Determinants of pay satisfaction of senior managers in the Nigerian Civil Service

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate senior managers' satisfaction with pay in the Nigerian Civil Service. Design/methodology/approach – A field study was undertaken to test the hypotheses. The sample was drawn from senior managers in the Nigerian Civil Service. A quantitative methodological approach was used based on questionnaire designed to measure the variables that literature review has identified as having relationship with pay satisfaction. Findings – The finding of this research paper shows that pay incentive scheme is a distinctive dimension of pay satisfaction among senior managers in the Nigerian Civil Service; and the perception of pay‐for‐performance determines the level of satisfaction with pay. Research limitations/implications – The sample size is very small relative to the total federal civil service population. Only senior managers were selected for questioning and may not reflect the general opinion in the Nigerian Civil Service. The sample is limited to the Federal Civil Service and excludes state and local government services in a federally governed country. Practical implications – The study has important implications for organisations and human resource practitioners in Nigeria to design their compensation and benefit programmes. Originality/value – This research is one of the few studies that explore pay incentive schemes as a distinct dimension of pay satisfaction relevant to the Nigerian work environment. It adds value to the study of organisational justice by demonstrating that procedural justice, interactional justice, and distributive justice, influence pay satisfaction.