EMPLOYEE PERCEPTION OF ORGANISATIONAL AWARENESS AND EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE SDG TARGETS ON DECENT WORK IN AKWA IBOM STATE

This study investigates the awareness, efforts, and perceptions of organisations in Akwa Ibom State regarding SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth. This study was anchored on stakeholder theory. The research employed a survey design targeting 193 academic staff members from Akwa Ibom State University. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and 113 usable responses were analysed. Findings indicate that while there is general awareness of the United Nations SDGs, the specific awareness of SDG 8 is moderate, with only 57% of respondents recognising it within organisational planning. Organisations demonstrate some effort in promoting fair recruitment, employee safety and training, but discrepancies exist between organisational claims and employee perceptions, particularly concerning transparency in wages and participation in SDG-related planning. Employees largely support SDG-focused training, inclusive dialogue, and internal audits to enhance organisational alignment with SDG 8. The study concludes that while organisational commitment to decent work exists, operationalisation and transparency require improvement. Recommendations include targeted awareness programmes, institutionalisation of fair labour practices, enhanced transparency, participatory SDG implementation, and robust feedback mechanisms to bridge perception gaps and strengthen organisational contributions to global development targets