Perceptions of Working Conditions and Work-related Stress in Iceland

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.