Nigerian Work Research Articles

Metaphor and therapeutic potential in cancer discourse

Sickness does not involve just the human body but also has a psychological dimension, and a number of studies have identified the positive psychological potential of self-help books in relation to illness. This paper examines metaphorical mappings employed in describing cancer patients in self-help books, undertaking a comparison of an American and a Nigerian work and identifying new categorisations and highlighting their therapeutic potential. It seeks to answer the following questions: what new metaphorical categories can be identified in Nigerian and American self-help books?; what therapeutic potential do they have?; and what similarities/differences can be identified in these self-help books? The sample size is 102 self-help stories, of which 24 instances were considered relevant for close analysis. This study adopts the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) approach and employs the Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP) and methodologies concerned with the comparison and categorisation of metaphoric membership. The findings focus on four metaphorical categories: military, journey, personification and sports. The difference between the Nigerian and American self-help books lies in the contextualised manner of metaphorical presentation. In particular, the findings highlight sports metaphors in the American books as possessing more therapeutic tendencies due to the presence of humour, trivialisation, self-deprecation and satire. This category reflects that humour can ease stress and anxiety/panic and aid relaxation.

Enhancing Human Development in Nigeria Through Constitutional Reform via the Human-Rights-Based Approach to Development

Development indexes and scholarship portray Nigeria as non-developed. Non-development is acutely felt in the sphere of human development. This article interrogated the state of Nigeria’s human development by showing that the violation of human rights law is at the heart of Nigeria’s lack of human development. It offered some constitutional reform proposals that could potentially cure the country’s perceived human development weaknesses. It also utilised the human-rights-based approach to development. Consequently, the article answered the following research question: Is it possible to realise human development in Nigeria using the human-rights-based approach to development by way of constitutional reform? While acknowledging the weakness in the often argued importance of making chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution justiciable, it made a case for the introduction of suo motu intervention by the judiciary in order to boost the realisation of rights that enhance human development: Right to health, right to education and right to a decent standard of living. It also argued for the relaxation of the rigidity of dualism in the 1999 Constitution in order for Nigerians to benefit from certain doctrines, like the principle of progressive realisation, which favour the aforementioned rights that enhance human development. To buttress this point, the paper then cited the innovative section 254(c)(2) of the 1999 Constitution which, to promote the plight of the Nigerian worker, did something similar with regard to the accommodation of international law instruments related to industrial relations.

Effect of psychological intervention in cushioning work-induced stress among secondary school home economics teachers: Implications for policy and administration.

Work demands in the contemporary Nigerian work environment are a critical concern to many including occupational stress researchers. This informed the current study to investigate the effect of psychological intervention in cushioning teachers' stress in public secondary schools in Nigeria. A randomized control design was applied. The participants were 80 secondary school home economics teachers. They were randomized into 2 groups, that is, treatment and waitlisted arms. The former was designed as a 12-session cognitive behavior intervention while the latter was waitlisted and the members received theirs at the end of the study. Both group members were evaluated at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up test to understand the baseline of the problem, treatment outcome, and sustainability respectively. Perceived Stress Scale and Teacher irrational belief scale were used as test tools. Data from the 3-time tests were analyzed using multivariate statistic. The main effect results showed a significant reduction in teachers' stress and irrational beliefs due to cognitive behavior intervention. The follow-up test results also indicate that the impactful benefit of cognitive behavioral intervention on job stress reduction was significantly sustained over time. Regarding the influence of gender, the result shows no significant influence of gender on teachers' job stress in schools. This study suggests that cognitive behavior intervention can decrease work-induced stress among secondary school home economics teachers. Therefore, the management of schools is enjoined to deploy the services of cognitive behavior therapists to monitor the mood and mental health of teachers.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Housing has been acknowledged generally as a key human necessity. One of its problems may be claimed that it is not affordable for the ordinary Nigerian worker, whose earnings and wages are now strongly depressed and unable to fulfill their fundamental necessities. From the perspective of the above, this study studied the affordability of government workers in Ogun State, Nigeria. Purposive method of sampling was used to sample two government agencies and parastatals. A total of One Hundred and Ten (110) government officials were picked. 94 questionnaires were returned. The necessary data was gathered using the questionnaire, which was then, analyzed using descriptive and medium item score statistics. The results showed that, on average, government workers in Ogun State could afford to pay their rent because most of them, particularly those in the medium and high income brackets, spend less than 30% of their annual salary on housing. Public and private engagements were suggested in the study as a method of providing state housing that is both inexpensive and sustainable.

