The Relationship Between Occupational Stress and Organizational Commitment in Non-Governmental Organizations of Pakistan

The purpose of this research was to extend the existing body of knowledge on the relationship between occupational stress and employees’ organizational commitment into the context of non-governmental organizations of Pakistan, as little research have been conducted on this relationship in Pakistan. It was a descriptive correlational study in which scientific methodology was used to answer the research questions. Based upon the review of the recent literature available on the subject, a conceptual framework was developed to study the relationship between occupational stress and organizational commitment in the NGO sector in Pakistan. The framework illustrates three dimensions of occupational stress including occupational role stress, personal strain and coping resources and their hypothesized relationship with organizational commitment, as well as the influence of some major demographic factors including age, experience, job position, gender, qualification, income and marital status on the relationship between occupational stress and organizational commitment. Occupational stress inventory-Revised Edition and Organizational Commitment Questionnaire were used to collect data. The overall response rate from the NGO employees was 64%. Several statistical techniques, including arithmetic mean, standard deviation, correlation analysis, percentile analysis and analysis of variance-ANOVA were used to test the hypotheses of the study. Consistent with prior research, an inverse relationship was found between occupational stress and organizational commitment. The level of occupational stress experienced by NGO employees was found to be high. The occupational roles that employees play were reported as the main source of stress. The level of employees’ organizational commitment was generally moderate but with a tendency towards high. Normative commitment was reported as the strongest form of commitment. Demographic variables of age, experience, job position and income as well as gender significantly influenced the relationship between occupational stress and organizational commitment. This study is significant because of the insights it provides for the NGO managers to better understand the occupational stressors inherent in the functions of their workforce. Furthermore, this study develops an understanding of the commitment process and its relationship with occupational stress to promote commitment among employees and help them achieve their organizational goals effectively. NGO management can utilize the research findings to formulate appropriate strategies to address the stress related problems of their employees.