The Impact of Welfare Programme on Staff Productivity in a Public Organization in Nigeria

Background to the Study

In every organization, there are always people committed to working for its growth and continued sustainability. These people work towards the attainment of the organization’s goals. The performance of the organization depends on the willingness of these people to put the best of their ability in ensuring quality service and ensuring that available resources are effectively utilized. In fact , for any organization to attain her goals, it will need a team of satisfied and happy staff (Oshagbemi, 2015). It is therefore very important for an organization to attract, retain, and maintain competent and high-performing staff. The continuous care and attention given to staff members will make them feel a sense of belonging and influence their ability to contribute to the growth and development of the organization.

Welfare is a corporate commitment reflected in an expressed care for employees at all levels, underpinning their work and the environment in which it is performed (Cowling and Mailer, 2012). Specifically, Coventry and Barker (2008) assert that staff welfare includes providing social club and sports facilities as appropriate, supervising staff and works’ canteens, running sick clubs and savings schemes; dealing with superannuation, pension funds and leave grants, making loans on hardship cases; arranging legal aid and giving advice on personal problems; making long service grants; providing assistance to staff transferred to another area and providing fringe benefits (such as payment during sickness, luncheon vouchers and other indirect advantages.

Nzelibe and Monku (2010) observed that in the public organizations, members of staff are entitled to both statutory and non-statutory welfare programmes. According to Armstrong (2008), the Nigerian government makes provision for statutory welfare programme to employee in the public particularly the employee in the Nigerian Postal Service. In the word of Nzelibe and Monku (2010), some welfare schemes are compulsory and are provided in all offices of the organization as compliance to the laws governing employee health and safety. They explained further that the benefits, allowances, pension, life insurance, credit facilities etc are the statutory welfare programmes provided to staff of the public sector. On the other hand, there are conveniences such as canteen, rest rooms and lunch rooms. Joel and Florence (2012) added that housing facilities are part of the welfare programmes for the staff of the Nigerian public service and provided free or at a norminal rent. In some cases, loans are given to the employees for car or house. In addition, medical facilities in terms of first aid facilities and national health insurance scheme are provided for within the office premises. Also, periodical promotions are made available to different category of staff in line with each employee qualification. This welfare administration is the process or act of providing welfare packages and programmes to ensure workers’ job satisfaction and improvement. The highest ranking usually regard to as top management are in charge of the welfare programme in the Nigerian Public Service. Hence, the need to accord workers’ welfare is central and prominent in public organization. This crux of this study therefore is to examine the impact of welfare programme on staff productivity in public organizations in Nigeria