Work motivation and organizational commitment among employees of Saint Augustine School of Nursing Iloilo Campus

Abstract

This study determined the relationship between the work motivation and organizational commitment of employees of Saint Augustine School of Nursing-Iloilo Campus. Specifically, this study aimed to determine (a) the personal characteristics of the respondents according to age, sex, civil status, length of service, work status, monthly salary and nature of work; (b) the work motivation of the respondents; (c) the organizational commitment of the respondents; (d) whether there is a significant relationship between the respondents age, sex, civil status, length of service, work status, monthly salary and nature of work and the work motivation; (e) whether there is a significant relationship between the respondents in age, sex, civil status, length of service, work status, monthly salary and nature of work and the organizational commitment; (f) whether there is a significant relationship between the work motivation and organizational commitment. The descriptive method was employed in this study and the one-shot survey design was utilized. The study was conducted on April 2009 in La Paz, Iloilo City. The respondents were the 69 employees of Saint Augustine School of Nursing-Iloilo Campus. A Three Part Questionnaire was used to gather the data needed for the study. Part I of the questionnaire contained the respondent's personal characteristics. Part II is the Motivation Questionnaire which includes 15 questions pertaining to work motivation and Part III is the questionnaire on Organizational Commitment. It has 15 questions focusing on the employee’s commitment. Upon retrieval of the questionnaire, the data were scored, tallied, classified and subjected to computer-processed statistics, analyzed and interpreted. The statistical tools employed were means, frequency and percentage for descriptive analysis while Chi-Square and Gamma were used for inferential analysis. Major Findings of the Study 1. The employees of St. Augustine School of Nursing have the mean age of 28 years. The majority were 30 years old and above, female, single and have served the organization for less than 2 years. There was an almost equal distribution of the full time and part time faculty as well as the amount of compensation received every month. A little more than half received a salary of below 10,000. Seven in ten were on the academic department, the rest were on the non academic department. This is to be expected since the organization where the employees work is a school. 2. The level of motivation of the employees when taken as a whole was moderate with a mean of2.51. More than half (52.2 percent) of the employees had high motivation towards their work. Only about 46.4 percent of the entire population was moderately motivated and only 1.4 percent had low work motivation.

3. The level of organizational commitment of the employees was moderate with a mean of 2.39. It was found that majority (55.1 percent) of the employees have a moderate commitment to the organization, while only a little less than half (42 percent) have a high commitment to the organization. 4. There was no significant relationship between the employees age, sex, civil status, length of service, nature of work and work status and their level of work motivation. 5. The monthly salary of the employees had significance on their work motivation. The employees receiving a monthly salary of 10,000 and above had a high motivation to work compared to those who were receiving below 10,000. 6. The personal characteristics of the employees such as sex, civil status, nature of work and work status were not significantly related to their organizational commitment. 7. There was a significant relationship on the employees’ age and length of service to their organizational commitment. Those employees who were 31 years old and above were highly committed to the organization as compared to those who were 30 years old and below. The employees who served the organization for 2 years and more have a high commitment in comparison to those who served below 2 years. 8. There was a significant relationship between the employee’s work motivation and organizational commitment. The higher the level of motivation, the higher their level of organizational commitment. Conclusions Based on the findings, the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The level of work motivation of the employees of Saint Augustine School of Nursing is moderate. It can be concluded that the employees of the school are motivated on their job. They enjoy the work and continually render service in giving quality education to the students. The employees working conditions, benefits, interpersonal relationship and career advancement are some of the factors affecting their level of motivation, which it must be sustained and improved. 2. The level of organizational commitment of the employees of Saint Augustine School of Nursing is moderate. Majority of the employees had served the school for less than 2 years, thus attachment and commitment to school was not quite established. Most of the employees are also nurses, the opportunity of career advancement and economic growth abroad were some factors keeping them from staying in the school. 3. Employees’ level of motivation was independent of the factors of age, sex, civil status, length of service, work status, and nature of work, thus the null hypothesis was accepted. The existence of the aforementioned variables does not affect the work motivation of the employees. 4. There is a significant relationship between the respondent’s monthly salary and the level of work motivation, thus the null hypothesis was rejected. Employees with monthly salary of 10,000 and above were highly committed than those who are receiving less than 10,000. The result of the study demonstrates the motivational power of money through the process of job choice. It is concluded then that money has the power to attract, retain, and motivate individuals towards higher performance. 5. Employees’ sex, civil status, work status, monthly salary and nature of work does not affect their organizational commitment, thus the null hypothesis was accepted Regardless of their sex, civil status, work status, monthly salary and nature of work, it does not contribute to their organizational commitment.

6. There is a significant relationship between the respondent’s age and length of service and the level of organizational commitment, thus the null hypothesis was rejected. The older the employee in the organization, the higher the level of organizational commitment. When the employee, served the organization for more years, the higher is his/her sense of commitment. Age is considered as one of the most prominent factors when organizational commitment is being studied. It might be correlated with commitment by postulating that it serves as proxy for seniority that is associated with opportunity to better one’s position in the work. The number of years in the organization attests to an individual’s commitment to his/her job. It was also found out to be the topmost indicator of one’s loyalty in an organization.

7. There is a significant relationship between the work motivation and organizational commitment of the respondents, thus the null hypothesis was rejected. An employee’s working environment, as well as the organization's efforts to further their cause and wellbeing may be a positive effector of motivation, thus increasing the likelihood of commitment to the organization.

Recommendations

Based on the aforementioned findings, the following recommendations were formulated:

1. The level of work motivation of the majority of the employees was found to be moderate. Motivation serves as a predictor of the employee’s commitment towards work. The administrator of the school must ensure that the level of the employees motivation is maintained or enhanced to reach their maximum potentials as a change agent for the people it may serve regardless of their age, sex, civil status, length of service, nature of work, monthly salary and work status. The administration must continue to improve the provision of good working conditions, availability of benefits and conduct programs and activities that enhance the morale of the employees. Thus, this would help them in maintaining and attaining their purpose in the organization.

2. Evaluation of the employee’s performance must be well developed. This aids the administration in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the employee which is also very beneficial to the improvement of the individual as well as the organization.

3. Regular meetings of the employees focusing on the proper delivery of quality service and quality education to the students and the other users of its services must be implemented. Through this kind of activity, it increases the awareness of every employee of his roles/functions in the improvement of the school and in achieving the school’s goals and objectives. It is a way of motivating the employees to give their excellent performance to the school. The attendance of the employees must be monitored in every meeting conducted.

4. Conducting trainings and staff development programs for the employees must also be on the core plans of the administration. The employees serve as the resources of the organization. They must enjoy the benefits of enhancing their worth as individual. The administration must always see to it that every employee is given the equal chance to further his/her knowledge and skills as this may help a lot in rendering quality performance to the organization. 5. The employees’ level of commitment is on the moderate range. With the result presented, the administrator must find means in obtaining a higher level of commitment to all the employees. The administration must conduct a prompt assessment and investigation of the present situation, to further improve their commitment. There are several factors to consider why this situation exists, the opportunity for personal and professional growth and achievement, outside may will be some factors to be considered.

6. The administration should put in place programs and initiatives that would help the employees’ promotion to key positions and increase their involvement in decision-making, planning and organizing any school activities. Activities focusing on maintaining and building lasting relationship among employees must be implemented, thus strengthening the integrity of the organization, leading to a more advanced commitment.

7. Rewards and recognitions should be given those workers who possess the qualities of a model employee by of giving excellent performance for the task assigned.