CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Employee attitude and behavior are very important as it affects performance and

productivity in the workplace. Attitude is a settled way of feeling or thinking with

regard to something or someone and is reflected in the behavior of a person. In

the setting of a workplace, positive attitude is particularly important. The

relationships and ultimately performance of any workplace is highly influenced by

the attitude of the team. If workers for instance have the feeling that they are not

valued by the organization or respected by their leaders then the level of moral is

likely to be low. On the other hand, when workers actually feel that the

organization values, them recognizes and appreciates their contribution, then

their motivation and commitment to the organization is higher (J. Kelvin Fallah,

2017). Leaders play an important role in influencing the behavior of individuals at

workplace. It is the responsibility of leaders to set a direction for team members.

It is very important that leaders cultivate a good workplace culture and positive

relationship among the employees for them to have a good performance and be

productive in the workplace. According to, J. Kelvin Fallah, (2017), a good

attitude in the workplace is very instrumental in enhancing productivity.

Employees who have the right attitude about work will therefore naturally think

about their work and strive to give it their best. As a result, they end up producing

good quality work with limited flaws. The overall outcome is an improved output

and productivity among the employees. According to, Yunus and Ernawati (2017)
employee productivity is the capability to produce goods and services in order to

achieve the goals of the organization. Similarly, Iqbal, Ahmed, and Allen (2019)

defined employee productivity in terms of impersonal trust therefore lack of trust

between employees and employers can lower the productivity of employees,

hindering the organization’s performance. Workers with a positive attitude toward

their job and the company are more likely to make helpful suggestions and they

make the ideas that help in the growth of the business. On the other hand,

workers with a negative attitude may only be concerned with producing enough

to get by while having little interest in innovation and they are least bothered

about the improvement of the company. Moreover, employees can be motivated

by Maslow’s hierarchy theory of needs through its lower level needs to higher-

order needs entailing physiological needs, safety or security needs, social needs,

self-esteem needs, and self-actualization needs to be productive at the

workplace. Apart from these, there are also various other factors influencing

employee productivity, and the most important of them all is the work

environment in which people work (Awan and Tahir, 2015; Serhan and

Shammari, 2015). In the current highly uncertain and competitive business

environment, positive attitudes can become a fundamental stone for competitive

advantage and success. So, we aimed to assess the most important factors of

work-related attitude that influence the performances and productivity of

employees. It is now a common phenomenon in many organizations to see some

workers sleeping on their tables in the office or indulging in gossip outside their

office when there is less work left to be done.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework of the study is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow’s

hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology. This hierarchy—also

referred to as Maslow’s theory of motivation—includes five levels of human

needs: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization.

Within each level are specific needs that allow for an individual to feel fulfilled.

The hierarchy is often depicted as a pyramid to represent the need to fulfill the

lower levels before an individual can move up to the next level. Without fulfillment

on the level below in the hierarchy, a person cannot progress because they will

lack the motivation to do so.

Schematic Diagram

Factors
Affecting
Employees’
Attitude
↔ Employees
Productivity

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to identify the factors affecting employees’ attitude towards work

and asses the level of employee’s productivity within the organization. Also, it

specifically wants to answer the following questions below.

Set of the problem

1. What are the factors affecting employees’ attitude at work?

2. What is the extent level of employee’s behavior in relation to bias?

 3. What is the employee productivity in the organization?

4. Is there a significant relationship to the employees’ attitude and behavior

to its productivity?

Significance of the study

This study makes some contributions to the following:

Employees: Employees can benefit from the study by gaining awareness of the

importance of their attitudes and behaviors in relation to their productivity.

Understanding the factors that influence their attitudes and behaviors can

empower them to make positive changes and improve their performance in the

workplace.

Organizations: The study can provide organizations with valuable insights into

the factors that influence employee attitudes and behaviors, and how these

factors impact productivity. By understanding these relationships, organizations

can develop strategies to effectively manage and motivate their workforce,

leading to improved organizational performance. Managers and Leaders:

Managers and leaders within organizations can benefit from the study by gaining

a deeper understanding of how attitudes and behaviors of employees can impact

productivity. This knowledge can help them in making informed decisions and

implementing effective management practices to enhance productivity.

Researchers and Academics: Researchers and academics in the field of

organizational psychology and management can benefit from the study by adding

to the existing body of knowledge on the relationship between attitude, behavior,

and productivity. The findings of the study can contribute to the development of

theories and models in this area.

Human Resources Professionals: Human resources professionals can use the

findings of the study to develop and implement policies and practices that

promote positive attitudes and behaviors among employees, ultimately leading to

increased productivity.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The researchers aim to understand the factors affecting employees’ attitude and

their productivity in the organization. The target population are the employees

that works in MADC (Manupali Agri-Development Corporation) that is located at

Dabong-Dabong, Milag, Valencia City, Bukidnon. The duration of the study will

vary widely depending on some factors. The researchers will use the quantitative

method approach and use survey questionnaires during data collection. The data

collection will be two weeks at least with 100 survey participants.

Definition of Terms

Attitude. Define as employees’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior towards a

particular environment, person, situation, or idea in the workplace.

Behavior. Define as how an employee acts towards at each other in the

workplace and response in various situations.

Bias. Define as how the behavior of an employee goes to an extent level with

someone related in the workplace

Employees Attitude. Define as a positive or negative expression on how a person

feels towards the other in the workplace.

Employees Productivity. Define as employees’ capability to be productive in the

workplace depending in their work environment.