Impact of Working Conditions on Employee Performance

This assignment critically examines the effect of working conditions on employee performance, drawing evidence from Nigerian studies. It delves into relevant theories and frameworks, including Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory and Chester Barnard's systems approach. The analysis considers factors like job design, self-efficacy, and motivation to understand how workplace quality influences productivity and organizational success.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational behaviour
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational behaviour (OB) is the behaviour of the individuals while acting in an
organization as recognized by Chester Barnard (Gabor and Mahoney 2013). The main goal of
OB is revitalization of organizational theory and development of a better organizational life
conceptualization. OB is essential for predicting human behaviour and management of effective
teams in an organization. Therefore, the following discussion involves the impact of factors;
designing of jobs, working conditions, setting of goals, motivation and rewards in productive
performance and evaluation by manager impacting organizational processes.
OB theory is concerned with improvement in job performance, promoting innovation,
increasing job satisfaction and encouraging leadership. OB theories encompass theories of
intelligence, personality, motivation perception and attitudes and behaviour. These factors are
applied by managers and executives in understanding business culture and how this hinder or
facilitates productivity and retention of employees. In addition, one of the precious assets of an
organization is knowledge referring to ideas, creativity, experience or expertise. Apart from
productivity, OB also affects multicultural perspectives as in today’s world scenario; business is
going global and cross-cultural management has become a part of rapidly globalizing economy
where employees are the owners of knowledge. Multicultural organizations face challenges
while creating multicultural organizations that is critical for performance efficiency
(Fitzsimmons 2013). Language barrier is the major threat to performance efficiency as it results
in communication breakdown arising due to cross-culture misunderstandings. Culture drive
behaviour and managers need to formulate positive interventions that involve cultural sensitivity,
social and ethical concerns. Organizational multicultural behaviour has an impact on
performance efficiency as hindrance in knowledge sharing affect performance efficiency and

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consistency to achieve organizational performance and free knowledge sharing. The subsequent
section involves the OB themes and its impact on productivity performance.
Designing of jobs
Job designing is important as it is the driving factor for employee motivation. The way a
job is designed has a major impact on job satisfaction, work commitment, absenteeism or
turnover. The question lays that whether proper designing of jobs makes employee more
productive and satisfied.
Scientific management proposed ideas that influence job designing. There is
minimization of waste and identifying the efficient methods required to perform jobs. This
management technique helps in determining the time taken for each task and planning so that job
could be performed efficiently. Job specialization is another way that enhances performance of
employees. In this, the jobs are broken down not simplest components and assigned to each
employee so that they could perform better in their task maximizing their potentials to the fullest.
However, there is monotonous effect of job specialization that can be mitigated through job
rotation at regular intervals enhancing overall skills level of the employees (Truxillo et al. 2012).
In a paper published by Zareen, Razzaq and Mujtaba (2013) stated that job designing
maximizes performance as it brings involvement and satisfaction employing all energies in their
respective work. This study proposed a new ‘psychological perception’ variable highlighting
behaviour of employees towards job designing. Job rotations, job enlargement, job designing
relationship with employees’ performance have positive impact on job design relationship and
employee performance. On a contrary, Wood et al. (2012) in the paper highlighted the
relationship between job designing and high involvement management (HIM) assumed to

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mediate employee wellbeing. The paper outlined the three models like mutual gains, conflicting
outcomes and accounting for positive performance that enhances employee performance. Mutual
gains involve employees and increases wellbeing mediating positive relationship. Tims, Bakker
and Derks (2014) on a contrary suggest that when employees get engaged in proactive job
crafting behaviors, it makes them self-efficacious related to daily performance through work
enjoyment. This job crafting is positively correlated to task enjoyment and in turn with
performance.
Working conditions
Working conditions comprises of air, light, culture, health, design and quality of
workstation that has a strong correlation between creativity, productivity and profitability of
employees. Good environmental conditions at workplaces and flexible or supportive working
practices make employees more productive, profitable and innovative. Workplace designing also
impact staff retention and flexibility applied to posture where they are able to sit properly while
working. In terms of priorities, an employee needs comfortable space having own desk to work
is an important requirement. Environmental conditions are also important for full concentration
and to improve productivity. Natural daylight, controlled temperature and better ventilation are
vital for performance improvement at the workplace. Proper health and wellbeing is important
for employees as healthier and flexible environment is crucial for good concentration and
productivity. This also encourages staff engagement with less absenteeism and turnout.
A study conducted by Eluka and Okafor (2014) working conditions of employees are
critical for overall wellbeing and performance in their tasks. Improved working conditions have a
positive impact on performance of employees contributing to attainment of organizational goals.

