Abstract

Employee skills, remuneration and workplace environment have been suggested as critical factors that significantly affect the performance of employees especially in public sectors of an economy. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the effect of work environment on performance of employees of public sector organization in the Nigerian economy with focus on the five States of Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo that make up South-East Nigeria. The methodology adopted by this study comprised sample survey and semi-structured oral interviews. The population for the study was 3,841 drawn from five public sector organizations from these five States. From this population, a sample of 384 was drawn to form the target respondents for the study using Cochran’s statistical technique. These respondents were selected by use of simple stratified random sampling technique. In the sample survey, a set of research questionnaire that consisted partly of 18 close-ended items set on 5-point Likert-type scale was used to collect data from the respondents. The said questionnaire was piloted at two institutions and validated by experts. The results of a reliability test conducted on the questionnaire showed a Cronbach’s Alpha index of 0.84. Descriptive statistics comprising frequencies and percentages displayed in tables. Inferential statistics known as Multiple Regression Analysis was used to test the three hypotheses of the study. The findings showed that physical workplace factors had significant negative effect on the performance of employees in public sector organizations; psychosocial workplace factors caused significant decline in the performance of public sector; and work-life balance factors hindered the performance of public sector employees. The study recommended that stakeholders in the Nigerian public sector should strive to put in place entirely new ergonomic measures in the furniture, lighting and ventilation. Psychosocial measures, flexi-hours, reduction of strains and stress associated with work-family conflicts.