American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 152 | P a g e WORK LIFE BALANCE AND EMPLOYEE’S PERFORMANCE IN TELECOMMUNICATION FIRMS IN ENUGU STATE. Onyema Chidozie Nwabueze, Prof. N. M. Ile Ph.D. and Onyia Charles Nnandi Department of Business Administration, Enugu state University of Science and Technology, Enugu State. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15026202 Abstract: The study evaluated the Work life balance ad employee’s performance in Telecommunication firms in Enugu State. Specifically, the objectives were to: examine the relationship between managing leisure time and employee punctuality and examine the relationship between stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms in Enugu state. The study used the descriptive survey design approach. The primary source of data was the administration of questionnaire. Total populations of 281employees were used. Two hundred and forty eight (248) returned the questionnaire and accurately filled. Data was presented and analyzed using Likert Scale and the hypotheses using Z - test. The findings indicated that Managing leisure time had significant positive relationship with employee punctuality Z (95, n= 248), 7.176 < 9.462, P.<.05 stress management had significant positive relationship with employee efficiency of telecommunication firms, Z(95,n= 248), 5.842 < 10.224, P.<.05. The study concluded that Managing leisure time and stress management had significant positive relationship with employee punctuality and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms. The study recommended among others that the management of telecommunication firms should be engaging in leisure activities to enhance the opportunity to find balance in life and allow taking control of how employees spend their time and helping to regulate the challenging demands of what life can throw at employees. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the study The actual term “work-life balance” first appears in the U.K. in the 80's as a plank in the Women's Liberation Movement. The movement advocated for flexible schedules and maternity leave for women. The Women's Liberation Movement of the 1980s brought work–life balance back to the forefront. Work-life balance is one of the prevailing issues in many organizations. Work-life balance aims at ensuring that the employees of an organization are able to divide their personal and professional life in a harmonious manner. The management of an organization needs to understand that developing and implementing policies under work-life balance, is a necessity in today’s scenario mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 153 | P a g e in order to increase productivity, enhancing educational standards as well as talent retention. Inability of workers to balance work and family could lead to increased rates of absenteeism, stress, employee turnover, job dissatisfaction and poor work performance. It is therefore essential for employees to maintain stability between work and their private lives (Akpa, Egbuta, Akinlabi & Magaji, 2019). Work-life balance studies the influence of work and family climate on the aspects of life, and it backs the efforts of the employees to divide their time and energy between work, family and the other aspects of their lives. In today’s world, most of the organizations have started introducing various policies in order to create a conducive working environment by means of flexible working hours and job sharing responsibilities (Neelima and Bhawani, 2019), which lead to self-management, employee effective communication, stress management, managing leisure time, and how to manage change in telecommunication firms in Enugu state. The telecommunication firms are one of the most human resource severe sectors, and employees stay in the firms for longer hours doing routine work, which could be highly tasking on their mental health. With the current state of the working world, the role of human resource in organizational development has begun to be taken more seriously. It has been realized that human resources are beyond just productive tools at work, but their effectiveness stretches to how well the other areas of their lives are. With work life balance, organisations can ensure that their human resources are well taken care of beyond just work but in other areas as well. It takes a holistic approach to life. This realization is based on the understanding that without people, (human resource), the organisations may not achieve its objectives (Siwale, Chrine, Crispin & Mwiikisa, 2021). Any imbalance between organizational commitment, personal commitments and inefficient management of life priorities can lead to serious consequences (Shobitha and Sudarsan, 2014). Employees’ performance, though a multidimensional construct, refers to a task accomplishment degree that constitutes their job performance. Similarly, Rizwan, Nazar, Nadeem & Abblas (2016) viewed employees’ performance in terms of their work quantity, quality and efficiency. It is also associated with productivity which implies output quantity, output quality, output timeliness, job presence, work morale, work efficiency and effectiveness. This is why Boarman and Motowidlo (2017) conceived employees’ performance as their effectiveness to perform their tasks that contributes to organizational core objectives through the conduciveness of their operating environment. As Samson, et al. (2015) rightly noted the imperativeness of employees’ performance for organizational existence cannot be overemphasized. It was based on these that necessitated study the effect of Worklife balance and employee performance of Telecommunication firms in Enugu, Enugu state. 