Influence of Occupational Stress and Workload on Job Satisfaction among Ekiti State University Staff

Vollständiger Abstract

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Occupational stress and workload have continued to affect employee well-being and organizational outcomes, yet their influence on job satisfaction in tertiary institutions remains limitedly explored in Nigeria. This study investigated the influence of occupational stress and workload on job satisfaction among staff of tertiary institutions in Ekiti State. Specifically, the study examined the levels of occupational stress and workload, identified the major factors associated with occupational stress, and tested the individual and joint effects of stress and workload on job satisfaction, while also exploring gender as a possible moderator. A crosssectional ex-post-facto survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 880 academic and non-academic staff across six tertiary institutions using validated instruments: Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), Occupational Stress Scale (OSS), and Quantitative Workload Inventory (QWI). Descriptive statistics, one-sample t-tests, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were employed in SPSS at a 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that staff experienced very high levels of occupational stress and moderately high workload. The main stress factors included workload interfering with task quality, conflicting demands, lack of support/equipment, overtime pressure, and feelings of entrapment. Inferential analysis showed that both stress and workload significantly influenced job satisfaction, with occupational stress being the stronger predictor. Jointly, they explained 82.5% of the variance in job satisfaction, while gender was found to moderate the effect of stress but not workload. Based on these findings, it is recommended that management of tertiary institutions develop policies that reduce workload, provide adequate support and resources, and adopt gender-sensitive interventions to minimize stress and improve staff satisfaction and productivity.