Digital Work Environment, Work Engagement and Public Sector Performance in the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS)

As public sector organisations undergo rapid digital transformation, the digital work environment is critical to the performance of their employees and to employee engagement. Although digital technologies are being invested heavily in many public institutions, they still face problems in the employee engagement and service delivery areas. This study explored the relationship between the digital work environment, work engagement and public sector performance in Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS). In particular, the study examined how the digital work environment impacts work engagement and how work engagement impacts public sector performance. A quantitative cross sectional survey design was used. A structured questionnaire based on validated measurement scales was used to collect data from 356 employees from a population of 3,200 permanent employees. Data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with the aid of IBM SPSS Statistics Version 29 and AMOS Version 29. The results demonstrated that the digital work environment has significant positive influence on work engagement, and work engagement significantly influences public sector performance. The study found that staff working in supportive digital work environments (with effective digital infrastructure, communication systems, collaborative technologies and technological support are more vigorous, more dedicated and more absorbed, leading to better service quality, operational efficiency, responsiveness and productivity). The study concludes that digital transformation in public sector organisations not only requires investments in technology, but conditions that empower employees. It urges LIRS to embed digital workplace development within an employee-centred human resource approach, such as lifelong digital skills development, supportive leadership, employee recognition and organisations learning initiatives, to achieve the best outcomes in public sector performance.

Digital Transformation, Digital Work Environment, Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, Public Sector Performance, Structural Equation Modelling, Work Engagement.

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