1.2 Statement of Problem A healthy balance is meeting the deadlines at work while still having time for friends and hobbies, having enough time to sleep properly and eat well, not worrying about work when you are at home.Work life balance is a method which helps employees of an organization to balance their mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 154 | P a g e personal and professional lives. Work life balance encourages employees to divide their time on the basis on priorities and maintain a balance by devoting time to family, health, vacations etc. along with making a career, business travel etc. It helps to motivate the employees and increases their loyalty towards the organisation. This helps to increase productivity at workplace as the employee is relaxed about his personal commitments. While poor work-life balance is often caused by poor resource management, this is not always the case. Some businesses struggle with a culture that either rewards people for overworking or puts so much pressure on workers that they feel they must always be 'on. Addressing a toxic work culture is no easy task. However, the organizations have been facing a lot of challenges as a result of poor worklife balance. Instead of having time to recharge and rest, employees power through their to-do list. This leads to feelings of overwhelm and high stress levels, going on to contribute to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression over time as a result of poor managing leisure time and flexible work arrangement. The consequences of this if not tackled may lead to poor employee output and engagement in the organisation. Unmanaged stress can lead to decreased work performance, increased relationship strains and burnout. Based on this, the need to study Work life balance and employee’s performance in Telecommunication firms in Enugu State. 1.3 Objectives of the Study The main objective of the study was to evaluate Work life balance and employee’s performance in Telecommunication firms in Enugu State. Specifically, the objectives were to: i. Examine the relationship between managing leisure time and employee punctuality at work of telecommunication firms in Enugu state. ii. Examine the relationship between stress management and customer satisfaction of telecommunication firms in Enugu state. 1.4 Research questions The following research questions guided the study i. What is the relationship between managing leisure time and employee punctuality at work of telecommunication firms in Enugu state? ii. What is the relationship between stress management and customer satisfaction of telecommunication firms in Enugu state? 1.5 Statement of the Hypotheses The following hypotheses guided the study i. Managing leisure time has no relationship with employee punctuality at work of telecommunication firms in Enugu state. ii. Stress management has relationship no with customer satisfaction firms in Enugu state. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Conceptual Review 2.1.1 Work mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 155 | P a g e Work is the study of how people interact with their work environment. It includes everything from scheduling and assigning tasks to equipping and training employees for their jobs. The structured design of work processes is referred to as work organization. Work is the distribution and coordination of work tasks, skills and authority in an organization. Work in organization is the way that tasks are distributed amongst the individuals in an organization and the ways in which these tasks are then coordinated to achieve the final product or service (Berrell, 2021). Work includes measures and solutions that create and maintain expedient, economic and social conditions for cooperation within the company, (Leininger, 2023). The study maintains that work is using available resources and talent as efficiently as possible to achieve a result. 2.1.2 Life Life is defined as cells that self-replicate, metabolize, and are open for mutations, without which genetic information would remain unchangeable, and evolution would be impossible (Witzany, 2020). The crucial difference between life and non-life (or non-living things) is that life uses energy for physical and conscious development. Life is anything that grows and eventually dies, that is, ceases to proliferate and be cognizant. Life exists at many levels. Life is also a process through which energy and materials are transformed. The difference is that the process of life is intimately linked to story it contains, whereas non-life is indifferent to the story we impose upon it (Tom and Taylor, 2020). The study maintains that Life is the aspect of existence that processes, acts, reacts, evaluates, and evolves through growth (reproduction and metabolism). 2.1.3 Balance Balance refers to an individual’s ability to maintain their line of gravity within their base of support. It can also be described as the ability to maintain equilibrium, where equilibrium can be defined as any condition in which all acting forces are cancelled by each other resulting in a stable balanced system (Sullivan and Leslie, 2014). 2.1.4 Work-life balance Work-life balance is the ability to set equilibrium between professional and personal life. It is essential for higher productivity, lower absenteeism, and better physical and mental health. To be able to create a healthy balance between career, family, and leisure activities take effort (Shellye, 2022). Work-life balance is a key part of self-care when juggling the responsibilities of your workday, home life, and relationships with your family members and other loved ones (Wold, 2021). Work-life balance is a term that makes intuitive sense to many of us but can be elusive to achieve. We all know the feeling when demands are piling up on one side of the work-life scale and dominating our days. Work-life balance is often used to describe a trade-off. Employee balance the time spent on work projects versus time spent with family, friends, and personal interests. It can also refer to the level of flexibility team members feel they have. Work-life balance encompasses everything that goes into a well-lived life (Wolf, 2021). mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 156 | P a g e 2.1.5 Components of Work-life balance that formed part of the objectives of the study According to Rangel,(2023), work life balance include employees wide range of options, including flexible hours arrangement, remote work, Online work options, self management, managing change, leisure time, compressed workweeks. Also, Montenegro, (2016), posits that components of work life balance include: Self-management, Time Management, Stress management, managing change. Managing Technology and Managing Leisure Time. 2.1.5.1 Managing Leisure time The link between a predominantly autonomous use of time and the enjoyment of leisure time, possibilities, capacities, habits, and attitudes (personal, social, cultural) regarding time management are of special importance (Nuria and Castillo, 2023). Leisure activities refer to activities in which individuals participate in their free time outside of their mandatory time (such as work, class, and sleep). It is an action based on an open consciousness, free choice, and self-determination, and obtained from the improvement of the sense of implication and experience of the activities, such as reading, sports, climbing, social activities, chatting, or shopping (Gkiotsalitis and Stathopoulos, 2016). Leisure has the potential to promote well-being and health more than other areas of human activity. In this sense, it is important to promote the visibility of the incidence of leisure in general, leisure experiences and leisure activities, practicing from physical activity to cultural consumption, hobbies, music, sports, and intergenerational activities in the physical and mental health of people (of any age, social condition, cultural capital, and changing sociocultural and personal contexts) (Davidson, 2021). 