Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance : An Empirical Approach

Organisations both in the private and public sector across the globe rely on their workforce for optimum productivity which will in turn result to organisational efficiency. In this case, the need for ensuring employee job satisfaction becomes a matter of necessity to every organisation. Though, studies have been conducted by various researchers and scholars in this area, there is however the need to conduct more studies on job satisfaction and performance of an employee since the employees are believed to be an indispensable part of an organisation. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and performance of non-academic staff of Bauchi State University Gadau Nigeria (BASUG). Dissatisfaction is believed to be one of the major factors that demotivates and demoralise employee in the workplace which can result to lower productivity thereby affecting the overall performance of the organisation. Consequently an aggregate of two hundred and seventy questionnaires were distributed nonacademic staff of BASUG based on systematic random sampling and data collected is analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The outcome of the analysis depicts that there is positive and significant relationship between job satisfactions on the performance of nonacademic staff of the University. The study will serve as a policy guide to the management of the Nigerian Universities in areas relating to employee performance improvement through job satisfaction and it will also further make an impetus the field of organisational behaviour and human resource management.


Introduction
Employee job performance has always been a major challenge in organizational management and adopting effective ways to motivate employees to achieve and deliver higher job performance as well as increase the organizational competitiveness is the main objective of every business organisation (Lee & Wu 2011).Ogbulafor, (2011) suggested that the deteriorating level employee performance in Nigerian tertiary institutions is fast becoming a serious threat to survival of universities in Nigeria which needs to be addressed urgently.
It is therefore believed that employee performance is instrumental to organisational growth and profitability.The employees are regarded as the major business resources that facilitate the daily activities and operations of an organisation (Mudah, Rafiki & harahap 2014).Similarly, Oluwafemi (2010) asserted that organisational effectiveness and efficiency depends on how effective and efficient the employees in the organization are.
Employer's ability to comprehend employee's satisfaction as it relates to schedules and daily responsibilities will impact greatly on employee productivity and performance.Howard (2009) view job satisfaction as a blend of likable and unlikable moods or behaviour of an individual worker on their work schedule, implying that when an individual is employed such individual might come along with desires, wants and anticipations which define their meaning for being there.Satisfaction on a job symbolises the enormousness to which optimism are align with real rewards and benefits.According to Mowday, Porter and Steers (2013), most employees of today have a high degree of job dissatisfaction which create attitudes that are undesirable on the job and in turn degenerate their performance ability and that their working place as well.
Nigerian Universities keep increasing and becoming a current issue especially among academics (Ferreira & Otley, 2005).Currently, Nigerian Universities are notable areas of focus as regards to performance of employee.The concept of employee performance is preferably stressed lately in the viewpoint of transparency (Hood & Healed, 2006), managerial accountability (Broaddbent & Laughlin, 2003), a performance measurement (Ferreira & Otley, 2005) and managerial control (Berry, Broadbent & Otley, 2005).
Moreover, the institution of higher education is commonly seen as official institutions well-known by the public with mandate to enrich awareness, rich philosophies and epitomes (Arikewuyo, 2012).Thus, non-academic workforce of the university render a paramount part in the managing of the university which create the necessity for them (non-academic staff) to be given the prospect to advance their human aptitude and secure more tutelage in order to be important in this 21st era (Oyeyemi, 2012).Ajibade, (2012), also maintain that quest of educational superiority in the Nigerian institution of higher education is not only the obligation of the academic staff, but also the non-academic staff who carry out an indispensable part by taking charge of secretarial and clerical undertakings in order to solidify the right state that is essential for education to be impacted.
Additionally, the participation in the process of non-academic staff of Nigerian Universities cannot be overstated, hence, making it highly imperative to be unheeded in the operational management of the University structure in Nigeria.With the view of enhancing value of education in Nigeria, the necessity arises to ascertain how such employees are being handled in their work as well as their attitude and job satisfaction in order to heighten their corresponding performance.
Furthermore, absence of clearly defined career development for non-academic staff with low concern of government and management of Universities is believed to be a major cause of employee dissatisfaction which leads to high turnover rate of support staff of public Universities in Nigeria (Bukar & Timothy 2014).This however, gives the non-academic staff the impression that their ambition and future career cannot be met by the University.Further, dissatisfaction and incongruity have over and over again ascended and developed from unsatisfied demands or unrestrained expositions of management prerogative between the non-academic staff, triggering rattle and in due course leading to lower performance of the non-academic staff thereby affecting the overall performance of the Universities (Adeniji and Adekunjo, 2010).Also, deprived funding by the government, which outcome brings about not only meagre salary scales but also untimely and inconsistent payment of the salaries with a wide disparity between the non-academic staff and the academic staff have also lead to job dissatisfaction which tends to lower general performance.
In line with the objective, the alternative Hypothesis is formulated.
H1: There is a positive and significant relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance.

