References

BJAR

British Journal of Advanced Research

BJAR

3153-709X

Ivory and Finch Publishers

10.68263/BJAR-TNXM2C2D

BJAR_JUL_26_009

Original Research Article

WORK LIFE BALANCE AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT OF FEMALE MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Arome Baba

Samuel

Department of Business Administration and Management, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Nigeria. sbaba@fpno.edu.ng NKANTA,

INYENE

University of the West of Scotland ISOBOMUWA IGHODARO

JAVIS

Ulster University CHINEDU AGU

PAUL

https://orcid.org/https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6090-3525

Department of Business Administration and Management, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Nigeria

18 08 2026

1 2

The study investigated the correlation between work-life balance and employee engagement of female medical professionals in South-East Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the influence of flexible work arrangements, work-family conflict and organizational support on employee engagement. The approach of the research was quantitative research and the type of design used was cross sectional survey. The study population included 3,860 registered female health workers in selected Tertiary and Secondary Health Care facilities in the five South-East States of Nigeria. A sample size of 362 was determined using the Taro Yamane formula and 348 questionnaires were returned and analysed. A structured questionnaire with the Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient value between 0.82 and 0.88 was used to collect information which was also expert validated. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis with the aid of SPSS Version 29 at the 0.05 level of significance. Flexible work arrangements were shown to significantly positively affect employee engagement (β = .341, *p* < .001) while work-family conflict was shown to significantly negatively affect employee engagement (β = –.274, *p* < .001). The strongest predictor of employee engagement was organizational support (β = .462, *p* < .001). In addition, the regression model significantly accounted for 67.9% of the variance in employee engagement (R2 = .679), thus the regression model showed that work-life balance is a significant predictor of the engagement of female medical practitioners. The research ended with the conclusion that work-life balance fostering measures are crucial for employees' engagement in healthcare organizations. It suggested that hospital management be more flexible with work arrangements to minimize work-family conflict, supportive policies and employee wellness initiatives, and organizational support through family-friendly programs, supervisor support and career development to increase employee engagement and healthcare service provision.

Work-life balance Employee engagement Flexible work arrangements Work-family conflict Organizational support Female medical practitioners South-East Nigeria.

28 07 2026 31 07 2026

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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