CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background to the Study

Employee relations refer to the total relationship between the employer and the employee in regards to the establishment of conditions of employment. It incorporates all issues concerning employer– employee relationship in the work place, including recruitment, equal opportunity, training and development and organizational structure.

Employee relations is a vital tool for ultimate success in any organization, be it public or private. According to O’Brien (2014), a strong relationship between the employer and the employee is very beneficial to every workplace. Such relationship makes the employees more productive and efficient. It creates less conflict and promote loyalty from the employees to the employer. Abbas and Karage (2015) state that organizations to be effective and productive require its manpower to be happy and content with their job profiles so that they can put in their efforts for the overall growth of the organization. That means, a happy workers is a productive worker (Fritzsche and Parrish 2005).

Creating an enabling environment for workers is crucial to the overall performance of workers in any organization. It could go a long way in determining workers productivity in the end. According to Makinde (2013) where the environment is favourable, workers naturally work with less hassle of what become of their welfare but if contrary, the productivity of workers could be easily jeopardized.

Various sources including Accuff and Wood (2004), Browne and Keeley (2009), Donaldson and O’Toole (2007),Ford et al (2003), and Selmier and Travis (2013) suggest that without strong relationships, it becomes impossible to be successful as an employer. These studies express opinion that employers need to have long-term customer and employee relationships that will carry them through challenging and difficult times, as well as relationships with other business owners, to share struggles resources and best practices which can really give them an edge.

According to Jackson (2009), employee/employer relationship is like any other relationship, itrequires lots of effort to maintain and it must be mutually beneficial to all stakeholders. He emphasized that an employer must be willing to give, share and support, not just take or receive.

It is no news that industrial disputes have become the order of the day in most organizations today and has led to the collapse of several, once viable organizations in the world today.

Job satisfaction is defined as the extent to which people like their job’s(Spector 2000). It is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience (Locke 1976). Employees with higher job satisfaction are usually less absent, less likely to leave, more productive and likely to display organizational commitment Lease (1998). To this end this study seeks to find out the employee relations that exist amongst Uyo local government staff and their employee and to find out how this relationship has motivated them to work better and if they are satisfied with their job.

1.2    Statement of Problem

Employees in most organizations establishments, firms, government paratatals and ministries are unproductive in their job, due to unhealthy relationship with their employers and among colleagues. According to Blyton (2008) employees do not put in their best performances at their various work places when they are unhappy with management, government or even their colleagues.

Poor employee relations usually make staff disgruntled. Such staff could easily betray the trust of the workplace by selling out classified documents to such company’s rival, which could in-turn, dent the image of the workplace. Poor employee-employer relationship could also result in industrial (strike) action and lockouts. All these are actions taken by disgruntled employees to show their grievances. The aforementioned come together to enforce job dissatisfaction.

To what extend is employee relation practiced in Uyo Local government? What influences employees job satisfaction? These questions and an attempt to provide answers to them form the major problem which this study hopes to solve.

1.3    Objectives of the Study

                The objectives of this study are:

(1)        To identify employee relations practices implemented by Uyo Local Government Council Administration.

(2)        Investigate the frequency of employee relations practiced in Uyo Local Government Council.

(3)        To determine the level of job satisfaction among staff of Uyo Local Government Council

(4)        To investigate the relationship between employee relations and job satisfaction among staff of Uyo Local Government Council.

(5)        To examine the impact of Job Satisfaction on performance.

1.4        Research Questions

(1)        Is employee relations part of the administration of Uyo Local Government Administration?

(2)        To what extend is employee relations practiced in Uyo Local Government Council

(3)        Is there Job Satisfaction among staff of Uyo Local Government Council?

(4)        What is the relationship between employee relations and Job Satisfaction among staff of Uyo Local Government Council

(5)        What is the impact of Job Satisfaction on performance.

1.5        Scope of the Study

The study covers the effect of employee relations and job satisfaction on the performance of staff of every employ in Nigeria with particular reference to staff of Uyo Local Government Council