Literature Review
In this section will deliberate numerous writings from erstwhile studies will be revised in order to detect and debate their separate outlooks of the variables take on in this study in order to discover the interactions amid the dependent variable which is employee performance and the independent variable which include job satisfaction

Employee performance
Employee job performance has always been an important concern for managers of organisations (Kelidbari, Dizgah, & Yusefi, 2011).Similarly, employee performance is key edifice of an organization therefore, aspects that place the grounds for high performance must be scrutinised critically by the organizations for them to succeed (Abbas & Yaqoob, 2009).According to Lee, et-al, (2011), in a study titled -The effects of internal marketing, job satisfaction and service attitude on job performance among high-tech has always been regarded as an important item in organizational management‖ defined job performance as workers' total performance in meeting the anticipated worth and achievement of tasks under the procedure and time requirements of the organization.
Similarly Liao et-al, (2012), define job performance as the standard for advancements, redundancy, rewards, punishments, reviews and salary changes.It also satisfies the needs for employees to realize themselves.Ahmad and Khurram (2011), also argue that employee performance symbolises the broad belief of the personnel about their behaviour and contributions towards the achievement of the organization.
According to Ahmad and Shahzad (2011), apparent employee performance embodies the whole belief of the employee about their conduct and contributions to the accomplishment of the organization and further stated that compensation practices, performance evaluation and promotional practises as a determinant of employee performance.Similarly, Anitha, (2013) define employee performance as an indicator of financial or other outcome of the employee that has a direct connection with the performance of the organisation as well as its achievement, further revealed that working atmosphere, leadership, team and co-worker relationship, training and career development, reward programme, guidelines and procedures and workstation wellbeing as well as employee engagement are major factors that determine employee performance.
However, a study conducted by Alagaraja1 and Shuck (2015) aimed to discover prevailing viewpoints of organizational configuration and employee engagement in order to understand reasons associated with enhancing individual performance argue that employee performance can be enhanced through training and development.Furthermore, Thomas and Feldman, (2010) adopted measures of employee performance as core task performance, which includes in-role performance, safety performance, and creativity, followed by citizenship performance, categorised into both targets-specific and general organizational citizenship behaviours and lastly, counterproductive performance that consists of general counterproductive work behaviours, workplace aggression, substance use, tardiness, and absenteeism.
Therefore, employee performance brings about innovation performance and firm performance as a whole, in such a way that successful effort of fulfilled, inspired, and devoted human resources produce innovative ideas for new products or services and increase quality performance, operative performances, and client satisfaction directly (Sadikoglu & Cemal, 2010).
Globalization have created a lot of modifications and challenges that affect both the private and public sector around the world which make Nigerian Universities not exceptional to such situations.Although there are some unrelenting arguments about the positive and negative effects about such changes, an effective scrutiny of employee performance therefore becomes a necessity (Krishna, 2010).However, this as a result of the state of employee performance in such universities is at its deteriorating level, and brings on the create a policy that can deliver success and advancement for the management of Universities in Nigeria to collectively, address and deliberate for higher employee performance for their respective institutions.

