The mediating role of organisational stress in the relationship between gender diversity and employee performance in Ghanaian public hospitals

The presence of organisational stress in public hospitals in Ghana significantly affects both the standard of patient care and the overall efficiency of the healthcare delivery system. This level of stress results in burnout, diminished job satisfaction, and more errors. The study leverages social categorisation and identification theory to investigate the mediation role of organisational stress in the relationship between gender diversity and employee performance. The Cochran formula was used to determine the sample size, arriving at a sample size of 384. The Multistage sampling technique used Inclusion and exclusion criteria to collect data from 384 health professionals working in 40 public hospitals in southern Ghana. The collected data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), emphasising path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and bootstrapping methods. The study discovered that gender diversity had a positive and significant impact on employee performance and organisational stress. The findings revealed that organisational stress had a positive and significant influence on employee performance. The results of the bootstrapping analysis revealed that organisational stress partially mediates the relationship between gender diversity and employee performance. Impaired employee performance might result from organisational stress in the context of gender diversity. To tackle this issue, managers should encourage a work atmosphere that promotes, supports, recognises and reduces sources of stress and implements specific measures that optimise the advantages of diversity while minimising the risks linked to stress.