Abstract

This study was conducted within the retail credit evaluation and assessment (RCEA) units at one of the big four banks in South Africa. The objective of this study was to determine the overall stress levels of employees working within this environment based on demographics, length of service and qualification levels. A total of 77 respondents were targeted of which 40 respondents completed the questionnaire. Respondents emerged from three provinces, that is KwaZulu-Natal (30%), Gauteng (47%) and Western Cape (23%). The results of the survey revealed that 47.3% of the respondents identified their current stress levels as very high to high. A further 44.7% experienced moderate stress levels and 7.9% who rated their stress levels as low or very low. Almost two thirds (65.5%) of the respondents indicated that they would participate in a healthy lifestyle programme and that 67.6% of respondents would attend monthly physical checks by medical practitioners if provided by the employer. The study benefits the banking industry by identifying the factors that cause stress. Strategies can then be developed and implemented to manage stress levels of employees.

Key words: Banking, workplace stress, employee stress levels, healthy lifestyle programmes, employee assistance programmes, stress management.