The Effect of Workplace Environment on Employee Performance in the Mobile Telecommunication Firms in Nairobi City County

Abstract

The work environment which encompasses several factors impacts on the way the employees perform their work. A comfortable and all inclusive workplace environment will boost the employees’ performance hence boosting the organizational performance. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of workplace environment on employee performance in the mobile telecommunication firms in Nairobi City County. The target population was all the employees at Airtel Networks Kenya Limited, Safaricom Limited and Telkom Kenya Limited based at the headquarters. The total number was 250 from Airtel, 976 from Safaricom and 400 from Telkom. The sample size included a total of 164 employees. Descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The researcher used stratified random sampling technique in selecting the employees. The study used primary data which was collected by use of semi structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics that included frequencies, mean scores, standard deviation and percentages. From the findings, the study concluded that work environmental factors that influenced employee performance were physical environment factors, reward, management / leadership style, training and development and work-life balance. The findings revealed that employees were not satisfied with the management style and promotions in their organizations. The study recommends that mobile telecommunications firms need to set up more comprehensive reward systems, change management style to transformational leadership style that is inclusive of all employees. The working conditions of employees should also be improved to motivate employees to work. The limitations of the study were that the researcher had limited time and resources to be able to do a more comprehensive research across the country. The researcher recommends further studies to be carried out across the country for a broader perspective on the relationship between employee performance and work environment.