Office Management Practices and Productivity of Administrative Staff in Government Parastatals in Imo State

This study investigated the relationship between office management practices and the productivity of administrative staff in government parastatals in Imo State, South East Nigeria. Office management encompasses the systematic organization of office resources, people, and processes to achieve organizational goals efficiently. In Nigerian government parastatals, where bureaucratic inefficiency has been a longstanding challenge, the quality of office management practices has direct implications for public service delivery and resource utilization. A descriptive survey design was employed. The population comprised 340 administrative officers and office managers in fifteen government parastatals in Owerri. Using stratified random sampling, 170 respondents were selected. A validated questionnaire on office management practices and a productivity self-assessment scale were used for data collection. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were employed for data analysis. Findings indicate a significant positive relationship between structured office management practices, including workflow planning, records management, and meeting coordination, and administrative staff productivity. Parastatals with formalized office procedure manuals reported significantly higher productivity ratings from both management and staff. The study recommends that the Imo State Government should mandate the development and implementation of standard office procedure manuals in all parastatals and fund training programmes in modern office management for all senior administrative staff. Keywords: office management practices, administrative productivity, government parastatals, Imo State, public administration