Investigating occupational stress among construction project managers in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the stressful industries and managing construction projects is critical due to the constrains in resources, time, and extreme working conditions. Hence, occupational stress (OS) level of Project Managers is higher, with compared to the other industries. Stress can have significant implications on the performance of the individual’s health and organization. Therefore, managing OS among above said personnel is important in the aspects of personal wellbeing and the accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives. The study carried out to investigate the OS of project managers in the Sri Lankan construction industry, and to propose strategies to overcome the same. Mixed method research approach was undertaken under two steps. Preliminary survey (step 1) and questionnaire survey (step 2) were carried out to collect data and manual content analysis and statistical analysis using MS Excel software used for analyzing data. Tight budget, pressure to make decisions without adequate information, managing safety & environment issues, ambitious deadlines, work overload, Inadequate staffing, extended working hours, inadequate resources, lack of autonomy, work demand and role ambiguity were the significant job-related factors. Poorly designed offices spaces, interpersonal relationship skills, excessive noise, inappropriate lighting and overcrowd were the significant non-job-related factors. Setting faithful deadlines, increased career development opportunities, socialization with friends & family, engaging with various entertainments, and programs for developing skills of managing stress level, have significant impact on reducing occupational stress among project managers in the Sri Lankan construction industry.