Unpacking the influence of organizational stress management strategies on employee performance in Kenya Agricultural Livestock Research Organization

Abstract

Stress is a factor that influences employee performance. Work-related stress is the product of an imbalance between environmental demands and individual capabilities. There has been a persistent increase in stress-related problems among employees worldwide, leading to a decline in work performance, reduced commitment, and growing impatience. Some stress is essential as it promotes individual growth, but an excessive level is inappropriate, hence the need to institute stress management strategies to mitigateburnout. Work stress is manifested through feelings of mistrust among co-workers, poor performance, and the strain on individual relationships. The organisation under study was the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO). The general objective of the study was to assess how strategic working conditions influence employee performance at KALRO. The study employed a descriptive survey design. While the target population was 220, a total of 142 questionnaires were completed and returned.A semi-structured questionnaire was developed for the collection of data. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics with the help of SPSS Version 21. According to the findings, stress management at a zero unit change in strategic working conditions resulted in a 0.876 change in employee performance at KALRO. Based on a 5% level of significance, working conditions had a t-value of (6.123 > 1.96), a.002 level of significance, while strategic team building had an overall mean of 2.78. The study concluded that strategic working conditions and strategic team building rejuvenated employees at KALRO. The study recommends that employers improve working conditions and enhance team building to improve employee performance.