Employer-employee relations and employee engagement in a tertiary institution in Benin-City, Edo State

Annals of Management and Organization Research (AMOR) ISSN: 2685-7715, Vol 1, No 1, 2019, 9-24 https://doi.org/10.35912/amor.v1i1.199 Employer-employee relations and employee engagement in a tertiary institution in BeninCity, Edo State Chukwuyem Joel Arimie Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Benson Idahosa University, Nigeria Abstract Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between employer-employee relations and employee engagement in a tertiary institution in Edo State. Research methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a cross-section of management staff, heads of department, and units in the University. A descriptive method was adopted for data analysis. Results: The results of this study revealed that employee engagement is a by-product of employer-employee relations and the quality of the relationship is one of the most critical factors that Article History Received on 7 August 2020 1st Revision on 20 August 2020 2nd Revision on 25 August 2020 Accepted on 26 August 2020 drive engagement and satisfaction of employees. Limitations: The challenge was the inadequate number of respondents interviewed due to time constraint. Contribution: The study provided insight into the so called "soft aspect" of an organization and the way people relate with one another, and advocated the need for employers, managers, and supervisors in organizations to recognize the emotional composite of an employee, and the creation of a healthy relationship that would meet the employee' emotional needs. Keywords: Effective employer-employee relations, Engagement, Psychological needs, Productivity How to cite: Arimie, Chukwuyem Joel. (2019). Employeremployee relations and employee engagement in a tertiary institution in Benin-City, Edo State. Annals of Management and Organization Research, 1(1), 9-24. 1. Introduction In today's competitive world, the key to organizational success relies on employees. It is no gainsaying that the invaluable role of employees is increasingly gaining wider attention amongst employers. Steve Jobs (2008), who was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc. gave credence to innovations at Apple to employees. He asserts that innovation has nothing to do with money, but it's about people. His recognition of the contribution of the employees in developing innovative products geared him to foster a thriving employer-employee relationship, which inspired a culture of hard work and creativity. Similarly, Mary Kay Ash (2008) founder of a billion dollars Cosmetics Company describes employees as an organization's greatest assets. She opined that an organization is only good as the employees it can retain. Equally, an American Industrialist, Andrew Carnegie as quoted by Sharma M.P. Sadana B.L & Harpret K. (2013) attributed employees as the key that unlocks the doors of an organization. This indicates that employees are the resources that make the organization, and the recognition of this assertion culminates in the creation of a healthy employer/employee relations. The existence of a healthy relationship between the employers and the employees in an organization occupies a very paramount position in the realization of organizational goals and objectives. According to Schreiner (2019), effective management of employer-employee relations is vital to organizational success as healthy relationships can bring about employee engagement and even enhanced employee performance. This is important because the relationship between the employer and the employee is one of mutual reliance. The employer depends on the employees to execute their functions, to ensure the smooth running of the organization. Conversely, the employees depend upon the employer to compensate then financially and create an enabling environment that meets their psychological needs. Employer-employee relation as pointed out by Chand (2016:3) is the harmonious atmosphere in which both parties practice the act of working in such a way that they effectively communicate and work pleasantly, thereby recognizing each other's needs and value leading to enhanced motivation and morale of the employees. Research has revealed that there is a relationship between effective employeremployee relations and employee engagement. According to Sheaheen (2017:391) when employers create an enabling environment for employees to be treated with respect and feel at home in discharging their responsibility, it will instill a positive psychological attitude towards the organization, which enhances employee engagement. Osborne and Mohamad (2017: 51) added that lower employee engagement in an organization can be as a result of the poor employer-employee relations, given that, he stressed the need for employers to create an enabling working environment for their employees. However, the dearth of qualitative research to support the correlation between employer-employee relations and employee engagement in the Nigerian context advocated the need for this study. The paper is divided into five sessions. Apart from session one which is the introduction, section two covers the review of literature on the concept of discussion. Section three focuses on the theoretical consideration of the concept of employer-employee relations. Section four presents results and discussions, while section five brings the study to conclusion. 2. Literature Review 2.1. Human relations approach to organization The concept of employer-employee relations can be attributed to Mayo's Hawthorne Experiments (1927-1932). The research was focused on the behaviors of employees and their cooperation with employers in achieving production capacity. According to Tonwe (2009:167), Mayo (1880-1949) who was considered one of the pioneers of the human relations approach to an organization made a novel attempt to have a clearer understanding of the problems of industrial labor from an approach different from the scientific management thought. Priyali (2016) pointed out that contrary to the scientific management approach to organizations, Mayo's research studies postulated that organizations are not only a techno-economic part but a psycho-social organization. Employees are not to be viewed and treated like economic men who are only motivated by money, but their inter-personal relationships, employer's attitude, social and other psychological needs of the employees plays a critical influencing role. Crainer (1998:111) attributed the importance of the Hawthorne experiment to organizational behavior, he asserted that the studies revealed that improved motivation and performance in organizations were depended on the behavior and attitude of employers. The Hawthorne Experiments influenced the quest for further research studies by a behavioral scientist on the behavior of employees in the workplace. According to Priyali (2016:7), these human relations experts integrated psychology and sociology with management and held the (...truncated)