Training and employee productivity of selected insurance: Perspectives for the board of directors

Abstract

Employees are a vital resource for organisations. Their collective performance could determine productivity, growth and survival of organisations. Globally, employee productivity has become a subject of intense research. Studies in literature reported inconsistent findings of relationship between training and employee productivity. Employee productivity (efficiency, quality of work and timeliness of work) is perceived to be low probably due to inadequate training (on the job training, skill development, resilience and career success) of the employees. This paper, therefore, examined the relationship between training and employee productivity of selected insurance companies in Lagos State, Nigeria. The authors used survey research method. The population of study was 1527 employees in 8 selected insurance companies from which sample of 560 was selected using stratified sampling technique. The paper used questionnaire as research instrument validated through face and contents validity tests with Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficients ranged from 0.62 to 0.84 for various constructs used. The authors analysed data using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The study disclosed a moderate positive relationship between training and employee productivity with a correlation coefficient r (501) = 0.542, p < 0.05. Findings of the paper supported Board of directors’ investment decision in personnel development, employees’ skills, and attitude that enhanced productivity. The study concluded that training was essential for employee productivity.