By Arumede, Martin Uhuo
This study investigated Employee Relations and Performance in the Public Service: A study of University of Nigeria Nsukka. The study adopted descriptive survey design. Three research objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The sample for the study was three hundred and sixty-two (362) employees of the University. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Tables and percentages were used to analyse demographic data; mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while t-test statistics was used to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between employee relations and performance in the public service; there were various challenges hindering employee performance in University of Nigeria Nsukka such as inadequate consultation of workers while taking decisions that affected their welfare, management policies that did not protect the interest of workers, unfavourable working conditions, insufficient engagement of workers’ unions in collective bargaining by the management of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The study also revealed how employee relations could improve performance of workers in the public service in general and University of Nigeria, Nsukka in particular which include that collective bargaining eliminates conflicts and enhances performance, workers’ participation in decision making positively affects the relationship between employees and management, effective implementation of collective agreements, among others. The study concluded that since no organization could exist and function without the human element to drive production and render services, it is the responsibility of the management of organizations such as the public service to maintain strong employer-employee relationship that would minimize areas of conflicts that resulted to work stoppages and disruption of production and services. The study, among others, recommended that the management of University of Nigeria, Nsukka should constantly sponsor their employees to trainings such as orientation, in-service training, seminars, workshops and conferences that were relevant to their fields/careers in order to make them more efficient and effective in the performance of their duties.