Whenever the Clarion Call, Whatever the Time, You Shall Work: Work-Life Balance in the Nigerian Army

Despite the numerous existing works of literature on work-life balance (WLB) in Western countries, there are yet to be sufficient studies that explore the countries in the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region. This paper purposed to explore the dynamic roles of organisational culture (OC) on WLB practices while examining the implications of workplace expectations and workplace support within the Nigerian army. The study employs the use of qualitative data generated from 10 semi-structured interviews and 100 open-ended questionnaire responses extracted from members of the Nigerian army across the country’s six geo-political zones aimed at investigating the various roles of OC in the context of WLB. The findings reveal that workplace expectations characterised by long working hours, a required physical presence at work, and deployment and relocation adversely affected the actualisation of WLB, while an unsupportive OC led to work-life conflict (WLC) among the service members. Working for longer hours was revealed to be one of the prevalent organisational culture, likewise workplace inflexibility. The study explores the SSA region, which is yet to be given the needed attention as it pertains to the WLB of employees and specifically the military personnel. It reveals the need for HR to provide effective policies that bolster WLB practices taking into consideration the roles of institutional influences and OC.