An Investigation of Job Stress Perceptions Among Employees in Food and Beverage Establishments According to Sociodemographic Variables: The Case of Bursa

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this study is to determine the job stress levels of employees working in food and beverage establishments operating in the province of Bursa and to analyze whether these levels differ statistically significantly according to sociodemographic characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach – The questionnaire was used as the data collection instrument in this study. It consisted of two sections. The first section aimed to determine the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and included variables such as number of children, gender, department, educational level, weekly working hours, tenure in the current organization, marital status, years of experience in the sector, job title, and age. The second section employed the Swedish Demand-Control-Social Support Questionnaire, adapted into Turkish by Demiral et al. (2007), to measure job stress. This scale consists of 17 items and four dimensions: workload, skill discretion, decision latitude, and social support. The sample of the study comprised 315 employees working in food and beverage establishments operating in the province of Bursa. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results – As a result of the study, statistically significant differences were found across all dimensions of job stress with respect to the variables of gender, age, educational level, number of children, and years of experience in the food and beverage establishments. On the other hand, the findings revealed that no statistically significant differences were identified in the social support dimension according to marital status; in the skill utilization and decision latitude dimensions according to department; in the social support dimension according to tenure in the current organization; or in the skill discretion, decision latitude, and social support dimensions according to weekly working hours.
Discussion – The study findings indicate that job stress is a multidimensional phenomenon and varies according to employees’ sociodemographic characteristics. This result suggests that the management of job stress requires the development of strategies that are contextually sensitive.