The influence of workload on occupational stress: A conceptual framework for understanding workplace well-being

Abstract

Occupational stress has become a critical concern in organizational research due to its direct impact on employees’ psychological health, performance, and organizational effectiveness. Among the many antecedents of stress, workload is consistently identified as one of the most significant contributors across different occupational settings. Excessive workload, whether in terms of quantity (volume of tasks) or quality (complexity and demands), can overwhelm an individual’s coping capacity and create heightened stress responses. This paper proposes a conceptual framework positioning workload as the independent variable (IV) and occupational stress as the dependent variable (DV), drawing upon two foundational perspectives: the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and the Job Demand–Control (JDC) Model. The discussion highlights theoretical contributions, managerial implications, and methodological orientations for empirical testing. This concept paper also identifies gaps in the current body of knowledge, particularly in underexplored contexts such as the public sector in developing countries, and suggests future research directions for advancing both theory and practice in organizational stress management