2.2Measures for employee performance
Ahmad and Shahzad (2011) argued that seeming performance of an employee expresses the entire conviction of an employee in regards to the actions and input to the attainment of the organisations goals and mission.They further mentioned that practices of compensation, evaluation of performance and practices concerning promotion of and employee are the benchmark for performance of a worker.So also, Anitha (2013) stated that performance of an employee is a gauge or pointer of monetary or other result of the employee that has undeviating relationship with organisation performance and accomplishment as well.Anitha, (2013) additionally disclose that atmosphere at which employee perform task and other schedules, relationship with bosses, co-employee relationship and that of team, compensation procedure, and engagement of an employee are determining factors for performance.
Conversely, Alagaraja1 and Shuck (2015) disclose that employee performance can be measured by means of regular training and improvement.In addition, Thomas and Feldman, (2010) take on measures of employee performance as core job performance, that includes in-role performance, security performance, and inventiveness, trailed by citizenship performance, branded into equally targets-specific and wide-ranging organizational citizenship.As far as this study is concerned however, dimensions for measuring employee performance provided in the study of Liao et-al (2012) were chosen.This is due to the fact that the dimensions in those studies employee performance was measured from the point of view of the organization, the employee as well as, the job itself i.e. organizational objective, employee objective, performance development and employee satisfaction are used as measures of employee performance which makes it more wide-ranging.
Performance of an employee hence, gives room for innovativeness among employees and general firm's performance and innovativeness, in a manner that prosperous work of accomplished, inspired and zealous human resources yield ground breaking concepts for newer goods or services and also upsurge performance quality and satisfaction of the clients (Sadikoglu & Cemal, 2010).

Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction is believed not to have a generally agreed definition despite of its significance and wide usage in the field of industrial psychology and organisational behaviour, which make it vital that before clear meaning is given, there is the need to put into consideration the significance and nature activities of human beings all around the globe (Aziri 2011).Several scholars and authors have defined job satisfaction base on their views.A definition given by Hop pock (1935) states that job satisfaction is seen as any form of blend of psychological environmental as well as physiological circumstances that can make an individual admit in all honesty that I am gratified with the employment I do for a leaving.On the basis of this definition, level of job satisfaction is represented by what actually causes the feeling of satisfaction.Another definition given by Vroom (1964) effective orientation of individual in respect to their task and schedules is what defines job satisfaction; this definition put much emphasis on the role played by an employee in the working place.
The most widely used meaning of job satisfaction is the coined by Spector (1997) which states that job satisfaction centres mostly on the feelings on individuals about their entire job, which emphasizes on the level to which individuals like or hate their jobs.Therefore job satisfaction serves as a benchmark on how employee either feel positive or negative about their job and that is the main reason why job satisfaction and dissatisfaction are always present at certain point and situation (Davis, Nestrom 1985).Similarly Aziri (2011) assert that the level of job satisfaction is within the range of extreme satisfaction and extreme dissatisfaction.
Also, according kaliski ( 2007), job satisfaction can be perceived as feelings of accomplishment and how successful an employee is on his/her job which can have a direct relationship to employee performance as well as wellbeing of the employee.Moreover, George and Jones (2008) suggest that job satisfaction is composed to beliefs and feelings that individuals perceive about their respective jobs.However, job satisfaction is believed to be multi-dimensional and intricate, it can be viewed in many different ways by different individuals, usually it is related to motivation even though the scope of the connection is still not very clear Aziri (2011).

