Does Human Relation Management Practices Reduce Workplace Harassment in Manufacturing Organisations in Nigeria?

Although harassment in the workplace is common in industrial economies, the effectiveness of certain human resource management (HRM) mechanisms in reducing its incidence is not well understood in the sub-Saharan African manufacturing environment. The study examined the differential and combined predictive effect of three dimensions of HRM namely HR Policy Framework, Training and Awareness and Complaint and Disciplinary Mechanism on the perceived reductions of workplace harassment among employees of selected manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The positivist, quantitative and cross-sectional survey design was used and was anchored on Organisational Justice Theory and Social Learning Theory. An instrument with 20 items based on the 5-point Likert scale was used to collect data from 495 workers of manufacturing companies in three States namely Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States. Results showed that the Complaint and Disciplinary Mechanism is the biggest individual predictor of perceived harassment reduction (Std. β = 0.341, R² = 0.116, medium effect) and that the HR Policy Framework has a smaller but significant effect (Std. β = 0.172, f² = 0.031, small effect). The regression analysis of training and awareness with perceived harassment reduction (p < .939, Std. β = −0.003) indicates that training and awareness alone are not sufficient to predict perceived harassment reduction. Results confirm that beyond awareness-raising and policy documentation, credible, accessible, and fair complaint and discipline structures are far more significant for the reduction of perceived harassment than such measures alone, with direct implications for HRM investment priorities within Nigerian manufacturing and similar industrial settings in Africa.