Marital structure and domestic gender role practice: implications for subjective well-being of working mothers teaching in Nigerian primary schools

ABSTRACT The study examined the association of marital structure and domestic gender role practice, with the subjective well-being of working mothers in Nigeria. Marital structure was measured as the type of marriage and living arrangement with husband, while domestic gender role practice was assessed as breadwinning and house chore role practices. Using a sample of 1320 married female primary school teachers, the study determined the prevalence of impaired well-being, and marriage type, living arrangement, breadwinning, and house chore role practice as predictors of well-being. A questionnaire and the English mental health continuum short form were used to collect data. Using IBM SPSS software version 23, demographic data were analysed in frequencies and percentages. Binary logistic regression was used to test three null hypotheses at p < 0.05. Findings showed a 36.2% prevalence of 'not flourishing' mental well-being. Polygamy, living away from the husband, and having the sole responsibility of house chores were associated with poorer well-being. The breadwinning role was not a significant factor. In conclusion, polygamy, living apart, and practising traditionalism in house chore roles might have negative implications for the subjective well-being of Nigerian working mothers. Therefore, Nigerian society should further evaluate the gender role expectations of working mothers.

The philosophical import of Pauline work ethics in the quest for Germane Work Ethics in Nigeria

The importance of work has always been granted throughout human history. This could be seen from creative work of God. Not only did He engage in work himself, He also ordered Adam to earn his bread for himself by his labour. The Bible is replete with God’s teachings concerning work. Among these teachings, Pauline work ethics stand out. That is why this study undertook an examination of the philosophical import of Pauline work ethics in the quest for germane work ethics in Nigeria. Pauline work ethics denotes a concept where human work should be viewed as a righteous function that has been commanded by God right from the fall of man and thereafter. The inevitability of work to man consequently places new and tasking demands on workers in modern society. The study employed the qualitative research design. Data was gathered from primary and secondary sources. The data was analysed using the historical and evaluative tools. The study found out among other things that there has been a massive drift away from Biblical work ethics in contemporary Nigeria. The study recommends that Nigerian workers should adequately peruse the scriptures so as to equip themselves with relevant attitudinal dispositions towards enhancing their attitude to work. The study surmises that work is a good thing for man - a noble thing for his humanity - because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also cooperates with God’s creative work, making him a co-worker with God. The Nigerian working environment would greatly be improved if workers imbibe the biblical work ethics.

Stress Management And Employee Productivity: An Examination of the Nigerian Work Environment

Stress Management And Employee Productivity: An Examination of the Nigerian Work Environment

FLEXIBLE WORKING ARRANGEMENTS (FWAS) AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PRODUCTION COMPANIES

This comparative analysis seeks to ascertain the extent to which Flexible Working Arrangements FWAs have been adopted in the Nigerian work environment and equally uncover if the acclaimed efficacy of these Flexible Working Arrangements in ensuring sustained optimal performance is as realistic in the Nigerian work environment as it is in advanced countries using two production companies, Nigeria Bottling Company NBC- a multi-national company and Camela Vegetable Oil Company- an indigenous company as focal points. The survey research design with questionnaire and interviews as instruments of primary data collection and library research for secondary data was used for the study. The research hinges on Self Determination Theory with simple percentages used for data analysis and chi-square for testing hypothesis. Research findings showed that Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs) are not yet being practiced in these organizations of study thus they are yet to start harnessing the immense benefits of flexibility in work. It is recommended that organizations should re-strategize by upturning some of their archaic and obsolete operational policies and imbibing new ones like the flexible work arrangements which are in accord with current contemporary global practices.&#x0D; Keywords: Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs), Organizational Performance, Self Determination Theory, Flexitime, Work-Life Balance (WLB).

