Abstract:
In Ghana, the oil and gas industry is expanding more quickly, and many
businesses are making investments in the retail selling of oil. Once more, the
industry has a job that is becoming more and more demanding, requiring long
working hours, difficult duties in maintaining and adhering to proper safety
measures, and a highly competitive market. Hence, in order to increase
employee wellbeing and the effectiveness of job output, firms must now
effectively incorporate stress management practices into their policies. The
goal of the study was to assess stress and stress management strategies among
staff members of oil marketing companies (OMCs) in Accra, Ghana. The
descriptive survey technique was adopted for the study and the quantitative
approach was employed. A total sample of 180 employees participated in the
study. Questionnaire and observations were the instrument used for data
collection. The researcher found that the nature of stress experienced by the
employees in the OMCs included frequent fatigue, headaches and mood
swings. Also, the study found out that job insecurity, long working hours
among others were the major causes of stress at the workplace. The study also
found out that the effects of stress on employees were both physiological and
behavioural. That is, these factors brought about lower job satisfaction and
organizational commitment and higher levels of intention to leave the
organization. The study concluded that stress is prevalent among employees of
the OMCs in Accra and that stress affect employees in diverse ways. It is
therefore recommended that management of the OMCs should be alert of
stress signs to reduce stress wherever possible. In addition, it is also the duties
of employees to look after their own health and safety at work by adopting
coping strategies to manage stress.
