Telework adoption and its effects on employee engagement : a survey of ICT organizations in Kenya
Date
2015
Authors
Cheruiyot, Timon
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
This study examines the level of adoption of telework in ICT organizations in Kenya;
and its effects on employee engagement. Its starts by a giving a background of the
current situation in Kenya that relates to telework: the development of ICT infrastructure,
mobile penetration, internet usage and the commuter/transport problem in the country.
Literature review of previous studies gives an overview of telework adoption in other
countries and contexts. To gather data specific to this study, a list of registered ICT
organizations was retrieved from the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK).
The commission had categorized the ICT organizations into groups according to the
service they offered. These groups were used in stratified sampling methodology
employed in this research. An online survey by use of questionnaires was the primary
data collection tool. Face to face interviews were used after the surveys to validate some
data from the responses. SPSS was then used to analyze correlation between variables;
including the strength and direction of the relationships.
The study found that the level of adoption of telework in Kenya was lower than the
world average, despite having a developed ICT infrastructure. It also established that
employees generally had a positive attitude towards the telework concept, but managers
were concerned about the loss of control that the concept would bring. Teleworking
employees had a higher Employee Engagement Index (EEI) than their workplace
counterparts, though both teleworking and non-teleworking employees preferred parttime
(not full time) arrangement if given a choice.
The study recommends telework adoption for jobs that are suitable for the concept. It
also recommends creation of awareness of the benefits of the concept to businesses,
which include higher EEI as well as savings from reduction of transport costs incurred
in commuting to/from the workplace. From the findings of the study, it was established
that managers were concerned about loss of control over teleworking employees. To
mitigate this, measures can be put in place to measure and track productivity of
teleworkers; using some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that link to the overall
goals of the organization.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of
Master of Business Administration
Keywords
Telework, Employee engagement, ICT organizations, Kenya