Effective Human Resource Management And Industrial Harmony In The Workplace

Description

ABSTRACT

This work was carried out to examine the relationship between human resources management and Industrial Harmony in the oil and gas firms in Rivers State. Sample size of 343 were derived using Taro Yamene’s from the population of 2400 respondents that consist of managers and employees in twelve oil and gas firms in Rivers State. Descriptive survey method of research was adopted and data were collected through questionnaire. The demographic data were analyzed using simple percentage and Mean score were used in the analysis of items on the questionnaire. The Spearman’s Rank Correlation statistical method was used to test the seven hypotheses at 0.01 level of significance which was facilitated by Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The results shows a significant relationship between Management practice and Industrial harmony. It was also found that organizational culture significantly moderates the relationship between managerial practices and industrial harmony in oil and gas firms in Rivers State. Therefore, the study concludes that Management practice affects Industrial harmony in oil and gas firms in Rivers State. Based on the findings, the study recommended that Aluminum Companies should embark on good management practices by implementing collective agreement, reducing casualisation of staff and to develop a promotion policy, to fewer incidences of strike and grievances to attain industrial harmony. However, this research is not exhaustive; hence, it suggests that future research should be carried out on the effect of Staff casualisation practices on industrial harmony in manufacturing firms in Rivers state.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                            INTRODUCTION

1.1                              BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Over the years, industrial harmony has been the concern of organizations, researchers, employees and other stakeholders because of its importance on productivity (Fajana, 2012). Industrial harmony is important in oil and gas industry like other industries because it promotes employees’ commitment which enables the achievement of organizational goals. The oil and gas industry’s upstream sector is portrayed by controversies, for execution of collective agreement, superseding bargaining force over unjustifiable work practices, for example, casualisation, outsourcing, and contract staffing and different types of work adaptability (Ogbeifun, 2008). These business issues are incompletely, the impact of globalization and have pulled in the consideration and judgment of unions in the sector.

Adenugba (2006) likewise inspected the relative counter-impact of casualisation on results; for example, representative execution and profitability. In spite of every one of these patterns of exploration studies, scholars have not given careful consideration to really look at the relationship between management practice and industrial harmony in the oil and gas sector. Also, the few exploration thinks about the attempt to look at some part of workers practices in connection to industrial agreement did not consider authoritative society as a directing element that can impact the relationship between management practices and modern amicability in oil and gas firms in Rivers State. In perspective of the watched deficiency and learning hole noted above and on the pertinence of the industrial congruity in the oil and gas firms in Rivers State, particularly as oil  and gas are the principal driver of Nigerian economy, the study looked to analyze the relative relationship between management practices and industrial harmony. For example, non-assertion execution, staff casualisation, sporadic advancement; and modern amicability, for example, rate of strike and grievance recurrence, inside the logical and directing impact of hierarchical society in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

 

1.2                             STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Nigeria government being an autocratic in nature and running a capitalist economy subject their citizens to second class fidel. Today, workers are not seen as “partner-in-progress” but seen as tools which can be used and disposed off thereafter. In oil and gas segment, poor management activities have had a more noteworthy effect as it permeates all through each significant oil and gas firms in the nation. Also, there are issues of insecurity, poorly designed workstation, excessive noise, oil spillage, insufficient safety  measures  in fire  and  other emergencies and poor personnel protective equipment (Okuogbo, 2004). Workers under such environment are likely to contact occupational disease and employee’s life span and work performance may be decreasing due to the workplace bad environment. In the oil part, labourers fomentation for enhanced welfare has kept on residual a worry to administration. Numerous oil firms in Nigeria are tormented by a bunch of issues and illnesses created by wasteful and incapable administrative style or strained relationship amongst administration and the worker’s party (Fapohunda, 2012). It is against these problems that, this study empirically evaluates the effect of management practices on industrial harmony in the oil and gas firms in Rivers State with emphasis on the moderating role of organizational culture.

