CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The importance of human resources to organization is great and cannot be over emphasized. Although there are different resources available to an organization, people-the human resources are the most important. This is because they manipulate other resources for the advancement and the achievement of goals and objectives of an organization. Among animals and among primitive men, work is motivated directly by the need for food, shelter, self defence and by supporting social needs-the interest of the group. In pre-industrial societies, work was motivated by need in order to attain maximum satisfaction and is closely linked with other social activities. In modern times, work has become divorced from other spheres of life, most people do not consume the fruit of their labour, they paid for it. The prime aim of an organization is goal orientation and its attainment. However, the major dilemma of every organization is the successful accommodation of organization rationality along side with human happiness. Having a competent human resource is necessary but not sufficient, organizations must provide a conducive atmosphere for performance and the human resource must be willing to realize its potentials.
Motivation refers to a complexity of forces inspiring a person at work to intensify his desire and willingness to use his/her potentialities to perform in order to achieve organizational objectives Mile, (2004). It actually refers to conditions which influence the arousal, direction and maintenance of behaviour relevant in work setting. The motivational force is aroused as a results of needs, which have to be satisfied Kootz et al., (1990). Human needs form the motivational basis of human behaviour. All of us have needs, Deep (1978), opines that need at work, at home, at play and every activity we pursue. Therefore, motivation of employees is an important control tool and should be adhered to in order to attain advantages like increased employee commitment, increased productivity, and efficiency. Motivation emphasizes result oriented management through setting of objectives and effective communication systems in organization.
Employee performance refers to the efficiency and effectiveness of employee in achieving organisational objectives Kootz et al., (1990). Employee performance can be evaluated by considering the level of absenteeism, quality of reports and time of reporting for and leaving for duty. It’s important to note that after recruitment, most employees subsequently expect or demand for other benefits as compensation for their time and effort towards achievement or organizational goals apart from the standard wage or salary Miles (2004). If the above benefits are not offered, it usually leads to various forms of dissatisfaction which may include; high abseenteism, constant grievances, high labour turnovers, strikes and as a result low performance of their due duties.