The influence of work environment on bank employees’ performance a case of commercial banks in Machakos Town

Abstract

Working environment is one of the essential human requirements that enable people to perform their work effectively under defined conditions. It is the quality of the employee’s workplace environment that has most influence on the level of employee’s motivation and subsequent performance. This study sought to understand the influence of work environment on bank employees’ performance. The main objective of this study was to assess the influence of work environment on employee performance in 8 (eight) commercial banks operating in Machakos town. The research concentrated on four main independent variables in the work environment which mainly influence the performance of bank employees, namely; work place design, work force diversity, rewards and benefits and health and safety measures. The target population was 288 which comprise all levels of employees working with the eight banks in Machakos town. In this study, inferential analysis research design was used because it enabled the researcher to study the total population by selecting and studying a representative sample size. Stratified random sampling technique was used to determine a representative sample from the three employee categories in each selected bank. A sample of 20% from each stratum was randomly selected and 50% of the top level managers for representation. This gave a total of a sample size of 63 employees which was used in the study. The instrument of data collection was structured questionnaires for the middle level managers and lower level employees. Interview guide was used for the top level managers. The researcher used the findings from this data to make conclusion and recommendations. Findings showed that there is a positive relationship between conducive workplace design that is suitable for employee’s work and the level of employee performance; workforce diversification is a vital tool in enhancing employee satisfaction in the organization. Findings as well indicated that, having a good policy on health and safety in an organization greatly influences the level of employee performance. There is also a positive relationship between the provision of rewards and other benefits to employees for their performance and the level of their productivity. Based on the findings, recommendations were drawn that; to ensure productivity of employees, management should look for ways that the firm can motivate each individual employee to do their best as well that organizations should give regular, accurate performance reviews to the employee performance that would be the basis of rewarding their work.