Corporate Governance and Employee Performance in Deposit Money Banks in Calabar, Cross River State

This study investigates the relationship between corporate governance practices and employee performance in deposit money banks operating in Calabar, Cross River State. Employee performance is a critical organisational outcome that is increasingly recognised as being influenced by the governance culture and management oversight quality within an organisation. Governance practices including leadership transparency, accountability mechanisms, and internal communication quality create conditions that either facilitate or impede employee motivation and productivity. Drawing on the organisational commitment and governance quality literature, this study examines how board leadership tone, compliance culture, and ethical governance practices relate to employee performance indicators including target achievement, absenteeism, and staff turnover. A survey research design is adopted, with 180 bank employees in Calabar responding to validated questionnaires. Data are analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. The study anticipates that governance quality, particularly ethical leadership and accountability culture, is a significant positive predictor of employee performance. Findings will assist bank management, human resource departments, and the Central Bank of Nigeria in understanding governance as a workforce performance driver. This research contributes to the South South zone governance-human resource literature. Keywords: corporate governance, employee performance, deposit money banks, governance culture, Calabar Cross River.