Publication Details
Abstract
This paper critically investigates the impact of WLB on four dimensions of employee well-being, namely psychological well-being, physical well-being, safety and security well-being, and work-life satisfaction, through a systematic literature review methodology. A total of 232 records were initially identified across four major academic databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and JSTOR, covering literature published between 1984 and 2025. Following rigorous screening against structured inclusion and exclusion criteria, forty-two peer-reviewed studies, institutional reports, and theoretical frameworks were retained for substantive analysis. Anchored in Clark's Work-Family Border Theory, the study argues that structurally rigid and impermeable work-family borders endemic to Nigerian manufacturing environments systematically produce compounding well-being deficits through chronic overdemand, inadequate organisational support, and persistent regulatory non-enforcement. Findings reveal that WLB deficits generate significant psychological strain, physical deterioration, elevated occupational safety risks, and profound work-life dissatisfaction, with consequences extending to organisational productivity and national economic sustainability. The study concludes that work-life balance is a foundational determinant of employee psychological health, physical well-being, safety and security, and work-life satisfaction within Nigerian manufacturing industries. The study recommends among others that, manufacturing employers in Nigeria should institutionalise flexible scheduling arrangements, including rotating shift equity, compressed workweeks, and where operationally feasible, remote administrative functions, to reduce temporal border rigidity and support meaningful employee work-life integration.