Effect of work stress on employees’ wellbeing: evidence from Essikado government hospital

Abstract

The general wellbeing of employees’ has been an issue of major concern as employees are very important assets in organisations. Globally, poor wellbeing of employees is the foremost reason for long-term work incapability in business organisations. This is worse for health professions – stress is widely recognized as having a disproportionate impact on the health and care professions. Health professionals are a high-risk category because of their work of caring for people, as well as the accompanying ambiguities about treatment success and the need to mask their self-doubt about their own competence. Hence, with a descriptive outlook, this study investigated the effects of work stress on the wellbeing of employees, with focus being on 75 Essikado Government Workers. The study collected quantitative data which comprised Likert scale options that identified the sources of work stress. The study found that the predominant sources of stress for these workers included experiences of harassment and subtle bullying at work, long working hours, no flexibility at work and a generally heavy workload most especially. Also, it was found that they do not have the necessary resources to perform their jobs, they are overburdened at work, and some are ‘forced’ to work overtime and finally, work stress puts heavy strains on the wellbeing of employees and even their work performance– resulting in sleeping problems, poor mental health, depression, poor dietary patterns, and inebriation. The study recommends that management ensures adequate staffing to reduce the burden. Also, the provision of incentives for these workers and also training them on current practices in their fields to augment their knowledge and skills to perform better at work.