INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

IMPACT OF MANPOWER TRAINING ON SERVICE PERFORMANCE

IMPACT OF MANPOWER TRAINING ON SERVICE PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT

This study examines the importance of manpower training on service performance in Nigeria Nigeria Limited. To access the situation well structured questionnaire were administered using simple random techniques. The data collected were analyzed using simple tables percentage and Chi-square Statistical Technique method. The result indicates that Training of workforce has a significant effect on productivity. It was also discovered that On-the-job training is preferable to the off-the-job training with the organization.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Strategically, organizational learning, which makes use of training as one of the several responses, deals with the acquisition of understanding, know-how, techniques and practice. This intellectual intangible can be translated into an organizational resource through the people that acquire, infer and utilize such toward the achievement of the organizational-wide training. Armstrong (2010) Training is planned learning experience which teaches employees how to perform current and future jobs more effectively.

H. John Bernardin (2008) emphasizes that training focuses on the current jobs. Basically, the objective of training is to contribute to the organization’s overall goal. Training is beneficial not just to the organization itself but also to the individual employees. On the one hand, training leads to improved profitability and / or more positive attitudes toward profit orientation, improves the job knowledge and skills at all levels of the organization, improves moral of the workforce and help the employees identify with organizational goals (Sims). On the other hand, training benefits individual employees through helping them make better decision and effective problem solving, assisting in encouraging and achieving self-development and self-confidence, helping an employee or a person handle stress, tension, frustration and conflict, increasing job satisfaction and recognizing and moving the person toward personal goal while improving interaction skills(Sims) .

Training can be regarded as a continuous process. It is not something that is done once to a new employee, it is used continuo sly in every well run establishment. Every time you get someone to do the work the way you want it done, you are training. Every time you give direction or discuss a procedure, you are also training (R. Dorley). Training of employees has been given a diverse perception by organizations. Some managers feel that it is a waste of time and money organizing a training programme for their workforce while only few organizations see it as part of investment and upgrading and contributing to organizational input.

The diverse perception of training by different people leads us to these major questions; What is the difference between education and training? What are the advantages of training to both the organization and the individual trainee? The second chapter will provides us with the answers to these questions as we trade on for this research study. The skills and performance of employees and managers must be upgraded continually. The need to learn how to work with new equipment such as word processors, computers or robots leads to training. Meeting these requirements involves training and development activities. Training and development of human resource involve according to Ivancevich et al;

·       Change in skills

·       Knowledge Attitudes

·       Social behaviour

Training therefore, according to Fajana (2006), can be regarded as the process that involves skills and learning concept, rules or attitude in order to increase effectiveness on a particular job.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The constant absence of manpower training in organizations creates avenue for low productivity, high rate of industrial accident, low moral and high cost of production. The high rate of industrial accident calls for a re-think. The slow rate of work performance in Nigerian firms is attributed to the lack of training and acquisition of skills needed for the job. Despite the abundance of human and natural resources, yet we have experience expatriates playing major roles in our organizations.

The prime motive of an organization is to achieve its goals and objectives, hence the need to effectively co-ordinate and motive the worker towards the end by effectively imparting and preparing workers on the tasks ahead of them. Unfortunately, some organizations concentrate more on factors like money, incentives or physiological factors without giving such attention to the updating and boosting the morale of worker through training. With the presence of manpower training, organizations are able to overcome this high accident rate and increase productivity with less cost.

In the course of this study, manpower training, as an independent variable, which will make or mar the employees performance and productivity, as the dependent variable, will be looked into and solutions will be proffered to the ineffectiveness relationship between workers and training so as to encourage employees on the way forward. Every organization needs to get the quality of workers it needs at present to be able to handle current challenges that face it and in this regard, manpower training is the key.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The following are the specific objectives of the study

i. To examine if training of workforce have a significant relationship on productivity.

ii. To investigate if on-the-job training is preferable to the off­ the-job training.

iii. To determine if the frequent of workers training improve their performance at work?

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions will be due for the study.

i.  Does training of workforce have a significant effect on productivity?

ii. Is on-the-job training preferable to the off-the-job training with the organization?

iii. Does frequent of workers training improve their performance at work?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

In order to have an in sigh t on this research study, the following hypothesis will be tested for its validity.

One

Ho: Training of workforce has no significant effect on productivity

Hi: Training of workforce has a significant effect on productivity

Two

Ho: On-the-job training; is not preferable to the off-the-job training with the organization

Hi: On-the-job training is preferable to the off-the-job training with the organization

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The Scope: The researcher intends to collect his facts from the NIGERITE LIMITED, sited at Oba -Akran Avenue, Ikeja, and Lagos State.

The facts to be collected will be contingent on training. Respondents to be used will be strategically on junior staff in relation to the research topic “Training”.

Limitation: The intended research is being faced with different challenges in the areas of traffic and financial constraint. The issues of stress and distance will also be another challenge that must be overcome.

However, poor responses to questions, incomplete and inadequate collection of data from the respondent must also be put into consideration as the research forges ahead.

1.7 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

The result of this study will be significant contribution to human resource planners who ensures optimum use of available human resources. It will help us understand the effect of manpower training on service performance and productivity. The result of the study will help human resource managers have a clear-cut demarcation between trained and untrained employees in terms of performance and productivity measure. It is to view the need for training.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Training: A short-term programme organized by an organization to help new and existing employees usually of a low level to acquire skills that will prepare them on the task ahead.

Management: The process of getting things done through and with people.

Theory: A set of ideas intended to explain facts or events.

Performance: Accomplishment of task

Worker/Employee: Individuals or group through which goals and objectives of organization are achieved.

Productivity: Relationship between input and output. It can be defined as the rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods and services, and the amount produced compared with how much time, work, and money is needed to produce them. Mathematically, it can be adduced thus; productivity = value / time. That is productivity equals value divided by time. By this definition there are two ways of increasing productivity:

a.    Increase the value created

b.    Decrease the time required to create that value.

Objectives: A statement of a long term goals which an organization or individual seeks to achieve.

Training Style: Method through which a training programme can be administered to workers.

Trainee: The person or employee that undergoes training.

Trainer: The person who impact the training to the trainees.

Performance Appraisal: It is a review of employees’ performance based on the objective agreed.