A Critical Review of Occupational Stress Literature

Occupational stress is an emerging issue for the management and stakeholders of organizations. It arises due to a mismatch of the capabilities, resources and needs of the worker with the requirements of the job. The effects of occupational stress not only adversely affect physically and psychologically of the employees but also enhance the cost for the organisations.

The present study analyzes the literature on occupational stress in terms of stated objectives, indices and scales for measurement of stress with a view to ascertain the gaps and trends in the studies of occupational stress.  80 research papers mostly of the last 15 years have been selected from the electronic database for the purpose of the analysis. The study concludes that the conceptualization of the stress phenomenon has not yet adequately matured. Further, the study also observes that organization-specific quantification of the cost of stress and expected benefits have been almost neglected. It also indicates that stress measurement scales are not yet attaining sufficient degree of accuracy and reliability. The study also observes that indices for stress measurement are far from being well-developed.