The Link between Managerialist Employment Relations and Work-Life Imbalance: The Experience of Nigerian Banking Sector’s Workers

Abstract

Work-life balance concept is increasingly generating scholarly attention and undergoing enrichment process. In continuing this prominence, this current study incorporates the interface of managerialist employment relations practice, which can trigger work-life imbalance among employees. The study context is Nigeria, which has a history of a troubled employment relations (ERs) and human resource management (HRM) practice that includes but not limited to issues of work-overload, long hours of work, working on weekends and bank holidays, which are considered managerialist-oriented agenda that overly prioritises shareholder’s profit maximisations and often compromise WLB effort. This approach to ERs and HRM practices trigger challenges of WLB – leading to work-life imbalance among workers. This phenomenon is further exacerbated due to economic hardship, declining employment opportunity and servant-master relationship and culture of respect for superiors, which employers capitalise on to exploit workers – and thus compromising their work and life balance. To support this contention, the study employs a thematic analysis of data from 32 employees across 4 banking firms. Findings of the investigation and scope for further research will be presented following empirical data presentation and analysis.