Occupational Stress and Emotional Intelligence among Greek Bank Employees

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the occupational stress experienced by bank employees in Greece and its connection with emotional intelligence and demographic factors. More specifically, the feeling of occupational stress and the level of emotional intelligence among Greek bank employees are investigated both separately and in correlation. In addition, it is investigated how demographic characteristics are likely to affect the feeling of occupational stress and the level of emotional intelligence of employees in bank institutions in Greece. In addition, the study investigates whether the individual dimensions of emotional intelligence are likely to predict the level of occupational stress experienced by Greek bank employees. The sample of the present study consisted of 192 employees of Greek banks and credit institutions. The instruments used for data collection were the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983) (Cronbach’s α =0.85) and the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (Schuutte et al., 1998) (Chronbach’s α = 0.90). The Perceived Stress Scale consisted of 10 questions, six of which were formulated negatively and measured the level of stress experienced by the employees, while the rest four were formulated positively an