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ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
This descripto- explanatory research design was conducted and the main findings suggested that
adequate attention is required for managers to maintain conveyance facilities at the workplaces
as a matter of priority enhancing productive employees. Another study conducted by Ali, Ali and
Adan (2013) supported the study by Eluka and Okafor (2014) that there is positive relationship
between working conditions and employee’s productivity. Workload and working hours have an
impact on employee’s productivity as working conditions creation by employee interaction with
the organizational climate including physical and psychological working conditions.
Working alternatives are present and so workplace environment is crucial for employees’
performance. The quality of workplace ambience greatly determines motivation, performance
and subsequent productivity of employees (Leblebici 2012). The way an employee get along
with the workplace and organization influence error rate, collaboration and innovation level,
absenteeism and ultimately job retention. Among the workplace related factors, working
conditions comprising of physical workload, job demands, task resources and supervisory
relations were found to be associated with work ability index (WAI) and work engagement of
employees (Airila et al. 2012).
Goal settings
One of the key responsibilities of managers in an organization is encouraging their
employees’ growth. For this, goal setting is important that is measurable and attainable guiding
employee performance and actively helping them to strengthen business and reputation
enhancement as employer of choice. According to theory of motivation and goal setting by Dr.
Edwin A. Locke, without basic goal settings and role clarity, employees cannot show up for
work or have an insight into holding a job due to lack of purpose (Locke and Latham 2013).

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Asmus et al. (2015) in their paper stated that goal-setting influences worker performance in an
industry or organization. A real-effort experiment showed that goal-setting improved
performance of employees from 12% to 15% as compared to situations where goals were not
defined. This fact is true for situations where maximizing output quality or quantity working for
energy efficiency of employees. Lunenburg (2011) strongly recommended that when employees
choose goals that is set for them is influenced by self-efficacy where one believe that they are
efficient in accomplishing specific tasks. The author argued that self-efficacy greatly affects
effort and persistence level of employees while they learn difficult tasks which are in turn
supported by past performances and experiences, emotional cues and verbal persuasion. Another
author supported the above fact that organizations encourage high performance goals from
employees having high self-efficacy levels. High levels of job performance from employees are
crucial in an era of cutthroat competition in global world (Sitzmann and Yeo 2013).
Motivation and rewards
Herzberg motivation theory states that motivational factors help in yielding positive
satisfaction and inherited to work (Yusoff, Kian and Idris 2013). Employees get motivated to
work for superior performance getting in involved in performing their tasks being intrinsic
factor. Rewards and incentives are extrinsic factors that are given to employees for motivating
them and praise their accomplishment by managers. Malik, Butt and Choi (2015) supported the
above theory mentioning that extrinsic rewards affect creative performance positively predicting
creative performance of employees recognizing their creative self-efficacy. A study conducted
by Aktar, Sachu and Ali (2012) illustrated that there is statistical and positive significant
relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and employee performance. Extrinsic

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rewards comprising of basic pay and performance bonus are highly significant affecting
employee performance being significant factors.
From the above discussion, it is evident that the above factors are significant boosting
employee’s self-efficacy and motivate them to work towards their tasks enhancing organizational
performance and productivity. Managers perform critical roles in delivering performance
enabling employees to understand their goals and job designing that maximizes employee
potentials and providing efficient working conditions. Managers need to be aware of the
differences between satisfaction and motivation. On one hand, intrinsic motivation is influenced
by looking into perceptions about rewards and performance and on the other hand, satisfaction is
greatly influenced by people’s feelings regrading rewards, past events (Aktar, Sachu and Ali
2012). Therefore, it is quite significant for managers to improve organizational performance by
focusing on these four major aspects for enhancing motivation to work resulting in enhanced
positive employee performance.
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that in order to sustain in this competitive
era, organizational managers need to adapt to various factors for enhancing employee
performance. OB is directly related to employee performance that improves organizational
behaviour and makes them productive by projecting positive behaviour impacted by various
factors. Factors like goal setting, job designing, rewards and recognition and working conditions
have significant positive relationships with employee performance and require an insight
evaluation by managers to maximize their potential to the fullest. In addition, multiculturism
perspectives should also be taken into consideration by managers promoting cultural diversity
critical for performance efficiency.

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References
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Aktar, S., Sachu, M.K. and Ali, M.E., 2012. The impact of rewards on employee performance in
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Ali, A.Y.S., Ali, A.A. and Adan, A.A., 2013. Working conditions and employees’ productivity in
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