Effect of Job Rank on Employee Commitment at Constitutional Commissions in Kenya

Abstract

Organizational units that don‟t perform well are reorganized resulting to job cuts. Additionally, employees who are more probable to be let go are those that underperform. The effect of job level on employee commitment was what this study entailed. The study employed a descriptive survey. The descriptive survey was a cross sectional survey design. A total of 4191 employees from the 12 commissions were the target population. The population size was sampled to 354 respondents. Stratified sampling was used to select respondents from each stratum (commission) to represent the population in terms of each court. The population was therefore, be categorized into 12 strata. The study collected primary data through questionnaire. The questionnaires were delivered to the respondents and collected later. The analysis of data was through descriptive statistics and multiple regressions. Findings of study were: In affective commitment, the respondents agreed that they enjoyed discussing their organization with people outside it. On continuance commitment, the respondents were indifferent that in their lives, too much would be affected if leaving their organization was a choice; and that it is not only a matter of desire but also a necessity to stay with their organization. For the findings on normative commitment, the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed that they were educated to have confidence in the benefit of staying faithful to one's organization. The study concluded a higher job rank created reluctance of employees to leave an organization, signifying continuance commitment. However, if an employee stayed at any rank for too long they were willing to leave the organization. Also, employees who had been promoted to higher ranks gained a sense of affective commitment to their organizations. For normative commitment, employees of all ranks viewed loyalty to their organization as important and did not advocate for movement from organization to organization every too often. The study therefore recommends that employers recognize outstanding employees through promotions whenever possible in order to boost their morale and ensure their commitment to their jobs and organizations. The study also recommends the formulation and adjustment of policies and mechanisms in regard to promotions, informed by the conclusion that job ranks influence employee commitment.