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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The nature of work has changed considerably over the last few decades, with rising job demands, longer working hours and constant connectivity increasingly encroaching on employees’ personal lives. This tension between professional obligations and personal or family responsibilities is what the literature refers to as work-life balance (WLB), commonly understood as the degree to which an individual’s work and non-work roles are compatible and mutually supportive (Rahman, 2019, as cited in Ndubueze, 2024). Two theoretical positions have shaped scholarly understanding of this tension. Greenhaus and Beutell’s (1985) work-family conflict theory holds that participation in the work role and the family role can be mutually incompatible in ways that generate strain, while Clark’s (2000) work/family border theory instead views individuals as daily border-crossers who manage and negotiate boundaries between the domains of work and home; the ease of this negotiation, Clark argues, shapes how balanced an individual ultimately feels.
Nowhere is this tension more pronounced than in the oil and gas industry, which is characterised by demanding schedules, remote field postings, shift rotations and high-pressure operational environments. Empirical evidence from Nigeria’s oil and gas sector links work-life balance directly to productivity outcomes. Bienwi-Patrick, Onuoha and Eke (2020) found a significant relationship between work-life balance and employee performance among oil and gas firms in Nigeria, while Othetheaso and Arubayi (2022), studying employees of NNPC, WRPC, PPMC and NGC in Delta State, found that work-life balance dimensions such as job security, reward and recognition, career growth plans, open communication and participation in decision-making were all significantly and positively related to employee productivity. More recently, Ndubueze (2024) examined work-life balance among female employees in the Nigerian oil and gas sector and reported that organisational work-life balance initiatives meaningfully shape employee engagement and, by extension, productive behaviour at work.
Seplat Energy Plc, a leading indigenous Nigerian independent energy company with operations spanning oil and gas production, processing and power generation, states that it regards work-life balance as central to employee engagement and reports investing in initiatives such as an Employee Assistance Programme, on-site fitness facilities and premium healthcare provision for staff and their dependants (Seplat Energy, n.d.). At the same time, employee-generated reviews of the company describe a demanding, high-pressure work culture alongside these welfare initiatives, with the company receiving a moderate rating of 3.8 out of 5 for work-life balance on Glassdoor (Glassdoor, n.d.) and mixed employee commentary on platforms such as Indeed regarding workload and scheduling pressure (Indeed, n.d.). This apparent tension between formally stated work-life balance commitments and the operational realities reported by employees provides the motivation for this study, which examines the relationship between work-life balance policies and employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Nigerian oil and gas companies increasingly recognise, at least on paper, that employee welfare and productivity are linked, and many, including Seplat Energy, have introduced formal work-life balance policies such as wellness programmes, healthcare provision and employee assistance schemes. However, the sector remains defined by long working hours, frequent travel, field rotations and high-pressure delivery timelines, conditions that employee reviews of Seplat Energy itself describe as demanding despite the presence of these welfare initiatives (Indeed, n.d.; Glassdoor, n.d.). Where such a gap exists between stated policy and lived work experience, employee productivity may suffer through fatigue, stress, disengagement or turnover intention, even in a company that has invested in work-life balance programmes.
While a number of studies have examined the relationship between work-life balance and productivity or performance among Nigerian oil and gas employees generally (Bienwi-Patrick et al., 2020; Othetheaso & Arubayi, 2022), these studies have concentrated on state-owned entities such as NNPC and its subsidiaries, with comparatively little empirical attention paid to indigenous, publicly listed independent energy companies such as Seplat Energy Plc, whose organisational structure, workforce composition and specific welfare policies differ from those of the state-owned firms previously studied. Consequently, it remains unclear which specific work-life balance policies most strongly influence employee productivity within a company such as Seplat Energy. It is this gap that the present study seeks to fill.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The broad objective of this study is to examine the relationship between work-life balance policies and employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc. The specific objectives are to:
- examine the effect of flexible work arrangements on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc;
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determine the effect of leave policies on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc;
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assess the effect of employee wellness and assistance programmes on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc; and
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evaluate the effect of workload management practices on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc.
1.4 Research Questions
The study is guided by the following research questions:
- What effect do flexible work arrangements have on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc?
