Individual differences and occupational stress perceived: a Croatian survey

Apart from elaborating the concept of occupational stress (through it’s definition, sources, consequences, ways of dealing with it, and it’s relationship with individual differences), the research had two objectives: (1) to measure occupational stress levels among different categories of employees working in Croatian enterprises, and (2) to study and analyze stress in Croatia in relation to individual differences (gender, age, marital status, parenthood, number of children, hierarchical level, department, and working hours). The greatest level of stress perceive respondents who have three or more children, who are more than 50 year old, and those employed in marketing, at middle levels or in procurement, while the lowest level of stress perceive employees younger than 30 years of age, those employed in HR, finances and production, and parents of one child. Concerning the relationship between individual differences and levels of stress experienced, although the cross-sectional design of the study does not allow for causal interpretation of relationships found, findings suggest that there is a connection between age, marital status, parenthood, number of children and hierarchical level, and the way stress is perceived, while gender, department and working hours are not connected to it. The research integrated a broader set of antecedent variables which enable a better understanding of the demographic and work factors that lead to occupational stress. That should subsequently help managers understand a greater proportion of the variance of employees’ satisfaction, performance and turnover, and help them better deal with it.