Job Commitment and Employee Performance in Nigeria's Tertiary Health Institution: An Empirical Analysis of Workplace Environment, and Reward Systems at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study examined the effects of unfavorable workplace environment and inadequate reward systems on employee job commitment at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH). The study was guided by four research questions and corresponding hypotheses, which examined the effects of job dissatisfaction on employees’ work output, poor leadership style on employees’ task performance, unfavorable workplace environment on employees’ work output, and inadequate reward systems on employees’ task performance. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on a four-point Likert scale comprising Strongly Agree, Agree, Strongly Disagree and Disagree. The analysis was based on 311 responses to each questionnaire item, resulting in 2,488 responses for each research question across eight items. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square goodness-of-fit statistic at the 0.05 level of significance and 3 degrees of freedom, with a critical value of 7.815. The findings revealed statistically significant effects for all two variables, leading to the rejection of the four null hypotheses. Unfavorable workplace environment significantly affected employees’ work output (χ² = 2,465.92), with 91.4% favorable responses, while inadequate reward systems significantly affected employees’ task performance (χ² = 1,760.15), with 86.0% favorable responses. The study concluded that job dissatisfaction, poor leadership style, unfavorable workplace environment and inadequate reward systems significantly influenced specific dimensions of employee performance at UUTH, with poor leadership style and unfavorable workplace environment emerging as the most strongly endorsed factors. The study recommended that hospital management strengthen employee welfare and job satisfaction mechanisms, adopt more participatory and communicative leadership practices, improve workplace facilities, equipment and safety conditions, and establish fair, transparent and performance-oriented reward systems that incorporate both financial and non-financial forms of recognition.