Age, job involvement and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance among local government employees in Uganda

Purpose The purpose of the study is to establish the relationship between age, job involvement, job satisfaction and job performance of sub-county chiefs in the Ugandan local government. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain a total sample of 320 sub-county chiefs who were selected to participate in the study using multi-stage stratified random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data that were entered into the computer using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 23 (IBM SPSS-AMOS). Path analysis results were used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results indicated significant positive relationships between: age and job involvement, job involvement and job satisfaction, and job involvement and job performance. Non-significant relationships were between age and job satisfaction, age and job performance, and job satisfaction and job performance. A reconstructed model was presented. Practical implications Employees’ participation in decisions that affect their work brings positive behavioral outcomes. Job involvement makes workers feel as part of the organization and contributes significantly to organizational effectiveness and morale of workers. Managers are encouraged to pay much attention to the requirements of their staff so as to increase their job involvement, which can ultimately lead to high levels of job satisfaction and improved job performance. Originality/value This study proposes that older employees who highly participate in organizational activities are likely to be satisfied and outstanding performers. Strategic recruitment agencies are very important in ensuring “quality at the gate” because they focus on the work attitudes and can attract and retain a satisfied and competent workforce.