2.1.5.2 Stress Management Stress is a mental and physical condition, which affects an individual’s productivity, effectiveness, personal health and quality of work. The harmful and costly consequences of stress demonstrated the need for strategies to limit stressors within the organization. Organizations that did not adopt strategies to manage and alleviate stress found their employees looking elsewhere for better opportunities (Adim, Ibekwe, and Odunayo, 2018). Stress is a universal and common challenge to organization and employee performance, it is the reality of modern day workplace. Employees working in different sectors and organizations have to deal with stress. Manufacturing firms’ workers are among the group of workers under a great deal of stress due to many antecedents of stress. Stress contributes to decreased organizational performance, decreased employee overall performance, high error rate and poor quality of work, high staff turnover, and absenteeism due to health problems such as anxiety, emotional disorder; work life imbalance; depression and other forms of ailments such as frequent headache; obesity and cardiac arrests (Ajayi, 2018). 2.1.6 Employee mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 157 | P a g e An employee is an individual who was hired by an employer to do a specific job. The employee is hired by the employer after an application and interview process results in his or her selection as an employee. This selection occurs after the applicant is found by the employer to be the most qualified of their applicants to do the job for which they are hiring (Heathfield, 2021). 2.1.7 Performance Performance is the completion of a task with the application of knowledge, skills, and abilities. In the workplace, performance or job performance means good ranking with the hypothesized conception of requirements of a task role, whereas citizenship performance implies a set of individual activity/contribution (prosocial organizational behavior) that supports the corporate culture. In the performing arts, a performance generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers present one or more works of art to an audience, (Winston; Charles; David, 2014). 2.1.8 Employee Performance Employee performance is defined as how an employee fulfills their job duties and executes their required tasks. It refers to the effectiveness, quality, and efficiency of their output (Ciner, 2019).Performance also contributes to our assessment of how valuable an employee is to the organization. Employee performance is the successful completion of tasks by a selected individual or individuals, as set and measured by a supervisor or organization, to predefined acceptable standards while efficiently and effectively utilizing available resource within a changing environment. In view of Deadrick and Gardner's (2017) points, employee performance could be defined as the record of outcomes achieved, for each job function, during a specified period of time, performance is represented as a distribution of outcomes achieved, and performance could be measured by using a variety of parameters which describe an employee's paten of performance over time. 2.1.9 Components of Employee Performance that formed part of the objectives of the study The components of performance under the study includes; employee turnover output ; clientele satisfaction; and efficiency. The components of performance (Sharlyn, 2017), were management involvement; goal setting; learning and development; feedback and coaching; and ongoing conversations (Sharlyn, 2017). Performance is the measure of standard or prescribed indicators of effectiveness, efficiency, and environmental responsibility such as cycle time, productivity, waste reduction, and regulatory compliance. (Alderfer, 2013). 2.1.9.1 Employee punctuality at work Punctuality is the ability to be prompt, attend appointments on time and submit your assignments by the deadline. In a professional environment, being punctual involves planning ahead and making arrangements to ensure that you can fulfill your obligations on a strict schedule. Punctuality at work informs many aspects of Executive Presence. Being on time helps you establish a good reputation and mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 158 | P a g e allow others to trust you. When you are punctual, your professional image appears polished and organized, rather than hurried and haphazard, (Peshev, 2023) 2.1.9.2 Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is a measure of how well a company’s products, services, and overall customer experience meet customer expectations. It reflects your business’ health by showing how well your products or services resonate with buyers. Customer satisfaction is a measure of how happy your customers are with your product or service. And for many businesses, it’s the difference between a success and a failure—no pressure, (Alaina, 2023). Customer satisfaction is a measurement of how happy customers are with a company's products and services. Customer satisfaction includes a customer's perceived quality, value and expectations of a company and what it offers. Companies use this data, which they can gather through methods like surveys and focus groups, to help them determine how they can improve their products or services to gain and keep more customers. This data also can reveal major insights into how customers relate to a brand and how they will interact with it in the future, (Indeed, 2022). 2.1.10 Conceptual Model of the study Fig: 2.1 Conceptual Model of the study HO1 HO2 Source: Researcher’s Model, 2024 Fig. 2.1 shows the linkages between the various components of Work life balance and employee performance. The aim of the diagram is to show how improvements in these work life balance components and variables translate into improvements in the employee efficiency of the selected telecommunication firms. The diagram shows that managing leisure time has a high chance of improving the employee punctuality of the telecommunication firms, thereby increasing productivity ratios and stress management on fulfilling the needs within the organization will lead to greater employee efficiency of the telecommunication firms. The end product of these will culminate in the improved organizational productivity within the telecommunication firms. 