10 Self Reflection Quiz Questions for NGO Employees in Nigeria to Improve Workplace Relationships

Workplace tension in NGOs rarely starts with one dramatic event. More often, it grows from small habits: delayed replies, unclear handovers, harsh feedback, favoritism, careless jokes, or silence when a colleague needs support.

In Nigeria’s NGO and development sector, the pressure can be high. Teams manage donor deadlines, community expectations, security concerns, field travel, government relationships, and limited resources. A behavior that seems minor in Abuja, Lagos, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt, Jos, or a field location can affect trust across the whole team.

This self reflection quiz is designed to help employees, supervisors, and managers notice patterns that may weaken work relationships. It is not a test to shame anyone. Use it as a mirror. The goal is to grow, repair strained relationships, and build a healthier workplace.

How to Use This Quiz Honestly

For each question, choose the option that best describes your usual behavior, not what you wish your behavior was.

Use this simple scoring guide:

At the end, add your score. A higher score does not make you a bad colleague or boss. It simply shows where you may need to adjust.

Best way to take the quiz: answer once for how you relate to colleagues, then take it again while thinking about how your subordinates, supervisors, partners, or field teams might experience you.

The 10-Question Workplace Relationship Quiz

1. How do I react when someone gives me feedback?

A. I listen, ask questions, and reflect before responding.

B. I listen, but I often explain my side quickly.

C. I become defensive or withdrawn.

D. I dismiss the feedback or treat the person differently afterward.

Feedback can feel personal, especially in workplaces where seniority, age, or experience carries weight. In many Nigerian organizations, junior staff may already feel nervous about speaking up. If feedback leads to anger, sarcasm, or cold treatment, people will stop being honest.

A better response is simple: pause, thank the person, ask for an example, and take time to reflect. You do not have to agree with every comment immediately. You only need to show that feedback is safe.

2. Do I communicate delays before they become problems?

A. I inform the right people early and suggest a new timeline.

B. I usually communicate, but sometimes too late.

C. I wait until someone asks me for an update.

D. I avoid the conversation and hope the issue resolves itself.

NGO work often depends on many linked tasks. A delayed finance retirement can affect a field trip. A late activity report can affect donor updates. A missed procurement step can affect community trust.

Silence creates more damage than the delay itself. Colleagues may see it as carelessness or disrespect. Bosses may see it as poor ownership.

A practical fix is to send short updates early:

That kind of message reduces tension because it gives people options.

3. How do I treat people with less power than me?

A. I treat interns, drivers, cleaners, volunteers, and junior staff with respect.

B. I am respectful, but I may become impatient under pressure.

C. I sometimes speak more harshly to people who cannot challenge me.

D. I expect people below me to comply without question.

This question matters because workplace culture is often revealed in how people treat those with less power. In NGO settings, drivers, security assistants, community volunteers, enumerators, and interns may see and hear more than managers realize.

If people feel looked down on, they may still do the work, but trust will suffer. They may stop sharing useful information. They may also warn others that you are difficult to work with.

Respect does not reduce authority. It strengthens it. Clear instructions can still be kind. Correction can still be firm without humiliation.

4. Do I take credit fairly?

A. I name the people who contributed and share recognition.

B. I give credit when asked, but I may forget in busy moments.

C. I sometimes present team ideas as my own.

D. I regularly take credit while blaming others when things go wrong.

Credit is a sensitive issue in development work. Reports, proposals, assessments, and community activities usually involve many hands. When one person receives all the praise, others may feel used.

Bosses should be especially careful here. If a junior colleague drafted the concept note, cleaned the data, organized logistics, translated during a community entry visit, or solved a last-minute problem, mention it.

Employees should also avoid hiding team support when speaking to supervisors. A culture of fair credit builds loyalty. It also helps managers identify real strengths across the team.

5. How do I handle stress during donor deadlines or field pressure?

A. I stay calm and ask for help when needed.

B. I get tense, but I try not to transfer it to others.

C. I become sharp, impatient, or controlling.

D. I shout, blame, threaten, or create fear.

Pressure is normal in NGO work. Poor behavior under pressure should not become normal. Donor deadlines, audit visits, security updates, payment issues, and last-minute travel changes can make anyone tense. Still, stress does not excuse harm.

People may forgive one difficult day. They may not forget repeated outbursts. A team that works in fear can become quiet, slow, and defensive.

Try this during pressure:

• State the problem clearly.

• Assign tasks without insults.

• Ask what support is needed.

• Take a short break before responding to mistakes.

• Apologize quickly when your tone crosses the line.

  
  

A sincere apology from a supervisor can repair more than many speeches about teamwork.

6. Do I create confusion through unclear instructions?

A. I give clear expectations, deadlines, and context.

B. I give instructions, but I sometimes assume people understand.

C. I often change my mind without explaining why.

D. I blame others for not understanding vague instructions.

Many workplace conflicts are not caused by laziness. They come from unclear expectations. A supervisor says, “Send it soon,” while the staff member thinks “soon” means before close of business. The supervisor expects it in one hour. Tension follows.

In Nigerian NGOs, teams may work across states, time zones in practice due to travel, poor network areas, and different activity schedules. Clear instructions matter.

