EFFECT OF WORK LIFE BALANCE ON STAFF PERFORMANCE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA, FCT, NIGERIA

Abstract

The rising pressure linked to academic responsibilities, administrative demands and employee welfare challenges in Nigerian public universities had raised concerns about staff productivity and service delivery efficiency hence the need to examine how work-life balance influenced staff performance in the University of Abuja, FCT, Nigeria. The main purpose of the study was to find out the effect of work life balance on staff performance in the University of Abuja, the study specifically examined flexible work arrangement and workload management as the dimensions of work life balance and employee productivity and service delivery efficiency as the dimensions of staff performance. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. The population of the study comprised of 2452 academic and non-academic staff of the University of Abuja. A sample size of 402 respondents was obtained using the Krejcie and Morgan statistical table with a margin of safety of 20%. The stratified sampling technique was employed to ensure adequate representation of the academic and non-academic staff cadres. Data were collected through primary data by using a structured questionnaire and data analysis was performed using regression analysis with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 27). The findings revealed that flexible work arrangement had significant positive effect on employee productivity and workload management had significant influence on service delivery efficiency in University of Abuja. The study concluded that the supportive work structures and balanced workload systems were important in enhancing staff effectiveness and institutional performance. The study recommended that the university management should improve flexible work policies and effective workload management practices to improve productivity and service delivery efficiency among staff.