2.2 Theoretical Framework Independent Variable: Work life balance Independent Variable: Employee Performance Managing leisure time Employee punctuality at work Stress Management Customer satisfaction mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 159 | P a g e The study was anchored on Border Theory by Sue-Campbell Clark, (2000) because it explains how individuals manage and negotiate the work and family spheres and the borders between them in order to attain balance. Central to this theory is the idea that work and family, constitute different domains which influence each other. 2.2.1 Border Theory Border Theory was developed by Sue-Campbell Clark, in the year 2000. Clark (2000) described the ways and manner in which workers manage and draw boundaries between their work and family affairs so as to sustain a balance. It was noted by this theory that an employee’s life comprises of several facets and that they are interrelated with each other to the extent that if one suffers, the other will surely be affected. This theory also explained that in order for the aspects of an employee’s life not to suffer, boundaries must be managed properly, most especially between the work life and the personal life. As such, an appropriate stability should be maintained between an employee’s work and family life connections (Odita, 2023). Border theory considers the degree to which individuals are seen as integral members of their workplace communities as a critical indicator of the options and support they are likely to have in their efforts to maintain balance between the work and non-work spheres. It is on this premise that this study is anchored on Border Theory by Sue-Campbell Clark whose idea is based on the assumption that ‘work’ and ‘non-work’ are two separate domains but that they affect each other. 2.3 Empirical Review 2.3.1 Managing leisure time and employee punctuality at work Gholam, Tehrani, Nima, Mona, Azadeh & Elaheh (2013) conducted a study on leisure time management: A new approach toward employees. The study was conducted at Iran. The study sought to examine the effect of leisure time management on employees’ loyalty. The study employed Structural Equation Model (SEM). The total population of 248 employees was used. The finding showed that leisure time management has positive effects on employees’ work-role salience and their perception of management concern for employees, while these two later variables have positive effects on employees’ work-role salience. Odunayo (2022) conducted a study on effect of employee turnover on organization performance in the telecommunication industry in Nigeria. This study was carried at MTN Nigeria across five states. The population of the study comprised of 235 staff of MTN Nigeria operating in Oyo State; Kano state; Enugu state; River’s state and Ogun state. A total enumeration technique was used. A 6-point Likert type scale format questionnaire was used to collect primary data. A total of 235 copies of questionnaire were distributed to the employees of NCBs, of which 216 were found flawless to yield a response rate of almost 94%. A pilot study was conducted to test the questionnaire. The questionnaire had a Cronbach alpha coefficient range from0.751 to 0.873 suggesting that the instrument was mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 160 | P a g e reliable. Regression tests were applied to determine the contribution of each independent variable in organisational performance. The results show that employee turnover measures have significant effects on organisational performance. Besides this, all the independent variables have significant contributions in organisational performance. Odia & Onyeizugbe, (2023) conducted a study on the relationship between teleconferencing and performance of academic staff of universities in South-South region of Nigeria. The multi-stage sampling technique was employed in selecting the samples. The universities were the primary units with a population size of eighteen (18) universities, while the academic staff of the universities consist the secondary units (Mi) which vary from institution to institution, with a population of 12,158. The Cochran’s sample size determination method was used to select a sample size m = 384. The 384 academic staff was then proportionally allocated to the 18 universities using Bourley proportion allocation technique. The data for the study was collected via the quantitative method, using the questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed using google forms and distributed online (social media). The Median and the spearman’s correlation technique as nonparametric methods were used since the data generated failed to meet the assumption of normality. Results showed that there is a moderate positive relationship between teleconferencing and the innovative research output of academic staff of universities in South-South Nigeria. Madighi, Goodluck & Ugwu (2023) conducted a study on the relationship between organisational trust and employee affective work passion of telecommunication service distribution firms in Port Harcourt. The explanatory cross-sectional survey research design was adopted in this study. The population of this study consisted of 78 employees comprising 7 telecommunication service distribution firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. A sample size of 66 was adopted for the study using the Krejcie and Morgan Sample Size Determination Table of 1970. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, distributed after validation and reliability check. However, 59 copies of the instrument were retrieved. Hypotheses were tested using Spearman Rank Order Correlation with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25.0. The results showed a significant relationship between organisational trust and employee affective work passion (happiness, energy, and love) of telecommunication service distribution firms in Port Harcourt. Felix, Efebeh, Itedjere, Young, Ayegbunam & Chuks (2024) conducted a study on the relationship between change management process and organizational performance of selected telecommunication firms in Nigeria. Survey design was used and the sampling object comprised employees of MTN, GLO and Airtel; measures of change management process employed were prepare for change (PC), create a vision for change (CVC) and implement change (IC) (independent variables) on Organizational Performance (ORGP) (dependent variable). Questionnaire was obtained from respondents using five (5) Likert scale. Purposive sampling method was used to select a sample of seventy-five (75) employees out of which seventy-three (73) copies were returned and analyzed via descriptive and mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 161 | P a g e inferential statistical tools. Findings revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between PC and ORGP (0.048<0.05); there is a significant positive relationship between CVC and ORGP (0.000<0.05); and IC has a significant positive relationship with ORGP which is evident with the p- value (0.0038>0.05). The study concludes that change management has significant positive effect on organizational performance of selected telecommunication firms in Nigeria. 