Workplace Communication Competence of Graduate Employees in Nigerian Commercial Banks: A Professional Assessment

The communication competence of graduate employees entering Nigerian commercial banks has emerged as a significant concern among human resources managers who report increasing gaps between university English certification and actual workplace communication performance. This study professionally assesses workplace communication competence among recent graduate employees in commercial banks in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano, covering written, oral, and digital communication dimensions. A mixed-methods assessment programme was designed and administered to two hundred and forty recent graduates employed across six commercial banks, combining a standardized workplace communication competence test with supervisor rating scales, recorded oral presentation tasks, and sample work document analysis. The competence test assessed business writing conventions, professional email register, oral briefing skills, and report comprehension. Results indicate that email writing and formal report writing are the weakest competence areas, with the majority of participants scoring below proficiency threshold on formal email register control and executive summary writing. Oral presentation scores are moderately stronger, while document comprehension is the strongest measured domain. Supervisor ratings show significant alignment with test scores for writing but less alignment for oral communication, suggesting that supervisors value oral fluency dimensions not captured by the formal assessment. The study recommends that university English programmes incorporate workplace communication genres more explicitly and proposes a post-employment communication induction programme structure for commercial banks to address identified competence gaps. Keywords: workplace communication, graduate employees, commercial banks, Nigeria, professional communication competence.