Perceptions of Working Conditions and Work-related Stress in Iceland

Arelia Eydis Gudmundsdottir; Inga Minelgaite; Svala Gudmundsdottir; Christopher R Leupold; Thelma Kristín Snorradóttir

doi:10.7595/management.fon.2021.0004

Arelia Eydis Gudmundsdottir University of Iceland, School of Business
Inga Minelgaite University of Iceland, School of Business
Svala Gudmundsdottir University of Iceland, School of Business
Christopher R Leupold Elon University
Thelma Kristín Snorradóttir University of Iceland, School of Business

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7595/management.fon.2021.0004

Abstract

Research Question: This study examines the attitudes of 106 of Iceland’s highest-level public officials towards their current work conditions and the constraints around them. Motivation: Rapidly changing internal and external environments create pressure on organizations to perform, which in turn place heightened demands and expectations on individuals who lead them. This situation demands to continuously revisit empirical evidence on perceived working conditions and work-related stress of top management. Furthermore, specific contexts, e.g., organization or country, might provide new insights and contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Idea: The aim of this study was to assess work conditions that could potentially contribute to work-related stress among top leaders in public agencies. In addition, gender differences regarding perceptions of workload, work-stress, and work-family conflict were examined. Data: A 10-item questionnaire was sent electronically to all 154 leaders of the highest government institutions in Iceland. The response rate was 69.2% (n=107). Tools: The items were selected and adapted from the QPS Nordic Questionnaire. All items were in five-point Likert-type format (1=very rarely to 5=very often/always), where participants indicated the extent to which they experienced a variety of work-related stressors. Findings: Results indicated that these leaders are potentially at risk of elevated work stress due to insufficient budgets and flexibility to control workflows. Likewise, there are strong patterns that indicate that, despite often feeling overworked and stressed, these leaders are given little feedback on their performance. Compared to men, women appear to feel that their workloads are more burdensome, and statistically significant findings support this. There were no significant gender effects for overall work-family conflict or overall work stress, although patterns suggest that in women they are slightly higher on both. Contribution: This paper provides information about public leaders’ attitudes in Iceland towards stress-inducing work conditions, giving future researchers and practitioners a platform to better pinpoint how to provide necessary support.

Author Biographies

Arelia Eydis Gudmundsdottir, University of Iceland, School of Business

Arelia is an Associate Professor at the School of Business within the University of Iceland, where she teaches an elective course on the Future of Work and Leadership. Her research areas are leadership, gender equality, and career development. Arelia has published books and articles on leadership, gender equality, employment relations, career, and self-development. Arelia has worked as a consultant for major Icelandic organizations for over 20 years and has participated in public debates in both Icelandic and UK media on her field of expertise.

Inga Minelgaite, University of Iceland, School of Business

Inga Minelgaite is a Professor at the University of Iceland, School of Business. She also holds the position of a Head of Project Management Institute (IPM) at the University of Iceland. Her main research field is (cross-cultural) leadership and gender. Inga is also interested in emerging fields of leadership such as neuroscience of leadership and followership. Inga has fifteen years of experience working in senior and top management positions in various sectors of business and multiple countries. Inga is a North-East-Central Europe Area Manager for the Global Preferred Leadership and Cultural Values and a member of a number of other research networks.

Svala Gudmundsdottir, University of Iceland, School of Business

Svala Gudmundsdottir is a Professor and currently serves as the Vice Head of faculty and Acting Chairman for the Business Research Institute and the MBA program at the School of Business, University of Iceland. She also serves as a board member at the National Ballet School of Iceland. Her research field is within cross-cultural studies along with human resources. For the past nine years Svala has taught change management, human resources and international management.

Christopher R Leupold, Elon University

Professor of Psychology Chris Leupold is an industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologist, Dr. Leupold is the Isabella Cannon Professor of Leadership and a Professor of Psychology at Elon University. He began his career working for the international management consulting firm Personnel Decisions International (since acquired by Korn Ferry) that specialized in leadership assessment and development, executive coaching, and organization development. During that experience, he worked with dozens of Fortune 500 companies and across a wide range of industries. From there, he moved to The Home Depot where he was responsible for the leadership development, succession planning, and organization development for the Eastern Region. Dr. Leupold came to Elon in 2003 and since that time has taught a variety of courses in the Psychology Department as well as in Elon's MBA Program and Elon's School of Law. As the Isabella Cannon Professor of Leadership, he works closely with Elon's Center for Leadership and supports leadership programming across campus. In addition to teaching, he has published in a variety of academic journals and continues to consult organizations in the above-mentioned areas. He also currently serves as Associate Editor for the European Management Journal and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Leadership Education.

Thelma Kristín Snorradóttir, University of Iceland, School of Business

Thelma Kristín Snorradóttir has an MS degree in Human Resources Management and Services from the University of Iceland. Thelma works as ÁTVR's human resources manager in Iceland.