Perceived Psychosocial Impact of Lockdown and Life Satisfaction Assessment of Nigerian Working Adults during Coronavirus Pandemic

The study assessed the perceived psychosocial impact of lockdown and life satisfaction of Nigerian working adults during the coronavirus pandemic. A cross-sectional research design was adopted, and 518 working adults participated in the study using the convenience sampling technique. Two sets of questionnaires served as the data collection instruments. Data generated from the study were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and OLS regression analysis. Results revealed, amongst others, that relationships with family members and neighbors, interaction with office colleagues, social connectedness, the use of social media, and shopping are the major psychosocial domains highly affected by the impact of the lockdown. Also, it was revealed that working adults in Nigeria are slightly satisfied with life during the COVID-19 lockdown. Based on the results, suggestions were made to mitigate the effects of the psychosocial impact of the lockdown and low life satisfaction during and after the lockdown period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Socio-Economic Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Nigerian Worker: An Empirical Analysis

The current study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on workers in Nigeria from a socioeconomic standpoint. Nigeria remains one of the most highly affected countries on the African continent; hence the Nigerian government has emulated other countries in taking measures to curtail the spread of the pandemic. These measures include but are not limited to lockdown orders, due to which individuals stop going to work, as well as the closure of factories and businesses. The lockdown order has been applauded for being effective in curtailing the spread of the virus; however, it is deemed to adversely affect the Nigerian workers in both the public and private sectors. Many authors have contributed to literature related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is still a paucity of literature investigating the socio-economic effect of the lockdown order on Nigerian workers. To the best of our knowledge, there is no empirical study that investigates the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impact on civil servants and bankers. The study adopted a survey research design and primary data gathered through the survey was analyzed. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire, which was filled in online using Google Forms. The collected data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and t-test statistical tools. The findings of the study revealed that COVID-19 has an inverse and minimal effect on the socio-economic condition of public and private sector workers. The research proposed, among other things, that the government should place mechanisms to curb excessive price increase of products and services, ensuring that workers in both the public and private sectors are not exploited during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of socio-legal inequality on women in the Nigerian domestic work sector

This article examines the impact of socio-legal inequality on the work conditions of female domestic workers in Nigeria. Domestic work is an important aspect of productive labour and an indispensable factor that contributes to the well-being of households and the economy. However, domestic workers face challenges that are multidimensional and gendered; they are often victims of physical and sexual abuse, and experience discrimination concerning pay, working conditions, and legal rights. These exploitations could be partly attributed to gaps in labour and social security regulations. Based on a survey conducted of 220 domestic workers from four geopolitical zones in Nigeria, this study provides a nuanced assessment of the manifestations of inequality in the domestic work sector. Although the working conditions of Nigerian domestic workers are objectionable and exploitative, this study finds that conditions of work for female domestic workers are even more precarious.

Nigerian resident doctors' work schedule: A national study.

The deleterious effects of Resident Doctors' (RDs') long duty hours are well documented. Driven by concerns over the physician's well-being and patient safety, the RDs' duty hours in many developed countries have been capped. However, in Nigeria and many African countries, there are no official regulations on work hours of RDs. This study evaluated the work schedule of Nigerian RDs and its impact on their wellbeing and patient safety. A national survey of 1105 Nigerian RDs from all specialties in 59 training institutions was conducted. With an electronic questionnaire designed using Google Forms, data on the work activities of RDs were obtained and analyzed using the IBM SPSS software version 24. The associations were compared using Chi-squared test with the level of significance set at < 0.05. The mean weekly duty hours (h) of the RDs was 106.5 ± 50.4. Surgical residents worked significantly longer hours than non-surgical residents (122.7 ± 34.2 h vs 100.0 ± 43.9 h; P < 0.001). The modal on-call frequency was two weekday on-calls per week (474, 42.9%) and two weekend on-calls per month (495, 44.8%), with the majority of RDs working continuously for up to 24 hours during weekday on-calls (854, 77.3%) and 48-72 hours during weekend on-calls (568, 51.4%), sleeping for an average of only four hours during these on-calls. The majority of RDs had post-call clinical responsibilities (975, 88.2%) and desired official regulation of duty hours (1,031, 93.3%). The duty hours of Nigerian RDs are currently long and unregulated. There is an urgent need to regulate them for patient and physician safety.

