ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORTS AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY: EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED COMMERCIAL BANKS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Employee performance is central to service quality, operational reliability and organizational sustainability in banking, yet employees work under conditions that may include demanding targets, time pressure, customer-facing emotional labour, regulatory requirements and technological change. Organizational psychosocial support—emotional and social assistance, supportive supervision, counselling, wellness initiatives, work–life balance practices, peer support and a psychologically safe climate—may help employees manage these demands and sustain effective performance. This article examines organizational psychosocial supports and employee performance in selected commercial banks in Edo State, Nigeria, focusing on Access Bank, Zenith Bank and Sterling Bank. It draws on the supplied study manuscript, which describes a cross-sectional mixed-methods design involving questionnaire data and in-depth interviews. The stated study population was 322 employees, with a planned sample of 318; proportional allocation assigned 118 respondents to Access Bank, 105 to Zenith Bank and 95 to Sterling Bank. The manuscript reports a strong positive correlation between psychosocial support and employee performance (r = .684, p < .001) and a statistically significant difference in perceived availability of support by job designation, F(3, 318) = 8.596, p < .001. The qualitative account identifies employee assistance programmes, counselling, health insurance, wellness and stress-management activities, flexible work arrangements, training, peer support, mentorship and supportive supervision as relevant support forms. Reported barriers include workload and time pressure, stigma, concerns about confidentiality, uneven communication, limited resources and inconsistent implementation. The article interprets these findings through Social Exchange Theory and the Job Demands–Resources perspective. It argues that support is most likely to improve performance when employees can access it safely, trust its confidentiality, and experience it alongside realistic workloads and fair management practices. Because the available manuscript does not provide all underlying tables, interview transcripts or complete instrument statistics, findings are presented as reported rather than independently re-estimated. The article recommends an integrated, measurable and inclusive psychosocial support framework for banks.