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What effect do leave policies have on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc?
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What effect do employee wellness and assistance programmes have on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc?
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What effect do workload management practices have on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses are formulated to guide the study:
Ho1: Flexible work arrangements have no significant effect on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc.
Ho2: Leave policies have no significant effect on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc.
Ho3: Employee wellness and assistance programmes have no significant effect on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc.
Ho4: Workload management practices have no significant effect on employee productivity at Seplat Energy Plc.
1.6 Significance of the Study
Theoretically, the study extends the application of work-family conflict theory (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) and work/family border theory (Clark, 2000) to Nigeria’s indigenous oil and gas sector, complementing existing evidence drawn largely from state-owned entities (Bienwi-Patrick et al., 2020; Othetheaso & Arubayi, 2022) with firm-specific evidence from a publicly listed independent energy company.
Practically, the findings will assist the management of Seplat Energy Plc in identifying which work-life balance policies most strongly influence productivity, thereby guiding the allocation of resources toward the most impactful welfare initiatives. Human resource practitioners across the wider oil and gas industry, and regulators such as the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, may also draw on the findings when developing or reviewing workforce welfare guidelines. Employees stand to benefit indirectly through improved policy design, while the study will further serve as a reference for future researchers examining work-life balance and productivity in Nigeria’s energy sector.
1.7 Scope of the Study
This study is delimited in content to work-life balance, measured through flexible work arrangements, leave policies, employee wellness and assistance programmes, and workload management practices, and employee productivity, measured from the perspective of staff of the case study organisation. Geographically, the study is confined to employees of Seplat Energy Plc, drawing respondents from its Lagos corporate headquarters and associated operational locations. The study is further limited to a defined recent period during which primary data will be collected through the administration of structured questionnaires, and does not extend to contractor or outsourced personnel who are not directly employed by the company.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Work-Life Balance: the degree to which an individual’s work role and personal or family role are compatible and mutually supportive, such that neither domain unduly compromises the other (Rahman, 2019, as cited in Ndubueze, 2024).
Employee Productivity: the measurable output, efficiency or effectiveness of an employee’s work performance relative to the resources and time expended in achieving it.
Flexible Work Arrangements: organisational practices that allow employees some discretion over when, where or how they perform their work, such as adjustable schedules or remote work options.
Leave Policy: an organisation’s formal rules governing paid or unpaid time away from work, including annual, parental, sick and compassionate leave.
Employee Wellness and Assistance Programme: organisationally sponsored initiatives designed to support employees’ physical, mental and emotional well-being, such as counselling services, fitness facilities and healthcare provision.
Workload Management: the practices an organisation uses to plan, distribute and monitor the volume and pace of work assigned to employees so as to prevent excessive strain.
Work-Family Conflict: a form of inter-role conflict in which pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible in some respect (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985).
Border Theory: a theoretical perspective describing individuals as daily border-crossers who manage the boundaries between the work and home domains (Clark, 2000).
References
Bienwi-Patrick, L., Onuoha, B. C., & Eke, B. C. (2020). Worklife balance and employee performance in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. EPRA International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 6(9). https://doi.org/10.36713/epra5284
Clark, S. C. (2000). Work/family border theory: A new theory of work/family balance. Human Relations, 53(6), 747–770.
Glassdoor. (n.d.). Seplat Petroleum Development Company reviews. Retrieved August 2026, from https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Seplat-Petroleum-Development-Company-Reviews-E981865.htm
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76–88.
Indeed. (n.d.). Working at Seplat Petroleum Development: Employee reviews about work-life balance. Retrieved August 2026, from https://ng.indeed.com/cmp/Seplat-Petroleum-Development/reviews
Ndubueze, O. V. (2024). Female work-life balance and employee engagement in the Nigerian oil and gas sector. African Journal of Business and Economic Development, 4(10).
Othetheaso, E. O., & Arubayi, D. O. (2022). Work life balance and employees’ productivity in Nigeria: Evidence from selected publicly quoted oil and gas firms. International Journal of Advances in Engineering and Management, 4(12), 94–105.
Seplat Energy. (n.d.). Working life. Retrieved August 2026, from https://www.seplatenergy.com/careers/working-life/