Professional Counselling Competencies and Workplace Stress Management in Nigerian Banking Institutions in Lagos

This study evaluates the professional counselling competencies of human resources personnel and their effectiveness in managing workplace stress within Nigerian banking institutions in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. Workplace stress has become a critical occupational health concern in the Nigerian banking sector, driven by performance targets, job insecurity, and long working hours. Drawing on a descriptive survey design, the study involved 180 HR practitioners and 240 bank employees from ten commercial banks across Lagos Island and Victoria Island. The Counsellor Competency Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale were employed as instruments. Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Results reveal that HR practitioners with formal counselling training demonstrate significantly more effective stress management interventions, as rated by employees, compared to those without such training. Employees who accessed HR-facilitated stress management programmes reported lower perceived stress and higher job satisfaction. The study identifies a training gap in which counselling is treated as a supplementary rather than core HR competency, reducing the professionalism of stress interventions. These findings have implications for human resource development policy in the Nigerian financial sector, particularly as the Central Bank of Nigeria's employee wellbeing guidelines gain prominence. Organisations are advised to mandate counselling competency training for HR personnel and integrate psychological wellness monitoring into annual performance management cycles. Keywords: counselling competencies, workplace stress, banking sector, Lagos, human resource management.