THE INFLUENCE OF WELFARE FACTORS ON SITES WORKERS PERFORMANCE

1.1 Introduction

Employee welfare means anything done for the comfort and (intellectual or social) improvement of the employees, over and above the wages paid. In simple words, it means “the efforts to make life worth living for workmen.” It includes various services, facilities and amenities provided to employees for their betterment. These facilities may be provided voluntarily by progressive entrepreneurs, or statutory provisions may compel them to provide these amenities; or these may be undertaken by the government or trade unions, if they have the required funds (Yourarticlelibrary, 2021).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Employee welfare is an extremely essential factor and that is the reason employer provides workers, statutory and non-statutory benefits along with proper compensation for enhancing their motivation, which may likewise bring more loyalty and trust of employees towards the organization (Yourarticlelibrary, 2021).

A cross-sectional descriptive design using a self-report questionnaire will be applied to study employee welfare exercises and its impact on employee performance. Welfare activities don't just provide motivating forces in a money related frame yet in addition by giving them consideration, enhance their abilities, improve their skills, understand their problems, allowances, housing, monitoring working conditions, creation of harmony through infrastructure for health, insurances against disease, accidents and unemployment of their families. Economic growth and the increased pace of urbanization and industrialization in many countries have confronted companies throughout the world with the increasing complex task of people management (Serageldin, 1998)

This is as a result of man’s bid for self improvement and capacity development through processes like changes in his career choices, job migration patterns, and educational advancement.

In the 2011 United Nations Development Project Human Development Report Indices, Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African regions scored low on sustainability/equity of social welfare plans (Thisday newspaper, 2021).

According to this report, there was the need to implement social welfare/responsibility plans that would complement government’s efforts on infrastructural and human development. In line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, this would provide a basis for the integration of human development projects across the countries and regions.

The United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon in this report further urged Nigerian leaders and other member countries to correspond to the people’s calls for the right to build a better future for themselves.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary 2000 defines welfare as a state of wellbeing, happiness, health, and prosperity of a person or group of people. It also defined it as a system whereby the state/industry undertakes to protect the health and wellbeing of its citizens especially those in financial or social needs by means of grants, pensions, benefits, health, unemployment funds, asylum projects etc.

The primary aim of a manager is the effective and efficient managing of staff wherein they put in their best in order to attain organizational goals.

This process is both reactive and proactive, i.e the staff achieves organizational goals while being developed and trained with basic life skills for enhanced capital development (Acheaw 2011)

The United Nations Declaration on the right to development states ‘ development is a right and puts people at the centre of any development process i.e. people must be helped to enjoy lives of dignity, equality and opportunity. This document adopted by the General Assembly on the 4th of December 1986 declares that ‘everyone is entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social and political development in which all human rights and fundamental freTarabam can be realized. For any organization to function effectively, money, physical facilities, well thought policies, equipments and human inputs are very essential.

Since human capital are the lifeblood of any organization, it therefore depends to a large extent on the quality of those who perform its task leading to set objectives as well as conditions which affect their mental and physical health. Most organizations to a large extent recognize the fact that to ensure organizational efficiency and effectiveness, the employees whose services are engaged should be made to be satisfied with their jobs, to this end various welfare packages should be employed to ensure the attainment of organizational goals.

The concern therefore is in enhancing job productivity/ efficiency rates of the workers on a permanently improved basis through the process of welfare packages.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the influence of welfare factors on sites workers performance.

1.3 Statement of Problems

In today’s turbulent world, the spotlight is on individuals, leaders who are sustaining organization goals and values, adding values to the organization, being indispensable through creating a culture of value addition (Acheaw 2011). In recent times, it has been observed that employees’ job satisfaction has begun to depend more and more on issues like welfare schemes, job security, opportunities to use skills and abilities.

