An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Workforce Diversity on Employee Performance: A Case Study of Oil Servicing Companies (SME’s) in Port. Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study explored workforce diversity management and employees job performance in the oil and gas servicing SMEs in Port Harcourt Nigeria. With the objectives to investigate the manifestations of workforce diversity in oil and gas servicing companies in Nigeria, explore the effect of workforce diversity management on employees’ performance, examine the prospects and challenges of effective diversity management in the oil and gas servicing sector in Nigeria. Workforce diversity showcases the fact that there are different kinds of people and they differ in several ways both seen and unseen ranging from age, gender, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity, and culture. The study found that workforce diversity in the oil and gas SMEs in Port Harcourt manifests through; gender discrimination against woman, ethnic or tribal consideration in recruitment, placement and promotion, a dichotomy between degree holders and diploma holders like the Higher National Diploma (HND), a division between the contract staff and permanent staff. The study adopts a pragmatic philosophical orientation, with a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods. Data was collected through structured and semi-structure interviews. The study recommends among others; women involvement in the upstream, mainstream and downstream aspects of the oil and gas sector. This can be achieved by subjecting them to the relevant training and automating the operations in the sector as is obtainable in developed countries, there is need to balance the disparity between degree and diploma holders in recruitment and promotion by ensuring that such exercise is based on performance. A periodic competence gap analysis will enable the employees know what the requirement for a certain position is; this will inspire the employees to seeks further certification or qualifications.