This study evaluates the effect of work-life balance on employee performance in the development consulting sector in Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional survey research design, and using a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique, collected data from a sample size of 395 respondents out of 28,590 staff of 1,906 firms, determined using the Taro Yamane formular. The scales in the questionnaire were content validated and has a high correlation coefficient of 0.98. The data collected were checked for normality using the Skewness and Kurtosis statistic; and subsequently analyzed using Multiple Regression analysis. The research findings reveal that some dimensions of work-life balance (Work Interference with Personal Life and Personal Life Interference with Work) had a positive effect on employee performance, while others (Work-Personal Life Enhancement and Work-Personal Life Constraint) had a negative effect on employee performance. These results are in line with the theoretical literature, particularly the Resource Drain Theory and Work-Family Enrichment Theory. It was therefore recommended that sustainable policies involving remote work, flexible physical work hours, and capacity building on managing job stress within a competitive environment, among others will improve work-life balance and ensure that institutional memory stays in-country, leading to more sustainable outcomes for Nigerian communities. This study also lends strong evidence to the inclusion of the dimension of “Work-Personal Life Constraint” when adapting instrument scales in the measurement and examination of work-life balance, in relation to the Resource Drain Theory.
Keywords: Employee Performance, development consulting sector, work-life balance
