Employee Leave and Strategic Organizational Performance of Rift Valley Bottlers, Kenya
Authors: Chungo Joshua Chacha , Anyieni Abel Gwaka 
Published: July 2019

Strategic organizational performance has been a challenge to most firms due to dynamic and ever cropping competition, policies and impediments in the strategy running of firms. Employee leave is costly yet poorly understood in organizations, the consequences of employee leave are widespread and consist of direct and indirect effects. Employees need leaves to get time off to attend to their life issues and be close to family members. Leaves serve at improving employee work synergy and motivate them to perform since they are given time off whenever necessary. The main objective of the study is to establish the influence of employee leave on organizational performance. The study was guided by the following research objectives: to find out the influence of annual, maternity/paternity, bereavement and sick leaves on organization performance at Rift Valley Bottlers. The study was anchored on Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory, Locke’s Range of Affect Theory and the Job Characteristics Model. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The target population of this study entailed 69 respondents from various Rift Valley Bottlers departments. Since the population was small, a census was adopted. The investigation concentrated on gathering essential information utilizing an organized survey and key witness meet from particular administrators of every division. Legitimacy of the study instruments was dictated by substance and develop legitimacy while dependability of the exploration instruments was controlled by inward consistency technique. Information gathered was broke down utilizing both subjective and quantitative methodologies. SPSS variant 23 was utilized to break down the information gathered. Both illustrative and inferential insights was utilized to break down gathered information which was displayed by means of tables, diagrams, frequencies and rates. The study found out that annual leave significantly influenced firm performance. Maternity/paternity leave significantly influenced firm performance. Bereavement leave policy significantly influenced firm performance. Sick leave significantly influenced firm performance. The study concludes that Rift Valley Bottlers Limited offered annul leave to its staffs. Leaves not taken were recovered at Rift Valley Bottlers Limited. Rift Valley Bottlers Limited had an annual leave policy. Rift Valley Bottlers Limited heads of departments were the ones to approve an annual leave. Every employee was entitled to a parental leave once there was a new born in the family. Women were given a maternity leave in lieu of delivery. Fathers or men were given paternity leave to assist in raising their newborns. Bereavement leaves were open at Rift Valley Bottlers Limited. Employees contributed towards assisting their colleague who had been bereaved or had died. Rift Valley Bottlers Limited had a fund to cater for funerals covering close family members. Period for sick leave was open depending on nature of sickness at Rift Valley Bottlers Limited. Sick leave enabled employees recover and resume duty. The study recommends that Rift Valley Bottlers Limited ought to offer annul leave to its staffs. Leaves not taken ought to be recovered at Rift Valley Bottlers Limited. Rift Valley Bottlers Limited ought to have an annual leave policy. Rift Valley Bottlers Limited ought to support an employee who has been bereaved. Bereavement leaves ought to be open at Rift Valley Bottlers Limited. Period for sick leave ought to be open depending on nature of sickness at Rift Valley Bottlers Limited. Sick leave ought to enable employees recover and resume duty.