2.3.2 Stress management and customer satisfaction Wafula & Nyaboga, (2019), conducted a research on stress management and employee performance in Kisii University, Kenya. The purpose of the study is to investigate stress management and employee performance by use of psychotherapy as mitigation. Survey research design was used for the study. Purposive sampling, convenient sampling and census sampling was employed in this study. Both descriptive statistics and inferential were used to analyse data. The results indicated that work related stress positively correlated to the employee’s performance r =.429, P < .01. Stress coping strategies positively correlated to the employee’s performance r =.634, P < .01 level of significance. The study concluded that work related stress, causes of stress and stress coping strategies have effect on employee performance. The study recommended that there is need for university management to identify suitable stress coping strategies to help reduce stress employee work place stress. Ehsan, & Ali, (2019), conducted a research on impact of work stress on employee productivity: Based in the banking sector of Faisalabad, Pakistan. The study investigated the impact of work stress on employee productivity. The target populations comprised all employees from the five to six bank of Faisalabad city (Bank AL Habib, Faysal limited bank, MCB, Meezan Bank, J.S Bank, Bank Al-Falah). The stratified random sampling technique was used to select 50 participants for the study. Questionnaire was the instrument used to elicit information from the respondents. The study found that there is significant relationship between work stress and employee’s productivity in banking sector. The study concluded that work stress is a real challenge for employees’ who are working in the banking sector. It is very important that working environment is being continuously monitored for stress related factors. Harry, (2020), conducted a research on stress management and employee performance in Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between stress management and employee performance. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of stress, management, workload, role ambiguity, role conflict, effectiveness, efficiency and commitment on employee performance. The study adopted the qualitative research approach where secondary data were used as the main source of data collection. The study found that stress is at the centre of several challenges bedeviling employee in the workplace, it cannot be eliminated hence the need to manage it to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the workforce. The study concluded that stress management bears a positive and significant influence on employee performance. The study recommended that management should design task and jobs in ways that would make for effective, mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 162 | P a g e efficiency and commitment and bring about improvement in the performance of their workforce and that flexible job schedules should be incorporated into human resource management strategies, policies and plan to enhance easy employee performance and commitment that will increase organizational survival. Lagrosen, & Lagrosen, (2020), conducted a research on workplace stress and health-the connection to quality management. The purpose of the paper is to examine associations between quality management values, workplace health and workplace stress. A questionnaire based on theory and previous research was constructed and delivered to a sample of Swedish secondary school teachers. The questionnaire included previously developed constructs of quality management values and workplace health. In addition, constructs measuring stress, demand, control and bullying were included. Correlation analyses and cluster analysis were carried out. The study found that quality management can increase the level of control that the employees have over their work situation, thereby alleviating some of the effects of workplace stress. Furthermore, the results show an association between quality management and workplace bullying. Moreover, control but not demand was found to be related to workplace health. Four clusters of employees with different quality management, stress and health profiles were identified. Soegoto, & Narimawati, (2021), conducted a research on stress management and good employee performance towards the success of a company in Bandung. The present study aimed to examine the contribution of personal stress management to an employee’s performance and how such influence may affect a company’s success. The study applied a descriptive survey method as the most appropriate means of the study. The participants were purposively selected comprising 34 employees. The study found that there are many stress factors employees endure though they do not significantly affect performance, but still influence most of their decisions to leave the company due to continuous dissatisfaction. The study concluded that stress among employees was associated with lack of commitment and passion for work, feelings of boredom and bad mood leading to decreased performance. 2.4 Summary and gap of Empirical Review The studies done were carried outside Work life balance ad employee’s performance in Telecommunication firms in Enugu State and did not focus to best of my knowledge on managing leisure time and employee punctuality and stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms in Enugu state. Most of the studies reviewed analysed their data through descriptive statistics and appropriate inferential statistics, Purposive Sampling technique, Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient, Multiple sampling technique, Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA), Simple linear regression and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) while the present study made use of Z test to test the hypotheses. mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 163 | P a g e Therefore, the study aimed at filling this research gap by evaluating the Work life balance ad employee’s performance in Telecommunication firms in Enugu State. