Excess Workload and Academic Staff Job Performance in Universities: The Mediating Role of Management Intervention

Abstract

Significant differences in academic staff job performance in universities have been a concern to university regulators and other relevant stakeholders. A notable concern has been the increasing work demands. This study investigated excess workload and its effect on academic staff job performance in Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for this study in State-owned universities operating in Southwest Nigeria. The total population of academic staff in the selected universities was 3475, and 514 were sampled, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was carried out with specific inferential means. The results from the regression analysis revealed that excess workload had a significant relationship with research output (P=0.858) and teaching effectiveness (P=1.062). Furthermore, management intervention mediates the relationship between excess workload and research outputs (P=0.648), while management intervention mediates the relationship between excess workload and teaching effectiveness (P=0.322). The study concluded that excess workload had a significant effect on academic staff job performance. At the same time, management intervention ameliorated the negative effect of excess workload on academic staff job performance in the studied area. The study recommended that university regulators and administrators should intervene and support programs that will reduce excess workload and keep to an ideal lecturer-student ratio, as well as teaching workload, to give room for research and increase research outputs in Nigerian Universities.