This could be attributed to the growth of a changing and more demanding workforce that has a high expectation about the workplace. At the same time, rapidly advancing technologies and outside influences are changing the nature of our jobs. It thus more critical and more difficult to maintain a work environment that balances welfare packages and job productivity

According to Dauda (2010), welfare schemes which include direct cash payment, indirect payment in the form of employee benefits and incentives to motivate employees to strive for higher levels of productivity is a critical component of the employment relationship which is affected by forces as diverse as the labour market factors, collective bargaining, government legislation, labour laws and top management philosophy regarding pay and benefits. This inadequate balance between welfare packages and job productivity in organizations using Taraba State I.C.T Unit is what this study seeks to examine.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to improve the loyalty and morale of the employees and to provide concise and precise information that will totally or partially eradicate the existing problems associated with the welfare factors on site workers performance in Jalingo, Taraba State, Construction Company in Nigeria. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To study the existing welfare facilities offered to the employee,
2. To know the employee opinion about the present welfare facilities,
3. To study the impact of welfare on employee’s performance,
4. To improve intellectual and raise their standards of living by measuring their perception about requirement of welfare activities we can provide better life, health and to make the workers more satisfied towards their work by relieving their fatigue.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Does welfare improve the living conditions of workers?
• Is there a connection between welfare packages and organizational performance?
• To what extent does welfare affect organizational performance?
• Does improved human capital development bring about competitive advantage?
• Does the living condition of workers affect the job efficiency rates?

1.6 Significance of Study

The key determinants of job satisfaction among workers are of importance to the human resource manager.

This critical evaluation of this relationship between welfare packages and job efficiency is therefore justifiable and significant because of its effect on the realization of organizational goals.

It is also significant because it will guide the management of Taraba State Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T) Unit and the general public on how to improve the welfare conditions of workers as a means of improving job productivity.

This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.

1.7 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the influence of welfare factors on site workers performance in building construction with more emphasis on Jalingo Taraba State, building construction site as the case study.

Also the study focused on junior and intermediate personnel only, top management staff in this sector were not addressed/ included. Though restricted to this unit, there is a need to conduct a study of this type in other ICT Units across states in the federation for the sake of comparison which brings about improvement and implementation.the influence of welfare factors on sites workers performance.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this establishment to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection.

1.9 Definition of Terms

There are some unique and difficult words used in this project. However, they are carefully explained for easy clarifications and comprehension of their meanings and the context in which they are applied.

Builder: this is a professional in which is responsible for hazardous translating and developing all designs by other consultants.

Culture: this is defined as the total way of peoples life in terms of attitude benefits, perceptions, values and morality.

Management: It is the discipline of planning co-coordinating, organizing, controlling, leading, forecasting, securing and managing resources to being about the successful completion of specific project goals and Objectives.

Architects: this is a professional in the field of architecture who design building plan and supervision.

Construction: according to Wikipedia's encyclopedia construction is designed as a process of assembling of infrastructure and consists of building up of several activities into final project.

Project: it is a temporary endeavor having a defined beginning and end which is an undertaken to meet unique goals and Objectives.

Building Construction: it is the process of aiding structure to real property.

Building: It is defined as a structure erected where it is to stand with the main functions of shelter and habitation for man.

Project Manager (PM): is the person accountable for accomplishing the stated project Objectives.

Project Management (PM): This is field of study or discipline of planning organizing securing and managing resources for a successful completion of project within the stipulated time to meet its desired goals and Objectives.

Project Proposals (PP): They are documents designed to present a plan to action.

Quality: The general standards or grade of something it also means the highest of finest standard.

Management: this has to do with the ways and pattern in zerock construction organizer, plan, and control and managed all site and construction administration.

Project: is a temporary effort to create a unique product or several which the building construction that has to be done by Zerok construction without unnecessary delays and on time too.

Clients: proper funding will assist Zerock construction to execute their work effectively.

Structural Engineer: should ascertain that the correct size and type of reinforcement bar is used for each project to discourage collapse.