The Assessment of Work-Related Stress in a Large Sample of Bank Employees

Abstract

Over the past decade there has been a marked increase in the amount of interest in issues involving work-related stress in Italy. Firstly, with the promulgation of the fundamental law for the protection of health and safety in the workplace, stress has been included as an element to be considered in the mandatory risk assessment. According to the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, research in Italy demonstrated high levels of stress in the banking sector. Moreover, since 2008, a deep financial crisis has widely spread around the world. Scientists expressed their worry about this crisis by pointing out that potential negative health effects can be created by collective fear and panic. Economic stress appeared consequently as a new important aspect of mental health. With this in mind, a study was conducted to evaluate peculiarities of hindrance and challenge stressors and its links with recovery in Italian banking population. We contacted HR and H&S managers of a major Italian banking group and invited them to participate in a stress assessment. The questionnaires were administered online through the intranet company portal. Anonymity and confidentiality in the responses were, however, fully assured. Work-related stress was measured with the Stress Questionnaire (SQ) which assesses several psychosocial working variables. Results of over 6,000 respondents demonstrated that female respondents lack more of job control and colleagues’ support as compared to male respondents. Employees over 50 years old lack of supervisor’ support. Employees with the shortest job seniority experienced greatest role ambiguity, lack of job control and colleagues support. Results of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that lack of colleagues’ and supervisor’s support as well as job demands and job control contributed in explaining recovery. The greatest contribution to the explained variance was of job demands and lack of colleagues’ support.