STRESS MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN PRIVATE BANKS IN GHANA: A CASE OF UT BANK IN THE WESTERN REGION OF GHANA

ABSTRACT This study aimed at investigating the effects of stress on employee’s performance in UT Bank in the Western Region of Ghana. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The study involved 50 participants, comprising 10 managers and 40 employees. Simple convenient and purposive sampling technique were used in selecting the respondents. Questionnaires were the main instruments used to collect data. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyse the quantitative data, using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 21. The questionnaires generated a standardised Cronbach Alpha coefficient of .76. The research indicated that though all the respondents are at different levels of responsibility and working in the same place under similar conditions, they all respond to the pressure of the work in different ways. In other words, stressors at UT Bank, Ghana limited does not have the same effect on all the employees who participated in the study. The study concludes that stress management in the workplace is about helping employees to cope with stress that cannot be avoided, and about reducing opportunities for employee stress wherever possible. Though it is important for managers to be alert for signs of stress among their staff, it is also the duty of employees to look after their own health and safety at work, and to draw problems to the attention of their managers, at an early stage. It is recommended there is the need for the employer to show they take stress seriously and are therefore understanding towards employees who admit to being under stress