Influence of leave programs on employee commitment among county administrators in the Western region of Kenya: The moderating role of organizational culture

Abstract

Work-life balance initiatives have been shown to positively impact employees' well-being and integration, with commitment emerging as a key factor for successful work-life integration. However, despite the presence of work-life balance practices, employee commitment remained a challenge for managers in the public sector. The role of organizational culture in moderating the relationship between work-life balance practices and employee commitment had not been fully explored. This study investigated the influence of leave arrangement practices on employee commitment, with organizational culture as a moderating factor, among county administrators in the Western Region of Kenya. The study was Guided by Spillover Theory, Enrichment Theory, Segmentation Theory, and Facilitation Theory, the study adopted both descriptive and correlational survey designs. Data were collected from county administrators in selected counties—Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia, and Bungoma—using semi-structured questionnaires. The study sampled the data using a census. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics, with Pearson’s correlation coefficient used to assess the relationships between variables. Simple and multiple linear regressions tested the significance of individual work-life balance practices, while hierarchical regression evaluated the moderating effect of organizational culture. The findings revealed that leave programs (B = 0.638) had significant positive effects on employee commitment. However, when organizational culture was introduced as a moderating factor, none of these practices showed a statistically significant effect, indicating that organizational culture did not moderate the relationship between work-life balance practices and employee commitment. These results suggested that leave arrangements were key drivers of employee commitment, but enhancing organizational culture alone was not sufficient to improve this relationship. This finding is expected to benefit stakeholders, including county and national governments, researchers, and human resource professionals, by providing insights into strategies that could enhance employee commitment in the public sector. To improve commitment effectively, county administrations might need to look beyond these practices and consider other aspects of the organizational environment, such as leadership, communication, career development, or job security, which could have a more profound effect on fostering employee engagement and loyalty.