Assessment of Employees’ Satisfaction with Human Resource Management Practices in Selected Public Universities in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Human resource practices remain cardinal factor towards the productivity of employees, as well as the overall performance of organisations. Yet, the feeling of employees in many public organisations remains unclear due to scanty empirical researches in that regard. This study was therefore positioned to assess employees’ satisfaction with Human Resource Management Practices (HRMPs) in selected public universities within the Southeast Nigeria. The study adopted the descriptive cross-sectional survey research design. The sample size for the study was 205 non-academic employees comprising of 83 males and 122 females, who were selected for the study through self-sampling technique. Data for the study were collected through questionnaire administration which measured seven dimensions of human resource management practices. Data collected were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software package version 26. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics including frequency count and simple percentage, and data analysed were presented using tables and charts. Findings of the study showed that in the overall, majority employees in the two selected public universities were dissatisfied with HRMPs in their organisations. However, in specific dimensions, it was found that the respondents expressed dissatisfaction in the HRMPs of: providing security to employees, hiring employees, managing effective teams, and training of employees in relevant skills; while they only expressed fair level of satisfaction on fair and performance-based compensation, creation of a flat and egalitarian organisation and making information easily accessible to employees. The study therefore recommended, among other things, the need for the establishment of regulatory framework that would guide human resource management practices in the public tertiary institutions.