The Effect of Work-Related Stress on Workers' Performance in Public Service Organizations in Tanzania: A Case Study of the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority

This paper sought to enrich the prevailing scanty understanding of the less known effect of work-related stress on workers’ performance among public service organizations in Tanzania. The study took place at the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority headquarters, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. This paper sought to address three specific objectives, namely: firstly, to examine the level of awareness of work-related stress in the study area; secondly, to assess factors influencing work-related stress among workers in the study area; and lastly, to assess the effect of work-related stress on workers’ performance in the study area. Anchored in Control Theory, the research employed a descriptive case-study design involving 60 respondents selected through simple random sampling technique from a target population of 110 employees across two departments at the Tanzania Fertilizer Regulatory Authority (TFRA). Data collection was conducted through questionnaires, interviews, and literature reviews, with qualitative data analyzed via content analysis and quantitative data through descriptive statistics. Based on the analyzed data, the findings revealed awareness of work-related stress among organizational employees being high, medium, or low level and no idea among the respondents in the study area, while the majority of respondents were highly aware of the existence of work-related stress in their workplace. On the other hand, the study findings revealed that demand resulted from the workload of responsibilities in the workplace with major stressors such as control, role, change, relationships, and support. The study concluded that positive effects of stress include providing a quick burst of energy, decreased sensitivity to pain, an increase in immunity, and lastly, heightened memory levels, while negative effects of stress on the welfare of the employees include affecting employees’ health, lowering workers’ concentration, affecting employees’ relationships, affecting decision-making ability, disturbing employees’ work schedules, and lastly, lowering immunity. Based on the study findings, the study hereby recommends that the public service agencies need to regularly conduct routine awareness programs on work-related stress as well as designing work-related stress management practices for employees in modern workplaces. This will be useful in increasing employees’ commitment towards the ultimate goal of attaining long-term organizational performance and productivity.