Factors affecting employee engagement: the case study of robe town munic-ipality, Bale Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Employee Engagement is the backbone of every organization, it is a very important practice to utilize the tacit knowledge of the employees to increase commitment and performance with a limited cost. Hence, this study was designed with the aim to identify the determinants of employee engagement in Robe town municipality. The research is a quantitative research approach using a Cross-sectional survey method.   The multi-stage sampling method was employed in this research. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyze the data and interpret the result. The SPSS-version 20 software was used for analysis.  The required data were collected from both primary and secondary sources.  Primary data were collected through a survey questionnaire using five Point Likert-scale questionnaires. The questionnaire was distributed to 125 respondents and at the end of the day, 119 responses were properly filled and returned.  The result of the study from descriptive analysis pointed out that having the mean value for Job Characteristics= 3.27, rewards and recognition =2.72, organizational justice =2.88, and perceived organizational support =2.94 were below average which indicates that there was a limitation in implementing these practice in  Robe town municipality. Similarly, the correlation result indicated that there was a positive relationship between all the independent variables and the dependent variable. This implies that any increase or decrease in the independent variable will bring a corresponding changes in the level of employee engagement.  Hence, it is recommended that Robe town municipality should periodically review its practice on Job characteristics, Rewards and Recognition, Organizational Justice, and Perceived Organizational Support in order to improve its effectiveness on employees’ engagement.