Stress among staff in public service organizations: Mapping the relationship between team conflict, personality, and job demands towards job stress

Abstract

Since the beginning of time, we have had to deal with stress. Stress has been reported to be on the rise in the public sector because of new work strategies and a demand for excellence. According to the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service of Malaysia (CUEPACS), nearly 400,000 civil servants in Malaysia have been identified as experiencing many types of stress. This study investigated the influence of team conflict and personality on job stress, as well as the mediating role of job demands in the context of stress in public service organizations (PSOs). The data for this study was gathered using a questionnaire survey administered to 656 public officials in seven PSOs in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The findings suggested a statistically significant association between personality and job demands and job stress. Additionally, this research exposes the mediating role of task demands in the relationship between team conflict, personality, and employee job stress in the public sector.