CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The human resource department is one of the most important departments in every company and firm. Every company adopt the different departmental demarcations to suit their mission but in all of them, this department is always found almost as important, if not more important, than the public relation department. This is so as the background and welfare of the employees is as important as any other mission the company or establishment is poised towards.
The management of employees and the maintenance of their working spirit goes beyond the payment of salaries and the assignment of duties. The establishments rely on the employees for the attainment of whatever goal or target they have set for themselves which means that the maintaining of high performance and the spirit to meet the targets is also part of what is to be looked after by the employers; creating a conducive working environment and the incentive to go the extra mile beyond one’s job description.
1.2   STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Between creating an enabling environment for the employees and handing out incentives to them is the list of measures needed to boost the spirits of the employees. Without this extra nudge, the situation is usually one of apathy and the lack of the will to put extra effort past the agreed ones that are in their job description. However, often employers find that it is the extra efforts on the parts of the employees that make all the difference. So employers device systems known as reward systems which “addresses these four areas: compensation, benefits, recognition and appreciation” (Entrepreneur Media). This is the research problem we are grappling with in the present work: to study the use of appraisals and reward system in enhancing employee performance in an Organisation such as Nestlé Nigeria PLC.
1.3   RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.3.1      what are the kinds of reward systems employed by employers.
1.3.2      What and what do these systems take into consideration.
1.3.3      How effective are they in increasing employee performance in Nestlé Nigeria PLC.