Working conditions and employee performance in small scale business enterprises; A case study of Kampala central division, Kampala district.

Abstract

Ensuring favorable working conditions has become an important factor as regards increasing employee performance in so many Small Scale Business Enterprises. The purpose of this study was to establish the contribution of working conditions towards employee performance in Small Scale Business enterprises. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to analyze the closed and open-ended questions on the research survey, statistically using percentages, mean, range, frequency and SPSS. While using a descriptive research design, the study examined how the enhancements of the three perspectives of job security, wage or pay level and colleague relationship contribute towards employee performance in Small Scale Business Enterprises. The findings of the study show that however much there are other factors like motivation; management that contributes towards employee performance in Small Scale Business Enterprises, working conditions have been a major factor that contributes towards employee performance in a positive way. Findings from the research showed that job security solely contribute towards employee performance while giving a justification for a small extent and a mean value of 2.82 as well as a standard deviation of 1.082 with a range figure of 3, pay or wage showed a positive contribution justified by the mean value of 1.12 and a standard deviation of 0.328 with a range of 1, and colleague relationship showed a solely positive contribution towards employee performance through its dimensions like extent showing commitment towards team work which gave a small extent and therefore this was justified by a mean value of 2.54 and a standard deviation of 1.034. However the study discovered that most of the business enterprises do not focus more on the ensuring or implementation of better working conditions in their business operations. Therefore the study recommends the Small Scale Business Enterprises to always encourage provision of better working conditions, put more emphasis on implementation of better working conditions that are notable by employees but not just mere talking about them, communication and sensitization of business people about the benefits which come as a result of provision of better working conditions and communication of different ways of ensuring better working conditions in business enterprises.