Time Management and Its Relationship to Job Performance Among Employees at the Libyan Ministry of Finance: A Field Study

Abstract

Background: Effective time management is an important organizational practice that may contribute to improving employee performance, particularly in governmental institutions where work is characterized by multiple administrative procedures, deadlines, and competing tasks. Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of time management among employees of the Ministry of Finance in Libya, determine their level of job performance, and examine the statistical relationship between time management and employee performance. Methods: A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional design was adopted. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to employees of the Ministry of Finance. Of 80 distributed questionnaires, 70 valid questionnaires were included in the final analysis. The questionnaire assessed four dimensions of time management: planning, organization, prioritization, and time monitoring and control, in addition to employee performance. Descriptive statistics and simple linear regression analyses were performed, with statistical significance set at α=0.05. Results: The overall level of time management was moderate (mean=3.329), while time monitoring, and control recorded the highest mean (3.514). Employee performance was also moderate, with a mean of 3.299 (SD=1.122). Significant positive associations were observed between employee performance and planning (R=0.803, R²=0.645, p<0.001), organization (R=0.847, R²=0.717, p<0.001), prioritization (R=0.865, R²=0.748, p<0.001), and time monitoring and control (R=0.807, R²=0.651, p<0.001). Overall time management demonstrated a strong positive association with employee performance (R=0.894, R²=0.799, F=270.856, p<0.001). Conclusion: Time management was significantly and positively associated with employee performance among the surveyed Ministry of Finance employees. Strengthening structured planning, prioritization, organization, and continuous monitoring of time may provide an important organizational approach for improving employee performance.