A useful instruction includes:

• What should be done

• Who owns it

• When it is due

• What format to use

• Who needs to review it

• Why it matters

  
  

Good clarity saves everyone’s energy.

7. Do I listen to field staff and community-facing colleagues?

A. I ask for their views and use their feedback in planning.

B. I listen, but decisions are often already made.

C. I hear them but rarely adjust plans.

D. I treat field feedback as complaints or excuses.

Field staff often understand community dynamics before anyone else. They know when a leader is unhappy, when women may not feel free to speak, when youth groups are skeptical, or when travel timing may create risk.

Ignoring field feedback can create tension within the team and harm project quality. A program officer in a capital city may see a neat work plan. A community mobilizer may see a conflict that could stop the activity.

Supervisors and technical leads should ask:

“Is there anything in this plan that may not work on the ground?”

Then listen without punishing the answer.

8. Do I show favoritism or form unhealthy cliques?

A. I relate fairly with colleagues and avoid excluding people.

B. I have close colleagues, but I try to remain fair.

C. I tend to favor people I like or people from familiar backgrounds.

D. I give opportunities, information, or protection mainly to my circle.

Favoritism is one of the quietest causes of workplace tension. In Nigeria, people may already notice differences linked to ethnicity, religion, school networks, state of origin, language, gender, age, or personal friendships. Even when no harm is intended, patterns can speak loudly.

Ask yourself:

• Do the same people always travel for desirable assignments?

• Do some staff hear information before others?

• Do I excuse poor behavior from people I like?

• Do I judge the same mistake differently depending on who made it?

  
  

Fairness does not mean treating every situation the same. It means using clear reasons that others can understand.

9. Do I respect boundaries around time and personal life?

A. I respect reasonable work hours and only contact people off-hours when necessary.

B. I sometimes send late messages, but I do not expect immediate replies.

C. I often expect people to respond at night, on weekends, or during leave.

D. I treat availability at all hours as proof of commitment.

NGO work can involve emergencies. A security incident, urgent donor request, or field change may require quick action. Yet constant after-hours pressure leads to resentment and burnout.

WhatsApp groups make this harder. A message sent at 10:45 p.m. may seem harmless to the sender, but the receiver may feel forced to respond immediately.

A healthier approach is to agree on team norms:

• What counts as urgent

• Which channel to use for emergencies

• When responses are expected

• How leave and rest days are protected

• Who covers urgent tasks when someone is unavailable

  
  

Respecting boundaries does not reduce commitment. It helps people stay well enough to do good work.

10. Do I repair relationships after conflict?

A. I address issues respectfully and try to restore trust.

B. I may take time, but I usually return to the conversation.

C. I avoid the person and let tension continue.

D. I punish, gossip, or gather allies after disagreement.

Conflict will happen. The issue is whether it becomes a permanent wound. In NGO teams, unresolved tension can affect community activities, data quality, finance processes, and staff morale.

Repair starts with a direct and respectful conversation. Keep it specific.

You can say:

“I noticed our last conversation became tense. I did not like how I handled my tone. Can we discuss how to work better on the next activity?”

Or:

“When the deadline changed and I was not informed, it affected my work. Next time, please copy me early so I can adjust.”

Repair is a skill. The more a team practices it, the less conflict controls the work.

What Your Score May Be Telling You

Add your scores from all 10 questions.

Do not use the score to label yourself or anyone else. Use it to start a better conversation.

If you manage people, ask your team to take the quiz privately, then discuss common themes without forcing anyone to reveal personal scores. If you are an employee, use your result to identify habits you can change without waiting for management.

Practical Ways to Improve Workplace Relationships in NGO Teams

A quiz is useful only if it leads to change. Start with small, visible actions.

Ask for feedback in a safer way

Instead of asking, “Do you have any feedback?” try:

“What is one thing I could do differently to make our work easier?”

This gives people permission to be specific.

Separate correction from embarrassment

Correct mistakes privately when possible. Public correction may be needed for urgent safety or compliance issues, but routine feedback should not humiliate people.

Document decisions clearly

After a call or field update, send a short written summary. This helps teams working across different locations and reduces “I thought you meant” conflicts.

Check your tone before sending messages

Before sending a message, especially on WhatsApp, read it once. Ask whether the same message would sound respectful if sent to your own supervisor.

Build trust across roles

Program, finance, operations, MEAL, HR, communications, and field teams often experience pressure differently. Make time to understand what each unit needs to do its work well.

Normalize apologies

A workplace where only junior staff apologize is not healthy. Senior staff should model repair. A simple “I was wrong” can shift the tone of a whole team.

Address tension early

Do not wait until frustration becomes gossip. If a pattern bothers you, raise it respectfully and early.

A Better Workplace Starts With One Honest Adjustment

Strong NGO work depends on trust. Communities feel it when teams are divided. Donors notice it when communication breaks down. Staff carry it home when the work environment becomes tense.

The good news is that many relationship problems can improve through honest self reflection, clearer communication, fairer leadership, and quicker repair after conflict.

Choose one question from this quiz that made you uncomfortable. Sit with it. Ask what others may experience from you. Then make one practical change this week.

That single adjustment may be the start of a calmer, kinder, and more effective workplace.