The Influence of Demographic Characteristics on Performance of Academic Employees in Kenyatta University

Abstract

The success of the universities depends upon solid functioning, faithfulness and involved academicians regarding high level of teaching and research. Provision of workforce to the different sectors countrywide is possible only through the universities with high level of educational standards and Organizational Commitment on the part of the staff members especially the academicians. Demographic characteristics greatly influence how well an employee performs despite the fact that the employee might be having other factors determining their performance. Therefore, the current study sought to investigate the influence of demographic characteristics on performance of academic employees at Kenyatta University in Kenya. The study specifically examined the influence of age, education level, marital status, tenure in the organization and gender. The study used descriptive survey design and the categories of the employees were academic staff (Full Professor, Associate Professor, Senior lecturer, lecturer and Tutorial fellows).Primary data was obtained through a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using means and proportions. Spearman correlation was also employed to establish the relationship between demographic characteristics and performance of academic employees at Kenyatta University. The findings indicate that demographic characteristics influence employee performances indicated by the variations in performance achievement among different demographic categories such as age, gender and academic qualifications. The study therefore recommends that demographic factors be put into consideration when managing employee performance. Some of the limitations in this research include time and resource constraints that could not allow an exhaustive sampling of demographic characteristics among employees. Further studies are therefore recommended not only on demographic characteristics that influence employee performance but also on other best ways of approaching the employee management task within organizations.