Stress Analysis Across Organizational Hierarchies: A Comparative Study of Employees at Different Management Levels
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/trjtm2026.v06.n02.005Keywords:
Employee Well-being, Job Insecurity, Occupational Stress, Organizational Effectiveness, Workload Stress, Stress Management and Workplace SupportAbstract
Occupational stress has emerged as a critical concern in modern organizations due to increasing workloads, technological disruptions, performance pressures, and uncertainties in career growth. The present study examines the factors influencing employee stress and their impact on stress management effectiveness across different organizational levels. Primary data were collected from 75 employees occupying various designations through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. The study considered workload stress, workplace support, job control and role clarity, and job insecurity as the major antecedents of stress outcomes and examined their influence on employees' stress management capabilities. The reliability analysis revealed satisfactory internal consistency, with composite reliability values exceeding the recommended threshold of 0.70 for all constructs. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of 0.752 confirmed adequate sampling suitability. Correlation analysis indicated that workload stress and job insecurity exhibited significant positive relationships with stress outcomes, whereas workplace support, job control, role clarity, and coping strategies demonstrated significant negative relationships with stress levels. Multiple regression analysis revealed that workload stress (β = 0.448, p < 0.001) and job insecurity (β = 0.330, p < 0.001) significantly increased employee stress, while workplace support negatively influenced stress outcomes. Furthermore, stress outcomes significantly reduced employees' stress management effectiveness (β = -0.630, p < 0.001). The regression model explained approximately 68% of the variance in employee stress. The findings emphasize the need for organizations to develop supportive work environments, enhance role clarity, strengthen stress management interventions, and address job insecurity concerns to promote employee well-being and organizational effectiveness.
References
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands-resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328.
Beehr, T. A., & Newman, J. E. (1978). Job stress, employee health, and organizational effectiveness. Personnel Psychology, 31(4), 665–699.
Cooper, C. L., & Marshall, J. (1976). Occupational sources of stress: A review of the literature relating to coronary heart disease and mental ill health. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 49(1), 11–28.
De Cuyper, N., et al. (2008). Job insecurity and employability. Work & Stress, 22(4), 277–294.
Ganster, D. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2013). Work stress and employee health. Journal of Management, 39(5), 1085–1122.
Grawitch, M. J., et al. (2006). Healthy workplace practices and employee outcomes. International Journal of Stress Management, 13(3), 275–293.
Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10(1), 76–88.
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524.
Ivancevich, J. M., & Matteson, M. T. (1980). Stress and work. Scott, Foresman.
Karasek, R. A. (1979). Job demands, job decision latitude, and mental strain. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24(2), 285–308.
Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work. Basic Books.
Karanika-Murray, M., & Biron, C. (2020). The health-performance framework of presenteeism. Work & Stress, 34(3), 242–259.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113.
Podsakoff, N. P., et al. (2007). Challenge and hindrance stressors in the workplace. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(2), 438–454.
Quick, J. C., et al. (1997). Preventive stress management in organizations. American Journal of Health Promotion, 11(4), 241–251.
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315.
Selye, H. (1976). The stress of life (Rev. ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Siegrist, J. (1996). Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1(1), 27–41.
Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2015). Recovery from job stress. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 361–386.