The Challenges of Employee Wellbeing in Nigeria: The Impact of Digital Integration and Culture of Servant–Master Work Relationships

The concept of wellbeing at work is increasingly being debated among scholars and practitioners, due to the role the practice is assumed to play in achieving short- and long-term organisational sustainability. However, the contours of employee wellbeing require further scrutiny, particularly in developing economies, where emerging technologies and fierce market competition combine with the cultural-environmental dynamic to put severe pressure on the workforce. Against this backdrop, this current study explores the wellbeing outlook of Nigeria’s bank workers in the era of digital work integration. Using the thematic analytical procedure (TAP), the study analyses 36 empirical data from employees across five Nigerian banks. Broadly, the study teases out how digital work integration that is enmeshed in the servant–master relationship (which is pervasive in high-power distance cultures) can implicate health and wellbeing challenges for employees. The servant–master relationship that permeates the Nigerian workplace makes it nearly impossible for employees to engage their employers against the work excesses that are associated with digital integration, which consequently exacerbate their stress levels and challenge their overall wellbeing. The theme of “digitalisation of work and employee wellbeing challenges” captures the study’s findings, which manifest via subthemes of “digitalised culture of servant–master work process”, “work overload and exploitation”, and “limited work dialogue and engagement”. The implications and direction for future studies on this topic are discussed.