Remuneration management and staff satisfaction in private universities in Kampala metropolitan, Uganda, a case study of Nkumba University.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between remuneration management and staff satisfaction in private universities in Kampala metropolitan Uganda focusing on Nkumba university as a case study. The specific objectives of the study were to (a) To examine the effect of salaries and wages on staff satisfaction at Nkumba University. (b) To establish the relationship between allowances and benefits on staff satisfaction at Nkumba university. (c)To assess the contribution of remuneration of staff in special categories on staff satisfaction at Nkumba university. A descriptive case study was adopted and data were collected using questionnaires and interviews from both academic and non-academic staff, analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The findings revealed that salary structures significantly affect staff motivation and retention, allowances and benefits improve employees’ welfare and commitment while non-monetary rewards such as recognition and career growth opportunities enhance job satisfaction. The study concluded that effective remuneration management positively influences staff satisfaction in private universities. On objective one, the study confirmed a positive and significant relationship between salaries/wages and staff satisfaction (r=0.324, p< 0.01) while regression analysis explained 45% of the variance in staff satisfaction (adjusted R square=0.045). Objective three of the study revealed a correlation between special remuneration and staff satisfaction as relatively weak (r=0.211, p, < 0.01) indicating that current remuneration practices only modestly influence overall satisfaction. Regression analysis further suggests that remuneration alone is insufficient to fully explain variations in staff motivation with operational and hierarchical disparities undermining overall satisfaction (adjusted R square 0.044). It recommended that university management should review salary structures regularly, improve allowances and benefits and strengthen non-financial rewards systems to promote higher levels of staff satisfaction.