ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT PERCEPTION AS A DETERMINANT FOR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Abstract

The performance of employees is crucial in influencing the survival of firms, and so, what improves the employee's performance is significant. Therefore, this study examined the workers' perception of supervisor support and how it could improve their work vigour in selected microfinance banks in southeast Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted by the study, The population of the study consisted of 500 employees of 50 microfinance banks in the region and a complete enumeration was used. A self-developed questionnaire was deployed in data collection and was analyzed using simple regression, and the hypothesis was tested at a 5% level of significance, signifying a 95% confidence level. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between supervisor support and employee vigour in the selected microfinance banks in southeast Nigeria (R = .963; RSquare = .928; F = 3314.956; P-value < 0.05). The study concluded that POS as measured by supervisor support positively correlates with employee engagement as measured by vigour in the selected microfinance banks in southeast Nigeria. Sequel to this, it was recommended that the management of the studied banks need to always evaluate what the supervisors do with the supervised because the employees equate what the supervisors do with what the firm does. This will go a long way in making the supervisors behave in the best possible way and will lead to better employee engagement.
 Keywords: Engagement, Vigor, Support, Supervisor, Microfinance, Banks, Nigeria.