Effect of selected human resource management practices on job satisfaction: a case of the floriculture industry in Naivasha sub - county, Kenya

Abstract

Various studies have shown that employees are key resources in an organization. In order for firms to be competitive, they must ensure that their employees are motivated and satisfied with their jobs. Consequently, the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and employee job satisfaction has received considerable attention from researchers in recent years. This is because studies have shown that dissatisfied employees are likely to negatively affect organizational performance. Therefore organizations must continue enhancing the management of their human resources which will result in high levels of job satisfaction and ultimately, high organizational effectiveness. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of selected human resource management practices namely; Training and Development, participation in decision making, communication, Occupational Safety and Health, supervision, and Rewards, on job satisfaction in the floriculture farms in Naivasha Sub - County. A descriptive survey research design was used in the research. The target population consisted of 41122 employees from forty 40 large flower farms in Naivasha sub-county. Simple random sampling was used to select 12 farms while stratified random sampling was used to select the respondents of the study, who constitute a sample of 21 Human Resource Managers, 139 Supervisors as well as 221 General workers. Data was collected using questionnaires. The data obtained was coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics which included means, standard deviations, percentages, Pearson’s correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis and then presented in tables, pie charts and graphs. The study found that human resource management practices substantially influenced employee job satisfaction. The results of the Pearson’s Correlation analysis showed that hypothesized selected human resource management practices had significant relationships with employee job satisfaction. The results of the multiple regression analysis found that training and development, rewards, and supervisory support were the only significant predictors of employee’s job satisfaction while participation in decision making, communication as well as occupational safety and health were found not to be significant predictors of employee job satisfaction. This study thus suggested that the floriculture farms should implement effective HRM practices so as to improve employee job satisfaction