EFFECT OF INCENTIVES ON EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE AT BINGHAM UNIVERSITY, KARU, NASARAWA STATE

Abstract

The mismanagement of incentives given to employees in the contemporary
workplace environment has never received urgent concern, as is the case today, considering
the line of economic issues affecting the performance of employees. This study examined the
effect of incentives on employee performance at Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State,
Nigeria. The specific objectives were to assess the effects of promotions and bonuses on
employee performance at Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study
adopted a survey research design, and the data were collected through questionnaires and
analysed via Excel for data coding, descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple linear
regression techniques. A total of 1076 staff constituted the population of the study. The Taro
Yammane sampling method was used to obtain a reliable sample size of 294 staff of
Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa state, Nigeria. The findings of the study show that
bonuses have positive but insignificant effects on employee performance at Bingham
University, Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, whereas promotions have positive and significant
effects on employee performance at Bingham University, Karu, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The
study recommends that bonuses such as overtime pay for working beyond the usual working
hours to nonteaching staff, specifically staff working in sections where the workload is much
as long as the employment of more staff seems impossible. In addition, to the teaching staff,
bonuses such as allowances for the running of additional programmes, mobile data for
connecting to the internet in the case of online lectures, as well as those holding temporary
positions such as exam officers, etc., should be provided. The management of Bingham
University should frequently check the activities of the human resource or promotion
committee to ensure that the personal interest of any member of the promotion unit does not
hinder the progress or promotion of qualified employees, as this may cause demoralization of
talent, thereby resulting in turnover.