Employee Relations and Staff Performance in Public Universities within Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

The study examined the link between staff performance and employee relations practices in public universities in Nairobi County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to examine how employee welfare, communication, and participation affect staff performance. Descriptive research methodology was used, guided by the Human Theory and Scientific Management Theory. The target respondents were university staff members, including teaching and non-teaching staff. To accomplish the study's goals, descriptive statistics were used to analyse the primary data obtained (structured questionnaires). SPSS version 26 was used to analyse the quantitative data produced using descriptive statistics. The study found that there was a significant positive correlation between all the study variables: employee performance and employee welfare (r=0.783, p <0.05); employee performance and employee communication (r=0.803, p <0.05); and employee performance and employee participation (r=0.759, p <0.05). The regression results indicate that all three objectives (employee welfare, employee communication, and employee participation) positively affect employee performance in public universities in Nairobi, Kenya. The study found that there is a strong positive correlation between employee relations practices and staff performance in public universities in Nairobi County, Kenya. This means that when employee relations practices are well managed, staff performance is likely to be high. The study recommends that public universities in Nairobi County, Kenya should focus on improving their employee relations practices in order to enhance staff performance. Keywords: Employee Relations, Staff Performance, Public Universities, Nairobi County, Kenya