Factors Determining Job Satisfaction
Rue and Ryaes (2003) suggest that job satisfaction is determined by some element in the workplace which include financial packages like salaries, opportunities, advancement, working conditions, and work group, further the resultant effect of the determinant serves as yardstick for job satisfaction of dissatisfaction as well as what the outcome will be, as asserted by Aziri (2011) that when discussing issues regarding job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction should be considered in order to ensure balance.Squires, Hoben, Carleton and Graham (2015) argued that though, dissatisfied employees may not quit their jobs, but such feeling of dissatisfaction can impact on them, their colleagues as well as the their quality of performance and the service they deliver in the sense that such dissatisfied employees have tendencies of displaying hostility on other employees in the workplace.
In addition, a study conducted by Bos, Donders, and Bounman-Bowner (2009) aimed at obtaining a intuition concerning job satisfaction from employee's view point opined that job satisfaction has five determinants which consist of independence, skill discretion, support from superior, chances to further education and relationship with co-workers.
As a result, measurement of employee's job satisfaction as one of the notable dynamics when it comes to aptitude and usefulness of personnel.In practicality the first-hand decision-making model which sorts it as indispensable that employees should be preserved and well thought-out fundamentally as human beings that have their own desires, needs, and own cravings are a very good scale for the prominence of job satisfaction in modern-day companies (Usman & Jamal, 2013).In the process analysing job satisfaction, the sagacity that a satisfied employee is a pleased employee and a pleased employee is an active employee (Aziri, 2011).
On the contrary Aziri (2011) further argue that there is no strong nexus between job satisfaction and employee performance considering the fact that a meta-analysis of previous research studies fines 0.17 best-estimate relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance.He further asserts that an employee with high level of job satisfaction may not necessarily have a higher level of performance.
Furthermore, in a study by Rose, Kumar and Pak, (2011) aimed at observing the connection job satisfaction and work performance by a sample of public service officials in Malaysia realise thatorganizational learning was establish to be positively akin to organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and work performance.In the same vein, Raza, Rafique, Ali, Mohsin, and Shah, (2015) also conduct a study with the gaol of probing the connection between job satisfaction and sales representative's performance with adaptive selling deeds of organisations, the study divulges that that there is a strong association of sales person performance and job satisfaction.Moreover, in the work of Vermeeren, Kuipers and Steijn, (2014) in a study aims to observe the affiliation concerning public organizational performance and workers management with specific emphasis on job satisfaction as a credible mediating variable between organizational performance and HRM, on the impact of a supervisor's management smartness on the application of human resource (HR) practices.However, their discoveries direct that job satisfaction is positively related to employee performance.
Furthermore, in a study carried out by Al-Ahmadi (2009) in order ascertain causes impelling performance of hospital nurses in Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia came to the conclusion that job satisfaction has a positive correlation to employee performance.

Objective of the Research
The objective of this research is  To examine the relationship between job satisfaction and performance of non-academic staff of Bauchi State University Gadau Nigeria.

Methodology of the Research
The study followed quantitative method of gathering data which is done through questionnaire that was distributed to various respondents.A quantitative study as defined by Bhatti and Sundram ( 2015) is a way of calculating the data through the application of statistical methods and analysis and the outcome of the analysis represent numbers that further explains the propose remedy of a particular research problem A probability sampling design through the use of systematic random sampling is used by distributing questionnaires to the respondents.According to Greener (2008) a probability sampling is seen as a procedure that uses random selection so that every single unit of the population may have the chance of being chosen.
Hence, questions for the measurement of the variables were adopted from past researches.For employee performance the study adopted measurement by Liao et-al (2012), which was based on a five likert scale, ranging from agree to strongly disagree with Cronbach Alpha of 0.95 and six items that includes: I understand the criteria of performance review of my organisation, I understand my job and how to carry it out, I am able to resolve unexpected schedules on time, I maintain good record of attendance in this organisation and I can carry out assigned duties effectively and efficiently.
For job satisfaction the studies adopted and modify measurement from the work of Vandenabeele (2009), with six items ranging on a five likert scale ranging from agree to strongly disagree.Items include: Generally, I am satisfied with my job; I find my job very interesting.My current job meets my expectations, my current job is pleasant.I am satisfied with my salary and other incentives.I am satisfied with my current job position.

