Impact of occupational stress factors on job performance: study on teaching staff of south eastern university of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the impact of occupational stress on job performance among teaching staff at South Eastern University of Sri Lanka. The factors of occupational stress examined include workload, working environment, and home-work interference. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study population comprised 244 teaching employees at South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, from which a simple random sample of 150 employees was selected. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire administered via Google Forms and emailed to the teaching staff, yielding 116 valid responses for analysis. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26. Findings: Outputs of the correlation analysis indicated that each factor; workload, working environment, and home-work interference had a strong negative and significant relationship with job performance. Furthermore, multiple regression analysis demonstrated a strong negative impact of occupational stress on job performance. Practical Implication: These results enhance our understanding of the significant inverse relationship between occupational stress factors and job performance, highlighting the urgent need for stress management interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of stress on the teaching staff’s job performance. Originality/Value: Future research could build on this study by including a larger sample size and examining additional private and state universities, and other educational institutions. This study also provides a new contribution to the education industry in Sri Lanka regarding occupational stress and job performance.