Stressed-out at work: Health, stress and job performance

Using a database containing health risk appraisal information on 6,437 employees, this study investigates links between work stress and job performance. We focus on three sources of stress -- job, home and financial, and how these stressors influence self-rated performance on the job. Our main interest is in isolating the effects of work stress, controlling for other sources of stress, since employers have some control over modifying work-related stressors. We include age, gender, social support and emotional asset variables as controls in our models since these also have direct influences on self-rated job performance. We find that as work stress levels increase, self-rated job performance declines. Individuals experiencing permanent or continual work stress consistently rate their job performance lower on the following four dimensions compared those who never experience work stress: difficulty concentrating, at times get no work done, not careful and get less work done then others. Finally, individuals in excellent health are less likely to experience work stress and as the number of chronic conditions they have increases, their job performance declines. Employers should focus simultaneously on implementing benefits packages and programs to support health improvement while reducing work stressors on the job, By doing so they can improve workforce health and job performance at the same time.