Data Analysis and Discussion
The research adopts Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) data analysis and test of reliability.A total sum of 270 questionnaires were given out to the respondents which are the non-academic staff of Bauchi State University Gadau Nigeria, out of which 256 were returned and 6 of the returned questionnaires were invalid due to incomplete and nonchalant responses which make the 250 as adequate and accurate and used for the analysis.This therefore constitute 98% of the total responses and on that basis it okay for running analysis as asserted by Sekaran (2003) that in a cross-sectional study 30% response rate can be accepted for a study.
Based on the response rate, the study shows that staff within the range of 30-39 years constitute the major percentage of the workforce in the University which is 37.6 %, the might be because the management aims to recruit young people that will be able to deliver efficient and effective service that will help the University achieve its targeted vision and mission as stated in the academic brief (2012).Also, 35.6 % of the staff fall within the age range of 40 -49 years which also shows that such staff within the range are experienced and capable to rendering qualitative service to the university, this also followed by staff within the ages of 20-29 that constitute 15.2 % of the workforce and lastly 11.62 % which constitute of staff within the ages of 50 years and above.Therefore, the age distribution indicates that the university has a workforce of non-academic staff with sound mind and young age that capable of performing their assigned task effectively and efficiently thereby enhancing the performance of the institution.
Consequently, Inner consistency reliability test was employed which is believed to be a widely used technique for reliability test by most studies (Litwin, 1995) as presented below; .704

Variables
Expert in research suggested that reliability of 0.60 can be considered as average coefficient, whereas 0.70 could be regarded as high reliability coefficient (Nunnally, 1978;Sekaran & Bougie, 2010;Sekaran 2003).Therefore, the study shows that the variables are greatly consistent.The above shows that job satisfaction have a mean of 3.5113 and a standard deviation of .82315while 3.8227 and .68523represents the mean and standard deviation of employee performance.This therefore, depicts that employee performance have the highest mean score among the variables.(Kline, 2005;Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson & Tatham, 2006).This therefore falls within the threshold.

Pearson Correlation
Pallant (2002) asserted that items are formed by using single dichotomous and single continuous variable as measured by using correlation.However, Pearson correlation is seen as: Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level.
Table 4.4 presents the correlation analysis of the study variable.It however, shows that the relationship between the dependant variable which is employee performance and independent variable which is job satisfaction are significant.

Hierarchical Multiple Regression
Pallant ( 2002) asserted that hierarchical regression falls under the three categories of multiple regression in which the rest of the two include simultaneous multiple regression and sequential multiple regression.Further, hierarchical regression.

Summary of model
Model R R square R square adjusted 1 0.666 0.444 0.437 From the table above, it shows that the predictors which is the independent variable elucidates and discusses 44.4% of the dependant variable which is employee performance while 55.6% was explained by previous researches.

Result of multiple regression (Employee performance as dependent variable)
Model Variables B T Sig 1 JS 0.710 0.1647 0.001 The result indicates that job satisfaction is also positively and significantly correlated to employee performance with (β=0.710t= 1.647 sig= 0.005).

Conclusion
The result of the hypothesis shows that job satisfaction has a positive and significant relationship with employee performance, it clearly signifies that and increase in level of job satisfaction of BASUG non-academic staff will also lead to increased and higher performance.The outcome of this hypothesis is in line with past studies that of (Al-Ahmadi (2009), Vermeeren, Kuipers and Steijn, (2014), Kumar andPak, (2011) &Aziri (2011) who also suggest that job satisfaction have a significant and direct relationship to employee performance, implying that a satisfied employee is believed to have higher performance level.This indicates the higher job satisfaction enhances drastically the performance of non-academic staff of BASUG which will help the University achieves it targeted mission and objective.Consequently, the hypothesis is accepted.
Moreover, as regards to research implication, study will provide relevant information to the management of the University as its regards to employee level of motivation and performance which also have positive impact one the overall performance of the University.However, the study will aid the management of University in policy formulation regarding promotion, pay, training and other factors as it relates to the performance of employees in the organisation.The study is believed further contribute motivational theories is the sense that it combined expectancy with factors like job satisfaction employee performance and there applicability in work place.
The study focus on the non-academic staff of Bauchi State University Gadau Nigeria which limit the rate of responses.Therefore, the study is limited to only one Univeristy in the country despite the fact that there are many other Universities.Another major factor that limit the study is the fact that is it concentrates only on the nonacademic staff without including the academic staff.Also, the study is limited to only one independent variables which is job satisfaction and employee performance as the dependant variable.
Base on the above limitations further studies are therefore recommended further research to test the variables on other institutions be it a private organisation or public sector or other universities within or outside Nigeria.Other variables can also be included to serve as a moderator or mediator.