Effects of internal and external recruitment practices on employee job performance: A case study of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) Jinja area

Abstract

This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between employment practices and employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area, it was undertaken following four specific objectives namely, (i) to examine the relationship between internal recruitment practices and employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area (ii) to examine the relationship between external recruitment practices and employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area (iii) to identify the challenges faced by NWSC Jinja area in implementing the different recruitment practices (iv) to identify the different approaches to address the challenges associated with the recruitment practices in NWSC Jinja area. The researcher adopted correlation research design to establish how each of the recruitment practices relates with employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area. A sample of 86 respondents was selected from a study population of 115 persons. These were selected using census sampling techniques. Data were collected by use of self- administered close ended questionnaires and interview guides all the selected responded in time which gave a response rate of 100%. After collecting data it was entered into the SPSS where Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to establish the relationship between the study variables. Regression analysis was also employed to estimate how a change in the dependent variable could be explained by a change in the two independent variables of the study. The results from a Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that all the two recruitment practices had a statistically significant positive relationship with employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area. Moreover, a combination of all the two recruitment practices (internal and external) would predict up to 54.6% variations in employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area. The researcher therefore based on these findings to reject all the two null hypotheses and concluded that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between internal and external recruitment practices and employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area. This indicates that well designed internal and external recruitment processes with well thought out practices and procedures can improve employee job performance in NWSC Jinja area. Among others, the respondents indicated that there is limited involvement of the different section heads in the recruitment process, absence of a comprehensive policy covering all forms of recruitment and promotion as a form of internal recruitment was unfairly done with lots of favoritism and not even based on performance of employees. To address these challenges it was proposed that NWSC Jinja Area management starts involving different section heads in the recruitment process instead of vesting all the powers in the human resource department, develop a more comprehensive policy covering all forms of recruitment and at the same time embrace a more transparent and fair promotion system which is open to everyone irrespective of their tribe, sex, color or religion. Moreover, since the study was limited to NWSC Jinja area, it was recommended that, a similar study be conducted in other NWSC areas in Uganda. This will allow for comparison purposes and also increase the generalizability of the findings.