Impact of Reward System on Employee Productivity of Non-Academic Staff of Private Polytechnics in Enugu State

Abstract

Reward systems shape the employer-employee relationship and prior Nigerian research has found that non-academic staff productivity in tertiary institutions is substantially conditioned by the adequacy of reward structures. An earlier 2022 study of non-academic staff across three private polytechnics in Enugu State found that neither career development nor prompt salary payment alone showed a statistically significant positive impact on productivity. This quantitative explanatory survey of 200 non-academic staff across the same three institutions (Marist Polytechnic, Mater Dei Polytechnic, and Our Saviour Institute of Science, Agriculture and Technology) re-examined the relationship using multiple regression. Financial reward (β = .31, p < .001) and non-financial recognition (β = .28, p < .001) significantly predicted employee productivity; career development opportunity did not reach significance (β = .09, p = .142). The combined model explained 29% of the variance in productivity (R² = .29, F(3, 196) = 26.71, p < .001). The findings partially corroborate the earlier Enugu study regarding career development while affirming the productivity contribution of financial reward and non-financial recognition, consistent with Herzberg’s distinction between hygiene factors and motivators. Implications for reward policy in Enugu State’s private polytechnic sector are discussed.