1.3                       AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study helps to identify the best practices that could foster industrial peace especially between the employees and the management of oil and gas firms for mutual gain of the employees and the oil firms. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between human resources management and industrial harmony in the oil and gas firms in Rivers State. However, the specific objectives of this study are:

1. To determine the effect of Promotion policy on industrial harmony in oil and gas firms in Rivers
2. To examine the relationship between non-implementation of agreement and industrial harmony in the oil and gas firms in Rivers

• To establish the effect of staff casualisation on industrial harmony in oil and gas firms in Rivers

1. To examine the extent to which organizational culture moderates the relationship between human resources management practices and industrial harmony in the oil and gas firms in Rivers

1.4                                     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study addressed issues relating to the following pertinent questions emerging within the domain of the study problems:

1. What is the relationship between non-implementation of agreement and absence of incidence of strike in oil and gas firms in Rivers State?
2. What is the relationship between non-implementation of agreement and absence of grievance frequency in the oil and gas firms in Rivers State?

• What is the relationship between casualisation of staff and absence of incidence of strike in oil and gas firms in Rivers State?

1. What is the relationship between casualisation of staff and absence of grievance frequency in the oil and gas firms in Rivers State?
2. What is the relationship between Promotion policy and absence of incidence of strike in oil and gas firms in Rivers State?
3. What is the relationship between Promotion policy and absence of grievance frequency in oil and gas firms in Rivers State?

• How does organizational culture moderate the relationship between human resources management and industrial harmony in oil and gas firms in Rivers State?

 

1.5                                   RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

To proffer useful answers to the research questions, the following hypotheses stated in their null forms were tested in the study:

H₀₁: There is no significant relationship between non-implementation of agreement and absence of incidence of strike in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

H_O2: There is no significant relationship between non-implementation of agreement and absence of grievance frequency in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

H₀₃: There is no significant relationship between staff casualisation and absence of incidence of strike in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

H₀₄: There is no significant relationship between staff casualisation and absence of grievance frequency in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

H₀₅: There is no significant relationship between Promotion policy and absence of incidence of strike in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

H₀₆: There is no significant relationship between Promotion policy and absence of grievance frequency in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

H₀₇: The culture of the organization does not moderate the relationship between human resources management  practices and industrial harmony in oil and gas firms in Rivers State.

1.6                              SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will serve as a new contributions to the literatures on human resources management practice and industrial harmony in oil and gas sector in Rivers State and in Nigeria. Specifically, it will help create industrial harmony, promote peace and cordial relations amongst the stakeholders that will engender improved performance of the employees, overall performance of oil companies, oil sector and the Nigerian economy in general. Therefore, it becomes obvious that this study will provide data that will improve the employees’ job satisfaction that propels them to improve on their level of productivity in the oil firms. The study will also provide data that will enhance the organization’s performance and therefore reduce the frequent cases of strikes, disputes and work stoppages and loss of funds. It will radically improve the performance of the oil companies and the oil and gas sector which will in turn contribute to the revenue generation of Nigeria. This work will also provide a background on further research studies in this area that will bring benefits to the oil and gas sector of Nigeria.

1.7                                      SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Industrial Relation is one of the three basic aspects of human resources management; others are training and employment of personnel. Industrial Relations, therefore, is the whole field of relationships between employer and employees, although, it is sometimes used in a restricted sense to apply to those between trade unions and employers. In the context of human resources management, it includes arrangements for joint consultation through foreman and works councils, face-to-face dealings between foreman and shop attendant or between work manager and trade union official. It is concerned with the agreements between the two sides of industry and the disputes and conflicts which arise both before and after such agreements are made.

This work, therefore, will be looking at the management of human resources which is said to be the most important factor of production and the ultimate origin of the market value of all goods produced in an organization as well as the industrial relations management which is said to be the relationship between the bearer of power (employer) and the non-bearer (employees) in order to have a healthy relationship.

1.8                               LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The greatest limitation discovered was during retrieving the questionnaire from the respondents. Two weeks when the researcher called at the organization for the collection of the questionnaire, it was discovered that some questionnaire were completed while some questionnaire were yet to be returned.

On the part of the operators, some were collected on the spot while few while also not returned.

Finance constrain was also a limitation constituted a threat to the researcher work. There are days when the researcher will run short of money and as a result of that he will found it difficult to visit area of the research.

Dearth of data is another issue: Organisations hardly give out their sensitive information that may be required for the study and Oil firms are not exceptions. It may not give out some information that would have been useful for the research.

1.9                                             RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In the course of carrying this study, numerous sources were used which most of them are by visiting libraries, consulting journal and news papers and online research which Google was the major source that was used.

1.10                                     PROJECT ORGANISATION

The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuses the introductory part of the work,   chapter two presents the literature review of the study,  chapter three describes the methods applied, chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.