Abstract:
Stress is a modern-day epidemic that calls for urgent attention and proactive measures to end its threat on
employees’ wellbeing in order to promote quality education through competent and reliable personnel to
fulfil organizational goals. It is observed that many potential workers are severely affected as a result of
occupation stress. The role of leaders in higher educational institutions and government policy makers is
critical in ensuring the safety of employees in the workplace. This study is based on quantitative research
methods conducted in one private university in Kenya to determine the effect of stress on workers’
effectiveness. Pertinent data was collected through a questionnaire based on open and close-ended
questions. Descriptive survey design was used to describe the cause of occupational stress while
correlation analysis was used to test the linear relation between variables. The results obtained from the
data revealed four causes of occupational stress: Conflicting relationships among co-workers and their
immediate supervisors, heavy workloads with deadlines, lack of rest, and lack of adequate finances to pay
workers in due time. The outcome of the hypothesis test indicates that conflicting relationships between
staff members and their immediate supervisors has a significant effect on job performance. Also, a heavy
workload that needs to be accomplished within a specific period has a significant effect on job performance.
Thus, it was recommended that leaders should minimize stress in the workplace by lowering the amount of
work assigned, and to build strong relationships through team building activities.
