IMPACT OF REMOTE WORK MODELS ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN SOUTH- EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The adoption of remote and hybrid work arrangements has altered how organisations
manage labour and measure output. Yet evidence from manufacturing settings in sub-Saharan
Africa remains thin, and the South-East Nigerian context is almost entirely unexplored in the peer-
reviewed literature. This study examines how remote work models affect employee performance in
manufacturing firms across the five states of South-East Nigeria: Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Imo, and
Ebonyi. Four specific objectives guided the inquiry: to assess the effect of hybrid models on
employee productivity; to determine the relationship between remote work autonomy and task
performance; to evaluate the influence of technological infrastructure on remote work
effectiveness; and to examine the effect of remote arrangements on operational efficiency. A cross-
sectional survey design was employed, with data collected from 312 employees across selected
firms using a structured questionnaire and supplementary organisational performance records. Data
were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple
regression analysis. Findings indicate that hybrid models significantly predicted administrative
productivity (β = .37, p < .001), that autonomy was positively correlated with task performance (r
= .62, p < .01), and that technological infrastructure was the strongest single predictor of remote
work effectiveness (β = .41, p < .001). Production-line efficiency gains were statistically negligible,
suggesting that the benefits of remote arrangements in manufacturing may be confined to non-
production functions. The paper argues for context-sensitive implementation strategies and prior
investment in digital infrastructure as conditions for any meaningful productivity gain in this sector.