondents said the objectives are to improve on their performance an also enable them acquire new skills. Some out of the 25 also added that the training programs are to enable them work on a higher task based on a promotion; learn a new advancement in the industry and also an opportunity for them to brainstorm in order to develop strategies for the organization.
Effects of Training on employee performance
Employees are motivated to work better on the job if they are made to feel their employers think of their well-being. Training is one strategy that employers can however adapt to make employees feel this way. When employers put in place training programs for their employees, they become aware of the desire of their employers to see them improve, thus will be motivated to work better. Therefore, the study sought the opinion of the respondents whether they are motivated and satisfied with the training program of the organization.
The results shows that, majority of respondents are motivated and satisfied with the training programs provided by the organization. It is very important that the employees are motivated and satisfied with the training programs put in place by the organization. This is because being motivated will boost their morale thus enabling them to work hard to achieve the corporate goals and mission of the organization and help them live up to the institutions corporate values.
It is vital in accessing the effectiveness of the training programs provided by the organization to not only obtain the perspective of management but the trainees (employees) as well. The data revealed that employees were able to identify specific improvements to their development as a result of the training they have obtained and were also able to clearly state that the training provided over the years has been beneficial to them in terms of the improvement as well as the acquisition of new skills and knowledge, improved efficiency and also believed that training had enabled them contribute to the growth of the institution. Their ability to clearly identify these things highlights the effectiveness of the training provided. Labour is a major input in the operations of any entity. Efficient labour has a direct impact on the output of the firm and productivity of the firm. Analysis of productivity can be simplified by accessing the output per unit of input. The more output per unit of input the more productive a firm is. The main focus of this study is on manpower training and development and the impact of such skills, knowledge, efficiency and performance on the performance and productivity of the individual employees. This is based on the basis that employees do not perform well until they have become aware of what they are to do and how to do it.
It is therefore essential to note that it is the knowledge, skills and efficiency gained that will make the individual employees more effective. The data revealed that training results in improvement of Skills, Knowledge, Efficiency, and Performance.
It is interesting to note that De Cenzo and Robbins (2001), stated that “training is basically a learning experience, which seeks a relatively permanent change in an individual’s skills, knowledge, attitudes or social behavior.” The elements they highlighted seems to be similar to the aspects of the employee the training program provided by the firm seems to have tackled.
The difficulty has always been the basis for evaluating the impact of manpower training on the performance of the firm. The initial approach was to use the productivity approach by evaluating the contribution of each unit of labor to the company’s profit. If each unit of labor was contributing more to profit over time then one could conclude that labor was more efficient and could thus connect it to training. However, the non-availability of information on labor makes this approach difficult to utilize. Thus the new approach to be adopted though not the most efficient but the most expedient based on available information would be to analyze the growth of profit. If profit has indeed grown then we go further to analyze the basis. This could either be an increase in income or decrease in expenditure. I analyzed income per unit invested in the company. If every unit invested is resulting in more income then we can conclude an improvement in efficiency. Since the entity’s main input is labor then we can go further to conclude that labor is thus contributing more to the performance of their firm and then also go further to state the contribution training would definitely have made.
CONCLUSION
Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state has training programs for its employees.. All employees no matter their qualification, age or rank consistently go through training. Training has been effective with its core objective being to improve individual and organizational performance as can be seen from the improvement in returns per unit invested in expenditure as well a consistent increase in income and profit. The training program is structured, planned and systematic and has resulted in improvement in skills, efficiency and performance as well as the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. Training has had an effect on the performance of the firm with increased profits and income as well as an increase in income per unit of expenditure invested. Uyo Electricity Distribution Company, Akwa Ibom state however, should consider the possibility of other training programs besides
Since it was discovered that not all employees were motivated with the current training programs an increasing of available options can help to tackle this. Competition in the organizations in Nigeria continues to increase with the continuous emergence of new players. Thus, it is important for organizations to invest if they intend to stay ahead of their competitors.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Uyo Electricity Distribution Company current in-house training program is effective but the company should also consider enabling employees to further their studies to improve their qualifications.
- Uyo Electricity Distribution Company should also continue with its training with periodic analysis of the program to ascertain its effectiveness, the certainty that the program caters to the specific needs of its employees and that program is in line with developments of the time.
- Uyo Electricity Distribution Company should increase transparency to let the public know their contribution to the Nigerian system at large
REFERENCES
- Armstrong M. (2005): A handbook of Human Resource Management and Practice. Ninth Edition.Replika Press PVT Limited, Kundli – 131028.
- Cascio, W.F (2003). Managing Human Resources 2nd edition McGraw Hill Book Company., New York, USA.
- Cole G.A (2007): Personnel and Human Resource Management. Fifth Edition.T.J International Padstoro Cornwell United Kingdom.
- Daver R.S (2005): Personnel Management and Industrial Relations. Tenth Edition.Vikas Publishing House PVT Limited 576, Masjid Road, Jangpura, New Delhi
- De Cenzo, D. A. and Robbins S. P (2001).Human Resource Management John Wiley and Sons., New York. USA.
- Dessler G. (2005): Human Resource Management. Pearson Education Incorporation, Upper saddleriver, New Jersey, 07458.
- Evans, J. R. and Lindsay W. M (2004).The Management and Control of Quality 4th edition South-Westernllege College Publishing., Cincinnati Ohio. USA
- Evborokhai J.A (2003): Business Policy and Strategy: A Functional Approach.Jube – Evans Books and Publications, near sauki clinic, P.O Box, 845 Bida, Niger State.
- Gomez-Mejia, R., et al (2007) Managing Human Resources 2nd edition Pearson Education., New Jersey, USA
- Institute of Statistical and Social Research (2008) Several Reports On State Of The Nigerian Economy. Institute of Statistical and Social Research
