A Critical Appraisal of the Causes and Consequences of Low Productivity Among Civil Servants in Ondo State

The civil service in Nigeria has been overwhelmed with ever-increasing responsibilities, and there should be better restructuring to meet the numerous expectations of the government and the citizenry. Thus, this study aims to critically appraise the causes and consequences of law productivity among civil servants in Ondo State and proper remedies to the overarching challenges. The study elicited data from both primary and secondary sources. A sample size of 800 respondents was purposively selected through systematic sampling techniques from eight (8) ministries and four (4) agencies in Ondo State. The study relies on Taylor’s theory and Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs as a theoretical foundation. The findings revealed that the Ondo State civil service has a long history of poor remuneration, inadequate and incompetent workers, leadership problems, inadequate training, poor compensation and motivation, indiscipline, nepotism, poor funding of ministries and agencies, contributing significantly to the low productivity among civil servants in Ondo State. The study also revealed that low productivity can lead to economic losses, retrenchment of workers, lack of innovation and creativity, delays of job completion, among others. The study concluded that the present low productivity among the undermotivated staff must be quickly addressed to prevent further economic ruin. Therefore, the study recommended motivation of workers through fair salaries, recruitment of qualified job seekers, training and retraining of workers, participation in decision-making leadership, de-politicisation of civil service, proper funding of government establishments, enforcement of discipline and other panaceas to increase workforce productivity in Ondo State.