The impact of elderly caregiving on job performance of commercial boat operators in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

The strain of caring for elderly family members alongside work demands associated with commercial boat jobs are daunting responsibilities which have a nexus with workplace performance. To unearth the nexus, this research, conducted among commercial boat drivers in Warri South-West Local Government of Delta State, Nigeria, utilized the spillover-crossover model. The population of the study was obtained through Snowball technique. Copies of close ended questionnaire were distributed to 25 respondents which constituted the sample size. Responses were analyzed using the Chi-square statistics. Findings showed that caregiving stress has no negative crossover effects on regular attendance to work. However, respondents opined that their employers and colleagues show little understanding for the stress they pass through in combining elderly caregiving with work demands. They agreed that this stress could lead to confrontations and animosity with their colleagues. The fear of losing their jobs as a result of these makes them report for work even when their minds are preoccupied on elderly family members at home. Thus, presenteeism sets in, leading to loss of concentration on the job, accidents, poor performance and low productivity. The paper recommends that boat operators should create informal, after-work leisure times in order to ease caregiving stress and promote collegiality. Employers and boat operators should adopt flexible work plans that will enable working caregivers to visit elderly family members. Caregivers who work afar from home should utilize the services of formal caregivers, while employers and colleagues should show support for caregivers.

Keywords: Caregiving, Collegiality, Commercial boat operators, Performance, Presenteeism, Stress