INFLUENCE OF QUALITY OF WORK LIFE FACTORS ON EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT IN PARASTATALS: A CASE STUDY OF NATIONAL HOSPITAL INSURANCE FUND IN NAKURU, KENYA

Abstract

In the today‟s competitive business environment, every organization is facing a problem of attracting and retaining, competent human resource. To overcome this every organizations need to maintain high level of Quality of Work Life. Employee commitment is one of the challenges facing many organizations both public and private. Retention of productive employees is a major concern of HR professionals and business executives. It is more efficient to retain a quality employee than to recruit, train and orient a replacement employee of the same quality. A good balance in work and life can play a phenomenal role in the attainment of personal and professional goals and ensure employee commitment in organizations. It has been established employees report that work is a significant source of stress and they typically feel tensed or stressed out during the workday.This study sought to determine the influence of management style, growth and development opportunities, work life balance, and organizational climate factors on employee commitment at National Hospital Insurance Fund, Nakuru Branch.The study was guided by Transformational Leadership Theory, the Social Exchange Theory, and the Segmentation Theory. Descriptive research design was used. The target population comprised of the managers and staff of NHIF in Nakuru Branch who number 45 in total. The study used closed ended self-administered questionnaires as data collecting instruments. Since the target population was small, the study adopted the census method. The pilot study was carried out in NHIF Eldoret branch to establish reliability of the research instruments. Data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. The results show there is a strong positive relationship between management style, growth and development opportunities, work life balance, and organizational climate factors and employee commitment at National Hospital Insurance Fund, Nakuru Branch. From the regression results, growth and development opportunities was found to be the most important determinant of employee commitment. The findings of this study will help human resource planners within public corporations to gain a better understanding of factors that influence employee commitment and which will enable them plan for improved service delivery.