Digital Tools for Stress Management and Employee Performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study delves into the effect of digital tools for stress management on employee performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ibadan. Employing a descriptive survey research design, the study captures the opinions, attitudes, and perceptions of 217 employees from Nigerian Brewery Plc, segmented by department and employment cadre. The research utilizes Taro Yamane’s formula to determine a sample size of 141 employees, ensuring diverse representation through stratified random sampling. Data collection is conducted via a self-structured questionnaire, which is divided into sections capturing demographic information and responses to research questions on a Likert scale. The questionnaire’s reliability is affirmed with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.889. Data analysis is performed using SPSS version 23, employing descriptive statistics, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and Chi-square tests at a 0.05 significance level. The results reveal a chi-square value (X2) of 19.74 and a p-value of less than 0.05, indicating a statistically significant association between the use of digital tools for stress management and improved employee performance. Further, the chi-square value (X2) of 91.161 and a p-value of less than 0.05 suggest a significant correlation between the usability of these tools and performance enhancement. Additionally, a chi-square value (X2) of 68.31 with a p-value of less than 0.05 underscores the perceived usefulness of digital tools as a crucial element in performance improvement. The study concludes that user-friendly and effective digital tools are integral to their successful adoption in the workplace. Recommendations include the integration of digital tools into health and wellness programs, provision of training and support, continuous evaluation of tool effectiveness, encouragement of further research, customization of digital tools, addressing potential adoption barriers, and promoting awareness of the benefits of digital stress management tools. These measures are anticipated to lead to better stress management and enhanced employee performance.