ROLE OF JOB DESIGN ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA: A CASE OF PRESBYTERIAN UNIVERSITY OF EAST AFRICA

Abstract

It is commonly acknowledged that human resources are the most important asset in any organization. In a turbulent economic environment characterized by high staff turnover and brain drain human resources practitioners' major challenge is to find ways of attracting and retaining creative and dedicated staff committed to the organization and to determine which working conditions stimulate employees to give their best, to be engaged, to go beyond what is expected and persist in the face of difficulties. The aim of the study was to establish the role of job design on employee engagement. The target population was 535 employees working at the top management, middle level management and low level management at The Presbyterian University of East Africa. A sample of 84 employees of the target population was considered by use of stratified sampling method. The primary data was collected through the use of questionnaires and secondary data was obtained from published documents such as journals, periodicals, magazines and reports to supplement the primary data. A pilot study was conducted to pretest the validity and reliability of instruments for data collection. The raw information was analyzed to yield qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed with help of SPSS version 20 and MS excel. The variables were regressed and study findings showed that skill variety, task identity, job design and job feedback significantly and positively influenced employee engagement at The Presbyterian University of East Africa. Job feedback was the most significant factor and had a positive significant relationship at 5% level of significance. This implied that the variables understudy affected employee engagement in Presbyterian University of East Africa and recommends for effective policies and strategies to enhance appropriate job designs for improving employee engagement and performance.