Job Stress and Employee Performance

A Case Study of Civil Servants Working in Ministry of Health, Thimphu

Abstract

Work-related stress is a major issue for both the employees and organisation. Unresolved job stress will not only hamper the performance of the employees but also affects the overall productivity of the organisation. This study examines the main causes of job stress and its influence on the performance of the employees of the Ministry of Health, Bhutan. Census sampling was used to select the respondents and the research data was collected through a self-administered survey questionnaire. Findings showed that the civil servants working in the ministry experienced stress but not to an extreme level since only 32.6 percent of the respondents rated themselves in the high stress level category. Among the position categories, professional and management category employees experienced a higher level of stress compared to others. The workload factor is reported as the dominant cause of stress followed by time pressure and deadlines to complete the assignments, unpleasant work environment, role ambiguity and inequitable salary/incentive system. The results showed a negative correlation between job stress and job performance (p<.10). While work environment and incentive indicated positive influence, workload and role ambiguity showed a negative influence on the performance of the employees. Findings showed that the ministry does not have proper facilities and systems in place to manage stress as confirmed by 96.24 percent of the respondents. However, some of the common ways of managing stress among the employees are positive thinking towards stress, time management and entertainment while coaching and mentoring are reported minimal. Employees have higher expectations from the organisation to facilitate stress management through provisions of training and development, career development, a performance appraisal system, open communication and counselling.