Bowen, P; Govender, R; Edwards, P and Cattell, K (2014) Workplace stress in the construction industry: An explanatory model. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 30th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2014, Portsmouth, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry is noted for high levels of occupational stress, particularly among professional workers. Using data from 676 architects, civil engineers, quantity surveyors, and project and construction managers responding to an on-line survey in South Africa, an integrated conceptual model of occupational stress is proposed. Structural equation modeling is used to test the model iteratively. The results of the final model indicate that: psychological, physiological and sociological strain effects are the terminal consequences of occupational stress; organizational climate is largely determined by gender and job demand, control and support; age, gender, control and organizational climate are predictors of discrimination; psychological distress is predicted by age, job demand and control factors, and organizational climate; sociological stress is determined by age, job demands, discrimination and psychological distress; and age, and sociological and psychological stress effects manifest themselves as predictors of physiological stress effects. Construction employers should regularly review workload allocations, empower employees, foster a supportive work environment, conduct stress appraisals, and hold stress management workshops.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction professionals; predictive modeling; workplace stress |
| Index terms: | work environment, architect, construction manager, psychological distress, construction professional, job demand, workplace stress, South Africa, appraisal, psychological stress, construction industry, discrimination, workshop, predictive modelling, quantity surveying, integrated conceptual model, workload, civil engineer, survey, structural equation modelling, occupational stres |
| Subjects: | factor and component analysis, management, Geography, professional development, occupational health and safety management, health conditions and diseases, industry analysis, professional ethics, statistical analysis, construction type, profession, data collection methods, psychology, prediction and forecasting |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Human Resources, Legal Issues, Construction Technology, Roles and Professions, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Information Management, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here