Work Stress and Job Satisfaction among Staff in a New Medical University

Abstract

Background: Services rendered in exchange for reward or payment may be referred to as a job. Different rewards exist for different services; however, some services are associated with varying levels of discomfort, deprivations or denials which the individual may perceive as stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction among members of staff in a new medical university in the year 2020/2021. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among total population of members of staff in a private medical university, using a pretested questionnaire. Data was analysed using The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: A total of one hundred and twenty-eight (128) respondents were involved in the study. There were 52 (40.6%) lecturers. The cumulative mean score for academic workload, work environment, student-related issues, and research and career development was 10.84. There was unwillingness among a variable number of staff (between 19 (14.8%) and 71 (55.5%)) to comment on job satisfaction. Fewer respondents strongly agreed with positive items of assessment for job satisfaction. A statistically significant inverse difference was found between job stress and job satisfaction. Conclusion: Although varied degrees of work stress were recorded among the university staff, the cumulative average stress score was high. Fewer respondents strongly agreed with positive items of assessment for job satisfaction, and a few staff were unwilling to provide responses on job satisfaction. Efforts should be intensified to reduce stress among staff with the goal of improving job satisfaction.