Employee Perceptions of the Acceptance and Use of Self-Service Portals for Human Resource Efficiency in the Public Sector

Abstract

The study aimed at exploring staff perceptions of ESS acceptance and use of ESS and to examine how these perceptions influence human resource Efficiency in Tanzania public institutions. Three theories were applied, the Technology Acceptance Model explains perceived use-fulness and perceived ease of use. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTUT) clarifies facilitating conditions and trust, which are not addressed by TAM. The Resource Based View (RBV) explains how ESS contributes to HR efficiency, which also fall outside TAM and UTAUT. Using an interpretivist philosophy and phenomenological design, data were collected through voluntary verbal consent to continue semi-structured interviews with 15 HR officers and employees and two focus group discussions involving eight participants via platforms, including the HR platform, giving a total of 23 participants. Thematic analysis revealed that ESS improves acceptance and use when it simplifies leave processing, salary access, and performance information. Ease of use was influenced by intuitive design and digital skills, while system errors, connectivity problems and limited ICT competence reduced adoption. Facilitating conditions and trust strongly shaped continued use, and ESS contributed to improved performance outcomes despite persistent implementation challenges. This study offers theoretically contribution by demonstrating the combined value of TAM, UTAUT and RBV in explaining how individual perceptions, contextual support and organisational resources jointly determine HR efficiency outcomes.