In recent years the rise in stress has seen across all spheres of life, particularly in the workplace. Stress in organizations is a wide-spread phenomenon with far-reaching practical and economic consequences. Various studies have been conducted to examine the relationship between job stress and job performance. Job performance can be viewed as an activity in which an individual is able to accomplish the task assigned to him/her successfully, subject to the normal constraints of reasonable utilization of the available resources.
In carrying out the study, random sampling technique was used to select 200 employees of different commercial banks operating in Kigali, Rwanda. Relevant data were collected using structured questionnaire. The chi-square test and t-test was used to test the hypothesis. The findings showed that job stress brings about subjective effects such as feeling undervalued and workplace victimization, unclear role( role ambiguity), work home interface; fear of joblessness, exposure to traumatic incidents at work and economic instability among our target population, resulting in poor concentration, mental block and poor decision making skills. Based on these findings, it was recommended that organizations should reduce psychological strain, work overload and role ambiguity through adoption of job redesign techniques. Organizational support activities such as counseling and stress reduction workshops should also be increased .The results revealed a negative relationship between Job stress and employees‟ job performance and shows that job stress significantly reduces the employee’s job performance.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background
The workplace of the 21st century is a fast-paced, dynamic, highly stimulating environment which brings a large number of benefits and opportunities to those who work within it. The ever-changing demands of the working world can increase levels of stress, especially for those who are