Psychological Safety and Employee Performance of Non-Academic Staff in State-Owned Universities in Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between psychological safety and employee performance of non-academic staff in state-owned universities in Rivers State. The dimensions of psychological safety were inclusion safety and contributor safety, while employee performance was measured in terms of task performance and contextual performance. The study adopted the cross-sectional research survey design. Primary data were generated through a structured questionnaire administered to non-academic staff of two Rivers State-owned universities. The population for the study was 1,470 non-academic staff, and a sample of 314 respondents was determined using the Taro Yamane's formula for sample size determination. Of the 314 copies of the questionnaire administered, 288 were duly completed, returned and found usable, and these formed the basis of the data analysis. The reliability of the instrument was achieved through the use of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient, with all items scoring above 0.70. The hypotheses were tested using the Spearman's Rank Order Correlation coefficient at a 0.05 level of significance and a 95% confidence interval, with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed a strong, positive and significant relationship between inclusion safety and employee performance, and between contributor safety and employee performance, of non-academic staff in state-owned universities in Rivers State. The study therefore concludes that psychological safety significantly enhances employee performance in state-owned universities in Rivers State. This implies that when non-academic staff feel safe to be included and to contribute their views without fear of negative consequences, they are more likely to perform effectively both in their formal task requirements and in the discretionary, extra-role activities that support the university's overall functioning. The study recommends that the management of state-owned universities in Rivers State should institutionalise practices that promote inclusion safety, such as ensuring that diverse voices are genuinely heard in departmental decision-making, and should actively encourage contributor safety by protecting staff from ridicule or retaliation when they raise concerns, ask questions or propose new ideas.