Encounters with Xenophobia: Language Learning Experiences of Cameroonian and Nigerian Migrants in South Africa

This article focuses on the fraught relation between xenophobia and language use and learning in the South African sociolinguistic context. It begins with the issue of labelling and the linguistic drawing of boundaries that speak to the phenomena of “othering” and xenophobia. It then proceeds to aspects of diasporic communication and identity negotiation as revealed in language learning, language crossing, and translanguaging in this fraught context. The article draws on two ongoing case studies of selected language practices and choices of Cameroonian migrants and Nigerian returnees. The research on Cameroonians was conducted in Cape Town while the Nigerian work involved preliminary interviews with, and observations of, Igbo returnees from South Africa in Igboland. The nature of xenophobic manifestations in South Africa may appear to be aimed at silencing the “other.” Yet some syntheses are possible, as evident in some acts of language learning and translanguaging that are presented in the article, especially among the Igbo returnees to Nigeria.

Review of Varied Perceptions of Sexual Harassment and Its Implication in the Workplace

This paper reviewed the perception of sexual harassment of employees in the work environment. It examined the nature of sexual harassment, its causes and its implication on the Nigerian worker. A review of related works of literature on the topic under study was done and the paper shows that workplace sexual harassment is a social problem that depends on gender, context and perceived ideology. It also buttressed that apart from the social and political factors that make women more vulnerable to sexual harassment than men, cultural factors play a prominent role. The researchers recommend among other things that psychological dynamics underlying the perception of sexual harassment should be examined critically by researchers, in order to be able to identify harassment that is just a figment of the perceiver’s imagination and actual sexual harassment. Also, victims of sexual harassment should be protected by stringent legislation to deter any harasser in the workplace, and there should be a forum for victims to report and voice out their grievances.

THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYEE NEEDS IDENTIFICATION ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY IN SELECTED TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES IN SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

A significant challenge in the Nigerian work environment is the challenge of productivity. This challenge has been attributed to a long-held emphasis on training which is concerned with the immediate benefit of the organisation. This study examined the effect of employee needs identification on employee productivity measured how far the Nigerian corporate world has adjusted to this trend. The scope of the survey cut across the Nigerian telecommunication companies. Specifically, the objective of the study was to determine how the employee needs identification impacts employee productivity variables (employee problem-solving skills, employee effectiveness, employee efficiency, and employee innovation and creativity). The population of the study consists of all employees who are engaged in the operations of the three main mobile service providers in Lagos State, Nigeria which was a total of 359. The sample size of 359 was arrived at using a census approach because the population of all the three firms’ customer service centres and the total number of employees of their customer service centres are within the Lagos geographical location. The study adopted the survey research design to generate findings from quantitative data. Results were analysed with structural equation modelling with Path coefficients, and Statistics used to measure the variables. From the study’s findings, variables measured had a high effect on each other, with employee needs identification directly and significantly influencing employee productivity. It was recommended that management must assess the learning requirements of individual employees and cater for their learning needs in order to have a more productive workforce

Housing Affordability among Civil Servants in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Housing has been acknowledged generally as a key human necessity. One of its problems may be claimed that it is not affordable for the ordinary Nigerian worker, whose earnings and wages are now strongly depressed and unable to fulfill their fundamental necessities. From the perspective of the above, this study studied the affordability of government workers in the State of Ekiti, Nigeria. Purposive method of sampling was used to sample two government agencies and parastatals. A total of One Hundred and Twenty Six (126) government officials were picked. 94 questionnaires were retrieved. The questionnaire was used to collect the information required and analysed by descriptive and medium item score statistics. The findings indicated that government employees in Ekiti State could, on average, afford to pay rental housing since most employees spend less than 30 per cent of their yearly salary on rentals, especially in the medium and high income categories. In the study, public and private engagements were proposed, leading to affordable and sustainable state housing delivery. Keywords: Housing, Civil Servant, Affordable, Rent, Ekiti State.

