Workplace Diversity Management and Employee Engagement in the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the relationship between workplace diversity management and employee engagement. The 
objectives of the study are to determine the relationship between recruitment of diverse employee, policy of 
diversity and inclusiveness and cross-cultural diversity training. This study adopted a survey research 
instrument through the administration of questionnaires to 320 staff of Shell Petroleum Development Company 
(SPDC) in their Swamp locations in Delta and Bayelsa States of Southern Nigeria. The data for the study were 
analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression technique. The regression results 
that recruitment of diverse employee has a significant and positive relationship with employee engagement at 
1% level of significance, policy of diversity and inclusiveness has no significant and negative relationship with 
employee engagement at p-value > 0.05, and cross-cultural diversity training has a negative and no significant 
relationship with employee engagement at p-value > 0.05. The study recommended that management of Shell 
Petroleum Development Company should strategically consider recruitment of diverse employee as a vital 
workplace diversity management component that would strongly improve on employee engagement.