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Design Descriptive survey research approach was used for this investigation. The study used a survey research design since it included assessing phenomena without attempting to manipulate the study variables and is distinguished by the use of random samples from the public to gather empirical information of modern nature. 3.3 Sources of Data Sources of data collection for the study were primary and secondary sources. 3.3.1 Primary Sources Primary data refer to original data collected basically for the purpose of the study. Questionnaire was used for collection of primary data. 3.2.2 Secondary Sources Secondary data were obtained from facts already documented by others which are considered valid for the study. Secondary source of data for this study includes textbooks, internet, journals, articles and unpublished works. 3.3 Area of the Study The study was carried out in Enugu State. The area of the study was four (4) firms out of nine (9) listed telecommunication firms in Enugu state (Appendix A). They included: Etisalat, 39 Abakaliki Road, GRA; Airtel, Plot 6 Ebeano Estate Otigba Junction; Global Comm Limited, 250 Ogui, Road (Conoil Mega Station); MTN Service Centre,34, Zik Avenue, Enugu, Enugu State Nigeria. These were chosen as a result of their experience and number of their staff, high standard of operations and trained individuals. 3.4 Population of the Study The population of the study was Two hundred and eighty one (281) employees from various Telecommunication firms understudy as shown in the table 3.1. Table 3.1 Population Distribution Selected SMEs Branches Staff 1 Etisalat 1 71 2 Airtel 1 54 3 Global 1 74 4 MTN 3 82 Total 281 Source: Administrative desk office, 2024 mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 164 | P a g e 3.5 Sample Size Determination The whole sample size was used for the study due to small number. 3.6. Sampling Technique The stratified random sampling with a random start was adopted so as to give every unit of the population under study equal opportunity of being selected into sample. 3.7 Method of Data Collection The Questionnaire was used for data collection. The secondary data were collected from firms, journals, publication, textbooks and the internet. Ten questions (10) in the questionnaire were ranged. 3.8 Validity of the Instrument The instrument was given to two experts from the industry and academia to measure face and content validity. To make sure that the research instruments applied in the work are valid, the research ensured that the instrument measure the concept they are supposed to measure. 3.9 Reliability of the Instrument Internal consistency test was used to test the reliability of the instrument. This was done by administering 20 copies of the prepared questionnaire to the sample of the study. Cronbach’s Alpha was used in determining the extent of consistency of the reliability. A Cronbach’s alpha value (∞) of greater 0.850 indicated very strong reliability. Scale: ALL VARIABLES Case Processing Summary N % Cases Valid 10 100.0 Excluded 0 .0 Total 10 100.0 a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure. Reliability Statistics Cronbach’s Alpha No. of Items .85 10 Scale reliabilities were calculated using Cronbach’s Alpha; the result obtained was 0.85. This shows that the internal consistency of the scale is good for the purpose of this study because it is greater than 0.85 which was good. 3.10 Method of Data Analyses Data from the questionnaire were analyzed with the aid of SPSS version 23 using simple, percentages. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using simple percentages, mean and standard deviation. Pearson Moment of correlation coefficient to test relationship (r ) to test the test of hypotheses. mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 165 | P a g e DATA PRESENTATION ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 Distribution and returned Questionnaire Table 4.1 depicts the Distribution and returned Questionnaire Table 4.1 Distribution and Return of the Questionnaire Firms No Distributed No Returned Percent returned No. not Returned Percent not Returned 1 Etisalat 71 63 22 8 3 2 Airtel 54 53 19 1 1 3 Global 74 62 22 12 4 4 MTN 82 70 25 12 4 Total 281 248 88% 33 12% Source: Field study, 2024 Two hundred and eighty one (281) copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents and two hundred and forty eight(248) copies were returned representing eighty eighty(88%) percent, while thirty three (33) copies of the questionnaire were not returned representing twelve percent (12%). This shows a high rate of the respondents. 4.2 Data Relating to Research Questions 4.2.1 Relationship between managing leisure time and employee punctuality of telecommunication firms Table 4.2.1.1 Depicts the relationship between managing leisure time and employee punctuality of telecommunication firms Table 4.2.1.1: Responses on the relationship between managing leisure time and employee punctuality of telecommunication firms 5 SA 4 A 3 N 2 DA 1 SD ∑FX - X SD Decision 1 Effective leisure time reduces stress promote productivity 570 114 46.0 130 26 10.5 159 53 21.4 44 22 8.9 33 33 13.3 939 248 100% 3.67 1.458 Agree 2 Physical and mental health are enhanced and hard work ensured through leisure time management 635 127 51.2 208 52 21.0 66 22 8.9 30 15 6.0 32 32 12.9 971 248 100% 3.92 1.416 Agree 3 There is increase in the sense of empowerment with managing leisure time and self- value which enhances growth 745 149 60.1 172 43 17.3 33 11 4.4 38 19 7.7 26 26 10.5 1014 248 100% 4.09 1.377 Agree 4 Leisure time enable us to re- energize and improve individuals moods 560 112 45.2 252 63 25.4 66 11 4.4 72 36 14.5 26 26 10.5 976 248 100% 3.80 1.410 Agree 5 The use of leisure time to pursue activities that will benefit long- term goals, and 605 121 48.8 292 73 29.4 66 11 4.4 4 2 .8 41 41 16.5 1008 248 100% 3.93 1.434 Agree mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 166 | P a g e enhance physical expansion Total Grand mean and standard deviation 3.88 2 1.419 Source: Field Survey, 2024 Table 4.2.1.1., shows 140 respondents out of 248 representing 56.5 percent agreed that Effective leisure time reduces stress promote productivity with mean score 3.67 and standard deviation of 1.458. Physical and mental health are enhanced and hard work ensured through leisure time 179 respondents representing 72.2 percent agreed with mean score of 3.92 and standard deviation of 1.416. There is increase in the sense of empowerment with managing leisure time and self-value which enhances growth192 respondents representing 77.4 percent agreed with mean score of 4.09 and standard deviation of 1.377. Leisure time enable us to re-energize and improve individuals moods 175 respondents representing 70.6 percent agreed with mean score of 3.80 and 1.410. The use of leisure time to pursue activities that will benefit long- term goals, and enhance physical expansion 194 respondents representing 78.2 percent agreed with a mean score of 3.93 and standard deviation 1.434. 