THE EFFECTS OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE IN WORKPLACES: A STUDY OF UNIVERSITIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

Joseph Ebareotu Odogwu, AU Nkemdili Nnonyelu (PhD)

Abstract


Religion has been a critical and indispensable factor in human existence. It is one of the most important forces shaping human behaviours in all spheres of life including the workplace. Historically, numerous scholars have interrogated the influence of religion across several aspects of human life, however, the question of how religion as an institutionalised system of belief and practices (RBP) exert significant effect on employees’ performance has not been a topic of focused research especially in Nigeria. This study attempted to fill this gap by examining the effects of religious belief and practices on employees’ performance in universities in South – South, Nigeria. The cross – sectional survey design was adopted in the study. There were 879 study participants comprising academic and non-academic staff selected through the multi stage sampling technique across four universities in the south-south region. The structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Software for Statistics and Data Science (STATA 13.0). The findings revealed that religious belief and practices significantly affect employees’ performance in universities in south – south, Nigeria ((F=1, 877 = 55.63; Prob. > F = 0.0000< 0.05). Also, the t-value of RBP (t= 7.46; P>/t/ = 0.0000 < 0.005) showed that there is significant positive relationship between RBP and employees’ performance. The study concludes that RBP has the potential to enhance employees’ performance by providing a religious endorsement for the value of work. Therefore, there is need for Management to recognise RBP as vital human resources to be carefully managed to the advantage of work settings.


Keywords


Religious Belief and Practices, Employees’ Performance, Universities, Effect, South-South

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