Supervision Strategies for Managing Work-Related Stress in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry

High work-related stress negatively impacts workers’ health and productivity in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Supervisors in the Nigerian petroleum industry who lack strategies to reduce work-related stress significantly lose worker health and organizational productivity. Grounded in person-environment fit theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies Nigerian petroleum industry supervisors use to manage work-related stress. Participants were six supervisors who have successfully used strategies to reduce work-related stress in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews and internal company documents relevant to reducing work-related stress and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings of the study showed that effective job planning, defining priorities, effective communication with workers and mentoring are some of the strategies used by the supervisors in managing work related stress in the Nigerian petroleum industry. To enhance a good work-health life in the industry, the study recommended training workers and supervisors on stress management, defining minimum conditions of service for workers, having an organizational policy on stress management, and collaboration among managers, employees, and clients on work-related stress management.