Effect of Recruitment and Selection on Employee’s Performance in Public Universities in Meru County, Kenya

Human resource management encompasses all aspects of an organization's interactions with its personnel, including hiring and firing, benefits administration, goal setting and monitoring, employee performance evaluations, and handling employee departures. Public universities in Meru County have established rules and processes to provide their highest possible quality of service to their students. Similarly, these universities' human resources departments have helped establish procedures to guarantee staff members' adherence to legal frameworks, punctuality in reporting for work, absence-free attendance, audits of risk management practices, and a focus on workplace health, safety, and succession. Despite their best efforts, they are experiencing poor and substandard staff performance. Staff morale is poor and employees are not committed to their jobs, which results in frequent walkouts. Employees vent their frustrations, citing the high turnover rate as a reason why they too are looking for new employment. Nevertheless, there is paucity of conceptual and empirical knowledge. Thus, the ground for the present study was to determine the effect of recruitment and selection on employee performance in public universities in Meru County. The study employed descriptive cross-sectional research design. Academic, administrative, and human resources personnel made up the 90 study's target population. The study employed census method to obtain the study respondents. The study employed structured questionnaires to collect data. A pretesting of data collection tools was undertaken at university of Embu due to comparative characteristics. The pilot study enhanced validity and reliability of the tools. Using a statistical software for the social sciences (SPSS) window version 25, numerical data obtained in the field via surveys were sorted and recorded. The researcher used descriptive statistics (such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) to describe and summarize the data, and inferential statistics to draw conclusions from the data. Pearson's bivariate correlation and multiple regression analysis were inferential statistics that was used to learn more about the correlation and effect of the variables of interest with regard to the continuous variables of interest. The study observed the ethical considerations of the research. This research uncovered a noteworthy positive correlation between various human resource functions, including recruitment and selection within public universities in Meru County. Through regression analysis, it was determined that approximately 46.1% of the variations in employee performance across these public universities could be attributed collectively to the utilization of recruitment and selection. Consequently, this study concludes that recruitment and selection exerted the most significant influence on employee performance. As a result, it is recommended that universities prioritize the enhancement of individual components within their HR functions rather than opting for a holistic approach.