4.2.2 Relationship between stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms Table 4.2.2.1 depicts the relationship between stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms Table 4.2.2.1: Responses on the relationship between stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms 5 SA 4 A 3 N 2 DA 1 SD ∑FX - X SD Decisio n 1 There is reduced symptoms of poor mental and physical health 805 161 64.9 212 53 21.4 33 11 4.4 12 6 2.4 17 17 6.9 1079 248 100% 4.35 1.136 Agree 2 Absenteeism is reduced with stress management and it improves efficiency rates 680 136 54.8 256 64 25.8 33 11 4.4 36 18 7.3 19 19 7.7 1024 248 100% 4.13 1.250 Agree 3 Stress management decreases fewer injuries, less illness and lost time 400 80 32.3 368 92 37.1 33 11 4.4 70 35 14.1 30 30 12.1 901 248 100% 3.63 1.376 Agree 4 The stress management helps improve sleep, cognition and libido 460 92 37.1 104 26 10.5 210 70 28.2 76 38 15.3 22 22 8.9 872 248 100% 3.52 1.356 Agree 5 The stress management increases efficiency and employee satisfaction and gives opportunities for remote working 705 141 56.9 104 26 10.5 84 28 11.3 66 33 13.3 20 20 8.1 979 248 100% 3.95 1.394 Agree mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 167 | P a g e Total Grand mean and standard deviation 3.916 1.302 Source: Field Survey, 2024 Table 4.2.2.1, depicts that 214 respondents out of 248 representing 86.3 percent agreed that There is reduced symptoms of poor mental and physical health with mean score 3.35 and standard deviation of 1.133. Absenteeism is reduced with stress management and it improves efficiency rates 200 respondents representing 80.6 percent agreed with mean score of 4.13 and standard deviation of 1.250. Stress management decreases fewer injuries, less illness and lost time 172 respondents representing 69.4 percent agreed with mean score of 3.63 and standard deviation of 1.376. The stress management helps improve sleep, cognition and libido 118 respondents representing 47.6 percent agreed with mean score of 3.52 and 1.356. The stress management increases efficiency and employee satisfaction and gives opportunities for remote working 167 respondents representing 67.4 percent agreed with a mean score of 3.95 and standard deviation 1.394. 4.3 Test of Hypotheses 4.3.1 Hypothesis One: Managing leisure time has relationship with employee punctuality of telecommunication firms. Table 4.3.1.1 shows the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z on Managing leisure time has relationship with employee punctuality of telecommunication firms. Table 4.3.1.1 shows the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z on Managing leisure time has relationship with employee punctuality of telecommunication firms One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test Effective leisure time reduces stress promote productivity Physical and mental health are enhanced and hard work ensured through leisure time management Lack of support from the executive level reduces necessary reinforcement to implement the vision There is increase in the sense of empowerment with managing leisure time and self- value which enhances growth Key stakeholders Leisure time enable us to re- energize and improve individuals moods The use of leisure time to pursue activities that will benefit long- term goals, and enhance physical expansion N 248 248 248 248 248 Uniform Parametersa,b Minimum 1 1 1 1 1 Maximum 5 5 5 5 5 Most Extreme Differences Absolute .460 .512 .601 .456 .532 Positive .133 .129 .105 .105 .165 Negative -.460 -.512 -.601 -.456 -.532 Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z 7.239 8.065 9.462 7.176 8.382 mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 168 | P a g e Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 a. Test distribution is Uniform. b. Calculated from data. Decision Rule If the calculated Z-value is greater than the critical Z-value (i.e Zcal > Zcritical), reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis accordingly. Result With Kolmogorov-Smirnon Z – value of 7.176 < 9.462 and on Asymp. Significance of .000, the responses from the respondents as display in the table is normally distributed. This affirms that the managing leisure time had significant positive relationship with employee punctuality of telecommunication firms. Decision Furthermore, comparing the calculated Z- value of 7.176 < 9.462 against the critical Z- value of .000 (2-tailed test at 95% level of confidence) the null hypothesis were rejected. Thus the alternative hypothesis was accepted which states that managing leisure time had significant positive relationship with employee punctuality of telecommunication firms. 4.3.2 Hypothesis Two: Stress management has relationship with employee efficiency firms in Enugu state. Table 4.3.2.1 shows the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z on Stress management has relationship with employee efficiency firms in Enugu state. Table 4.3.2.1 shows the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z on the relationship between stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test There is reduced symptoms of poor mental and physical health Absenteeism is reduced with stress management and it improves efficiency rates Stress management decreases fewer injuries, less illness and lost time The stress management helps improve sleep, cognition and libido The stress management increases efficiency and employee satisfaction and gives opportunities for remote working N 248 248 248 248 248 Uniform Parametersa,b Minimum 1 1 1 1 1 Maximum 5 5 5 5 5 Most Extreme Differences Absolute .649 .556 .444 .371 .569 Positive .069 .077 .121 .089 .081 Negative -.649 -.556 -.444 -.371 -.569 Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z 10.224 8.763 6.985 5.842 8.954 Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 a. Test distribution is Uniform. b. Calculated