Employee Flexibility and Work Quality in the Nigerian Manufacturing Sector: A Study of Some Selected Industries in Southwestern Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18800/360gestion.202510.013Keywords:
Employee flexibility, Work quality, Versatility, Multitasking, Quick response timeAbstract
The complexity of the contemporary work environment has compelled organizations to adopt flexible work arrangements to enhance employee performance and satisfaction. Accordingly, this paper examines the implementation of employee flexibility and its effect on work quality. Specifically, it explores the impact of versatility, multitasking, and rapid response time on work quality. A survey research design was employed, targeting a population of 1,621 employees from selected manufacturing industries in Southwestern Nigeria. A scientifically determined sample size of 318 participants was selected, and a structured questionnaire was administered to them. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings reveal that multitasking exerts the strongest influence on work quality, followed by quick response time and versatility. The study concludes that employee flexibility plays a critical role in enhancing work quality within the Nigerian manufacturing sector. It is therefore strongly recommended that managers in selected manufacturing industries in Southwestern Nigeria prioritize the adoption of key flexibility features—namely, quick response time, multitasking, and versatility—to achieve high work quality.
Downloads
References
Abiodun Solihu, A., Iyobhebhe, I., & Sam, A. S. K. (2023). The Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee Work Quality Improvement in Nigeria. European Journal of Human Resource, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.47672/ejh.1516
Akinwale, O. E., Kuye, O. L., & Akinwale, O. E. (2024). Predictors of workaholism and quality of work-life among information technology (IT) professionals in Nigeria: a dynamite promoting brain-drain albatross. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 32(9). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-05-2023-3772
Allen, T. D., Merlo, K., Lawrence, R. C., Slutsky, J., & Gray, C. E. (2021). Boundary management and work-nonwork balance while working from home. Applied Psychology, 70(1), 60-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12300
Almomani, I., & AlSarheed, A. (2016). Response time, waiting time and service quality in emergency department. International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences, 5(4), 68-74. http://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v9i3.20435
Alotaibi, T. S. (2023). Flexibility and Saudi Employees’ Perceptions of Job Satisfaction: A Multisector Study. Journal of East-West Business, 29(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/10669868.2022.2118926
Armstrong, M. (2016). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.). Kogan Page.
Austin-Egole, I. S., Iheriohanma, E. B. J., & Iheanacho, E. N. (2022). Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs) and Organizational Performance: An Overview. International Journal of Applied Research in Social Sciences, 4(4), 131–146. https://doi.org/10.51594/ijarss.v4i4.341
Baridula, V., & Adanma, M. (2021). FLEXIBLE WORK PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN NIGERIA. , 13-33. https://doi.org/10.46654/ij.24889849.s7457.
Becker, J. H., Alzahabi, R., & Hopwood, C. J. (2022). Physiological stress in response to multitasking and work interruptions: A study protocol. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0263785. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263785
Beutell, N. J. (2017). Work schedule, work schedule control and satisfaction in relation to work-family conflict, work-family synergy, and domain satisfaction. Career Development International, 15(5), 501-518.https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431011075358
Christian, M. S., Garza, A. S., & Slaughter, J. E. (2018). Work engagement: A quantitative review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 89-136.
Considine, J., Botti, M., & Thomas, S. (2017). Do knowledge and experience have specific roles in triage decision-making? Academic Emergency Medicine, 14(8), 722-726. https://doi.org/10.1197/j.aem.2007.04.015
de Menezes, L. M., & Kelliher, C. (2018). Flexible working and performance: A systematic review of the evidence for a business case. International Journal of Management Reviews, 13(4), 452-474. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00301.x
Godinho Filho, M., & Veloso, F. M. (2018). A comparative analysis between the quick response manufacturing and time-based competition methodologies. Brazilian Journal of Operations & Production Management, 14(3), 414-427. https://doi.org/10.14488/BJOPM.2017.v14.n3.a14
Golden, T. D., & Gajendran, R. S. (2019). Unpacking the role of a telecommuter’s job in their performance: Examining job complexity, problem solving, interdependence, and social support. Journal of Business and Psychology, 34(1), 55-69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-018-9530-4
Joyce, K., Pabayo, R., Critchley, J. A., & Bambra, C. (2017). Flexible working conditions and their effects on employee health and wellbeing. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2), CD008009.https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD008009.pub2
Kahn, W. A., & Heaphy, E. D. (2019). Relational contexts of personal engagement at work. In C. Truss, R. Delbridge, K. Alfes, A. Shantz, & E. Soane (Eds.), Employee Engagement in Theory and Practice (pp. 82-96). Routledge.
Goes, P. B., Ilk, N., Lin, M., & Zhao, J. L. (2018). When More Is Less: Field Evidence on Unintended Consequences of Multitasking. Management Science, 64(7), 3033–3054. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48748178
Martel, J. P., & Dupuis, G. (2016). Quality of work life: Theoretical and methodological problems, and presentation of a new model and measuring instrument. Social Indicators Research, 77(2), 333-368.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-5368-4
Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2019). Human Resource Management (14th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Rubinstein, J. S., Meyer, D. E., & Evans, J. E. (2001). Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27(4), 763–797. https://doi.org/10.1037/0096-1523.27.4.763
Ogakwu, N. V., Ede, M. O., Manafa, I. F., Okeke, C. I., & Onah, S. O. (2024). Quality of Work-Life and Stress Management in a Rural Sample of Primary School Teachers: An Intervention Study. Journal of Rational - Emotive and Cognitive - Behavior Therapy, 42(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-022-00494-8
Okolie, U. C., Mukoro, A., & Otite, A. (2023). Work-life balance policy and practice in Nigeria. Journal of Social Studies (JSS), 19(1). https://doi.org/10.21831/jss.v19i1.58628
Paridon, H. M., & Kaufmann, M. (2010). Multitasking in work-related situations and its relevance for occupational health and safety: Effects on performance, subjective strain and physiological parameters. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 6(4), 110-124. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v6i4.226
Pradipta, H. A., & Martdianty, F. . (2023). Effect of Flexible Working Arrangement on Employee Performance: Mediating Role of Work Engagement and Supervisor Support in Indonesia Digital Startup. Jurnal Aplikasi Bisnis Dan Manajemen, 9(2), 512. https://doi.org/10.17358/jabm.9.2.512
Prudenzi, A., Gill, K., MacArthur, M., Hastings, O., Moukhtarian, T., Jadhakhan, F., Patel, K., Kershaw, C., Norton-Brown, E., Johnston, N., Daly, G., Russell, S., Thomson, L., Munir, F., Blake, H., Meyer, C., & Marwaha, S. (2024). Supporting employers and their employees with mental health conditions to remain engaged and productive at work (MENTOR): A feasibility randomised controlled trial. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.100720
Raess, D., & Burgoon, B. (2015). Flexible work and immigration in Europe. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 53(1), 94-111.
Shagvaliyeva, S., & Yazdanifard, R. (2019). Impact of flexible working hours on work-life balance. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 4(1), 20-23.
Teborg, S., Hünefeld, L., & Gerdes, T. S. (2024). Exploring the working conditions of disabled employees: a scoping review. In Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology (Vol. 19, Issue 1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12995-023-00397-z
Tretiakov, A., Jurado, T., & Bensemann, J. (2023). Employee Empowerment and HR Flexibility in Information Technology SMEs. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 63(6). https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2022.2158962
