Effective ways of measuring employee performance: a study of Msunduzi Local Municipality.

Abstract

Many factors can contribute to poor performance in the workplace, and they have negative implications in the growth and development of the organization. The leading aim of organizations is to make profits. Hence, having an organization that does not perform well is not acceptable. These dynamics are mostly caused by poor performance. Performance in the workplace is an important variable and it can be measured in line with the standards and objectives of the given company. Poor organizational performance needs to be managed effectively, as it threatens the endeavour of the organization. This study seeks to investigate effective ways to measure performance obtained from a sample of 50 (Fifty) employees from Msunduzi Local Municipality. It focused on factors that contributed to employee performance in a Local Municipal organization. The purpose of this study is to uncover issues affecting performance, simultaneously it will propose solutions to these issues. It has used a quantitative approach to research, a method that enables the researcher to sum up the results from a small sample group to a larger population. Quantitative research offers the researcher the necessary skills to make a calculated decision on the actions to be taken. A simple random sampling method was used as a method of collecting data from the respondent. Data was stored and sorted in a statistical software used for statistical data analysis, namely, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (Spss). The results showed a significant difference in the perceptions of male and female employees regarding all the effective ways to measure performance, respectively, at the 1% level of significance. When it comes to training and development, males were more satisfied while females were less satisfied. However, in terms of allocation of resources, salaries and wages, environmental issues, and attitude, females were more satisfied whereas males were less satisfied. For future reference, the researcher has recommended that the organization should offer more workshops to help educate and train the workers to be more productive and efficient. Moreover, implement new strategies that will be more accessible to the public in terms of proper and quality communication, improve on service delivery, and be transparent to staff members as well as to members of the public in which the municipality serves.