SUSTAINING INNOVATIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN ACHIEVING ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

Business organisations are facing the challenges of innovative adaptation in human resource management in Nigeria. The study aims at highlighting the various areas of conscious alignment of human resource management to the ever changing technology in the Nigerian work environment as a boast to achieving organizational productivity. Data used for the research were secondary and primary. In a field research of Petterson Group Ltd, an Onitsha based human resource consultancy firm, a likert structured questionnaire containing eight (8) items were designed and administered on the management staff. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation. Hypotheses were tested using Z-test in the SPSS software. Findings reveal that functional areas of human resources; recruitment, training and development as well as salary and wage administration are experiencing noticeable innovations. It is recommended that close cooperation between employers and relevant agencies and organs of government will go a long way in facilitating effective implementation of statutory innovations and reforms like in the areas of contributory pension scheme, monetization, minimum wage, etc.&#x0D; Keywords: Innovation, Human Resource Management, Organizational Productivity.

Differences in psychosocial impact of lockdown and life satisfaction among Nigerian working adults during Covid-19

This study assessed differences in the psychosocial impact of lockdown and life satisfaction among Nigerian working adults during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study was hinged on the social stress theory. Five hundred and eighteen (518) Nigerian working adults participated in the study using a convenience sampling technique. Two sets of questionnaires were the main instruments of data collection and were complemented by in-depth interview. Quantitative data collected were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, while the qualitative data was thematically analyzed. Findings revealed, amongst others, that livelihood activities of working adults in Nigeria were significantly affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. Working adults who lost jobs during Covid-19 lockdown reported a higher psychosocial impact of the lockdown compared to those who stopped working, worked at home and those who worked at the office during the Covid-19 lockdown in the country. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others, that there is a need for concerted efforts by stakeholders in the country to provide enabling environment for working adults to recover and sustainably return to reasonable livelihood from the shocks occasioned by Covid-19 pandemic.

Is the signature pedagogy still worthwhile? An empirical study of field practice experience among social work students in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The ability of social work education to graduate ethical, competent, innovative, effective social workers is highly reliant on the quality of the field experience. The focus of this study, therefore, is to share the reflections of Nigerian social work students about their field practice education and training. Semi-structured interview schedule based on one-on-one interviews was conducted among graduating social work students in one major university in southern Nigeria. Following the qualitative data analysis, findings illustrate that the students, while having a sense of fulfillment and pride in the profession as a result of the fieldwork education, encountered several challenges. Although involving a cohort of social work students, the findings of this study may have broader implications for social work education across the country. Consequently, suggestions are offered to social work educators, as conveyors of social work knowledge, skills, and values, to ensure that students undergo a memorable and hitch-free practicum education.

The experiences of work-life balance, stress, and coping lifestyles of female professionals: insights from a developing country

PurposeGiven the limiting conditions of the gender roles confronting professional working women and drawing on spillover theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of work-life balance with an emphasis on the causes of the imbalances, perceived stress, and coping techniques experienced by female medical doctors in an African context – Nigeria, a geographical location that is considered under-researched.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative data is based on one-to-one in-depth interviews with 52 Nigerian female medical doctors.FindingsBased on the findings of the thematic analysis, it is clear that time squeeze, as a well-known factor in the medical profession, exacerbates negative work-home interference. However, other themes, such as patriarchal proclivities and task-pay disparity, that affect female doctors but are rarely considered in studies on work-life balance also emerged as sources of stress and work-family conflicts, leaving these doctors to devise individual coping methods as mitigating strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe study relies on a limited qualitative sample size, which makes the generalisation of findings difficult. However, the study contributes to the limited literature on the implications of stress and work-family incompatibilities facing women in a society that is not particularly egalitarian, with an extremely pronounced culture of masculine hegemony that is contrary to western cultures. The article unveils the socio-cultural difficulties of the work-life demands facing women specific to the Nigerian society and experienced with a different level of intensity.Originality/valueThe majority of the research on work-life balance has been undertaken in western countries and has focused on various professional groups and organisations, including the health sector. Nevertheless, work-life balance is a novel concept within the Nigerian work environment, where female medical doctors, as a professional group, are rarely studied. The article also provides valuable insights into the macro-contextual features influencing the work-life balance of Nigerian professional women.