Assessment of the Effect of Compensation on Job Satisfaction of Academic Staff in Selected Universities in Nigeria

Abstract

This study is an assessment of the effect of compensation on job satisfaction among academic staff  in selected universities in Nigeria. One of the most challenging tasks in organization management  is the ability of management to provide conducive atmosphere that would enrich the job satisfaction  of workers in order to make them have passion for their work. In 2009, the Federal Government,  after negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), came up with an upgraded  salary structure; “Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONUASS)” made up  of the basic salary, peculiar and other allowances for the academic staff in Nigerian universities  with the aim of ensuring adequate compensation capable of making the academic job satisfactorily  more attractive. Academic job satisfaction would ensure attraction of the best brains both within  and abroad to joining Nigerian universities. This paper is an examination of the effect of  compensation package of the Nigerian universities on job satisfaction among academic staff in the  selected Nigerian universities. The research used cross-sectional survey where instruments for data  collection were interview and questionnaires. Regression Analysis was used to test the hypothesis.  SPSS version 20.0 was used to run the analysis. The findings of the research revealed that  compensation has no significant effect on job satisfaction among academic staff. It was therefore  recommended that the academic job itself should be enriched and made more flexible while  academic freedom should be enhanced. This would facilitate research and career progression and  personal development of academic staff in the Nigerian universities.