from data. Decision Rule If the calculated Z-value is greater than the critical Z-value (i.e Zcal > Zcritical), reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis accordingly. mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 169 | P a g e Result With Kolmogorov-Smirnon Z – value of 5.842 < 10.224 and on Asymp. Significance of .000, the responses from the respondents as display in the table is normally distributed. This affirms that the stress management had significant positive relationship with employee efficiency of telecommunication firms Decision Furthermore, comparing the calculated Z- value of 5.842 < 10.224 against the critical Z- value of .000 (2-tailed test at 95% level of confidence) the null hypothesis were rejected. Thus the alternative hypothesis was accepted which states that stress management had significant positive relationship with employee efficiency of telecommunication firms 4.4 Discussion of Findings 4.4.1 Managing leisure time had relationship with employee output From the result of hypothesis one, the calculated Z- value of 7.176 < 9.462 against the critical Z- value of .000, which implies that managing leisure time had significant positive relationship with employee output of telecommunication firms. In the support of the result in the literature review, Gholam, Tehrani, Nima, Mona, Azadeh & Elaheh (2013) conducted a study on leisure time management: A new approach toward employees. The finding showed that leisure time management has positive effects on employees’ work-role salience and their perception of management concern for employees, while these two later variables have positive effects on employees’ work-role salience. Felix, Efebeh, Itedjere, Young, Ayegbunam & Chuks (2024) conducted a study on the relationship between change management process and organizational performance of selected telecommunication firms in Nigeria. Findings revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between PC and ORGP (0.048<0.05); there is a significant positive relationship between CVC and ORGP (0.000<0.05); and IC has a significant positive relationship with ORGP which is evident with the p-value (0.0038>0.05). The study concludes that change management has significant positive effect on organizational performance of selected telecommunication firms in Nigeria. 4.4.2 Stress management had relationship employee engagement From the result of hypothesis two, the calculated Z- value of 5.842 < 10.224 against the critical Z- value of .000 which implies that stress management had significant positive relationship with employee engagement of telecommunication firms. In the support of the result in the literature review, Umukoro, Egwakhe and Akpa (2020) conducted a study on Flexible Work Design and Employee Commitment: When Socio-Demographic Characteristics Are Introduced? The result from hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that socio- demographic characteristics had positive significant moderating effect on the relationship between flexible work design and employee mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 170 | P a g e commitment. Adebayo & Ibrahim (2023) conducted a study on Flexible Working Arrangements and Employees' Job Satisfaction in Hospitality Industry. The qualitative findings however showed that effective implementation of part time will have a significant impact on employees’ job satisfaction. The study concluded that work life balance is indeed drivers of business as it decreases absenteeism and increases employee turnover. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Summary of Findings i. Managing leisure time had significant positive relationship with employee punctuality of telecommunication firms, Z (95, n= 248), 7.176 < 9.462, P.<.05 ii Stress management had significant positive relationship with employee efficiency of telecommunication firms, Z (95, n= 248), 5.842 < 10.224, P.<.05 5.2 Conclusions The study concluded that managing leisure time and stress management had significant positive relationship with employee punctuality and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms. Work- life balance is about the interaction between paid work and other activities, including unpaid work in families and community, leisure and personal development. It is the extent to which an employee of an organization is equally self-engaged and equally satisfied with his or her work role and family role. The telecommunication sector is one of the most human resource intensive sectors. Telecommunication employees stay in the firms for longer hours doing routine work, which could be highly tasking on their mental health. 5.3 Recommendations Based on the findings, the following recommendations were proffered i. The management of telecommunication firms should be engaging in leisure activities to enhance the opportunity to find balance in life and allow taking control of how employees spend their time and helping to regulate the challenging demands of what life can throw at employees. ii. The telecommunication firms should foster stress management not only provide employees with job satisfaction, better health, increased work-life balance, and less stress, but they also benefit the organizations by boost employee productivity and motivation 5.5 Contribution to Knowledge The studies done were carried outside Work life balance ad employee’s performance in Telecommunication firms in Enugu State and did not focus to best of my knowledge on managing leisure time and employee punctuality; and stress management and employee efficiency of telecommunication firms in Enugu state. Most of the studies reviewed analysed their data through A purposeful sampling technique, Descriptive statistics and appropriate inferential statistics, Purposive Sampling technique, Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient, Multiple sampling technique, Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) method, mailto:contact@americaserial.com mailto:contact@americaserial.com American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Volume 13 Issue 1, January-March 2025 ISSN: 2836-9416 Impact Factor: 6.41 Journal Homepage: https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com Official Journal of America Serial Publication American Research Journal of Economics, Finance and Management https://americaserial.com/Journals/index.php/ARJEFM, Email: contact@americaserial.com 171 | P a g e Simple linear regression and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) while the present study made use of Z test to test the hypotheses. 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