Employee Transfer and Employee Personal Development in the Public Service: A Case of Administration Police Service in Kenya
Loading...
Date
2022
Authors
Otieno, Sam Onyango
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The transfer of police officers has been associated with a decrease in police productivity, poor job satisfaction among officers mainly when officers are not comfortable with aspects of transfers such as timing and geography. This issue has been contributing to incidences of police brutality and resignation of officers from the service. Despite that, scarce empirical literature concerning how these transfers influence police officers at individual level including their personal development has been published. This study sought to explore the effect of police transfers on the personal development of administration police officers. The objectives of this study were to explore influence of timing and frequency of transfers on personal development; effect of transfer benefits on personal development; effect of change in physical environment on personal development; the influence of distance of workstation from home on personal development. This study was guided by the expectancy-value theory and the street-level bureaucratic theory using a descriptive research design. The target population for this study was all the officers working in the border patrol unit of the Administration police service. The study involved 100 officers out of the 2920 officers assigned to the Border Police Unit. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the respondents with thorough regards for their anonymity and confidentiality of their participation including identity free responses. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data, which was then sorted, coded, and analyzed through descriptive and inferential analysis. The study showed that time-and-frequency of transfer, area geography, and distance of transfer have a varying negative effect on personal development while post-transfer benefit has a positive effect on personal development. The study recommends policy makers to formulate a regular and predictable transfer schedule for police officers that consider the personal lives of officers and the transfer objectives.
Description
Keywords
Administration Police Service, Public Service, Employee Transfer, Employee Personal Development, Kenya