Analysis of the relationship between employee commitment and workplace stress through a Hungarian example

Abstract

In today’s dynamic labor market, employee engagement has emerged as a critical organizational priority. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of stress factors on employee commitment and to identify differences in stress perception between mental and manual workers in the Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprise sector. The survey was conducted among 223 employees of the SME sector in Hungary in 2025. Participation was voluntary, anonymous, and confidential in accordance with GDPR requirements. A heterogeneous snowball sampling method was applied. The sample was nearly evenly split between white-collar (50.7%) and blue-collar workers (49.3%). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23, and nonparametric methods such as the Jonckheere–Terpstra and Mann–Whitney U tests were applied. Descriptive statistics showed medium average levels for stress (Mean number = 3.07) and commitment (Mean number = 3.60). A significant negative trend between perceived stress and organizational commitment was confirmed (z = –3.230; p = 0.001), with higher stress levels. Pairwise comparisons showed that employees experiencing extreme or high stress reported moderate or low levels of commitment (p = 0.003 and p = 0.002). A significant difference in stress perception was found between occupational categories (U = 5129.000; p = 0.018), with higher levels among white-collar employees. Among knowledge workers, the most influential stressors included complex tasks (44.4%), tight deadlines (39.0%), lack of support (35.9%), insufficient information (34.1%), and unclear expectations (30.9%). Thus, workplace stress significantly reduces organizational engagement and highlights the importance of targeted stress management strategies in SMEs.