American Journal of Applied Psychology 2014; 3(6): 144-150 Published online November 17, 2014 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ajap) doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20140306.15 ISSN: 2328-5664 (Print); ISSN: 2328-5672 (Online) Impact of organisational preferential treatment and employees’ preference for merit on job involvement of civil servants in Ekiti state Ogunleye, Adedeji Julius 1 , Osagu, Judith Chineye 2 , Oluwajuyitan, Femi Raphael 1 1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria 2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Nigeria Email address: dr.ajogunleye@gmail.com (A. J. Ogunleye) To cite this article: Ogunleye, Adedeji Julius, Osagu, Judith Chineye, Oluwajuyitan, Femi Raphael. Impact of Organisational Preferential Treatment and Employees’ Preference For Merit on Job Involvement of Civil Servants in Ekiti State. American Journal of Applied Psychology. Vol. 3, No. 6, 2014, pp. 144-150. doi: 10.11648/j.ajap.20140306.15 Abstract: The study examined the impact of organisational preferential treatment and employees’ preference for merit on job involvement of workers in Ekiti State Civil Service. Two hundred (200) participants drawn from the Ekiti State Civil Service responded to three instruments used in this study. A total of five hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation, Independent t-test and two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Findings of the study revealed that a positive relationship exists between job involvement and employees’ preference for merit. It also showed a positive relationship between job involvement and organisational preferential treatment. There was no significant influence of organisational preferential treatment and employees’ preference for merit on job involvement. Each of the independent variables has a separate main effect on job involvement. Both employees’ preference for merit and organizational preferential treatment has a positive relationship with job involvement. There was, however, no significant interaction effect observed for both employees’ preference for merit and organisational preferential treatment on job involvement of workers. The study concluded that feelings of organisational preferential treatment and job involvement significantly differ along gender while employees’ preference for merit does not. Based on the conclusion therefore, recommendations were made. Keywords: Organisational Preferential Treatment, Employee Preference for Merit, Job Involvement, Civil Servants, Ekiti State 1. Introduction In organisational researches, job involvement has emerged as an important variable. It has drawn the attention of management, scientists and organisational psychologists. The variable has been studied in different perspectives in both private organisations and public enterprises. The understanding of the feelings and attitudes of workers to their roles at work is central to the issue of improved management and human resources in an organisation. One may be apt however, to argue that the job involvement ethics of Nigerian workers is poor. Most Nigerian workers, particularly in the civil service/public sectors seem quite lackadaisical in their attitudes to work. Except in offices where there are usually gratifications emanating from monetary rewards for services rendered by the public officers, most of the officers do not resume to their offices in good time, close earlier than scheduled, and generally seem un-involved in their jobs. In spite of the considerable steps taken to improve on the poor job involvement ethics experienced in Nigeria, the results have not been impressive. The importance of workers to organisations is underlined by the popular saying that “you cannot take the worker out of the work, but you can definitely take out the work of the worker”. People are needed at the helm of affairs in organizations and these people need all the encouragements they can get in order to perform well on their job. They need to have a high sense of identification with their job before one can talk about meeting organisational goals. In a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria where working conditions may be riddled with the problem of in-group sentimentality, the idea of a conducive and fair work station may be nothing more than a mere illusion.