Assessing Employee Relations Strategies and Staff Productivity in Public Hospitals in Uganda: A Case Study of Old Mulago Hospital Kampala

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to assess the effect of employee relations strategies on staff productivity at Old Mulago Hospital Kampala. Specifically, the study established the effect of: employee communication strategy, employee participation strategy and negotiation strategy on staff productivity at Old Mulago hospital Kampala. A case study research design was adopted, employing a quantitative research approach. Data was collected from 82 respondents from Old Mulago hospital using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation, were employed for data analysis, while inferential statistics such as Pearson's Correlation coefficient and linear regression were used. The study found that employee communication (r = 0.504, p<0.05); employee participation (r = 0.401, p<0.05) and negotiation (r = 0.609, p<0.05) are significant and positively correlated with staff productivity at Old Mulago hospital. Employee communication, employee participation and negotiation were found to significantly predict staff productivity by 44.1% (Adjusted R2 = 0.441). It is concluded that employee communication, employee participation and negotiation as employee relations strategies have significant positive relationship with staff productivity at Old Mulago hospital. To enhance staff productivity, the study recommended that the management of Mulago hospital should: provide training programs to improve managers’ and supervisors’ communication skills; provide more scope for employees’ voice to effectively communicate their concerns to management and build good employee relations that can foster staff productivity; establish a structured feedback mechanism to encourage employee input on various organizational aspects; create more opportunities for employees to express their opinions; implement direct dialogue mechanisms like joint work committees or team meetings; empower their staff to effectively advocate for their interests and engage in constructive collective bargaining agreement; and promote transparent communications during and after negotiations.