MULTI CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS OF WORKPLACE STRESS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES

Abstract

Workplace stress is a major issue that has major implications for the health of employees and the prosperity of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses. Despite the abundance of research on workplace stress, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) still lack a comprehensive framework that considers several criteria to analyze and rank stress variables. This thesis aims to close that gap by utilizing multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) to evaluate and rank sources of stress in the workplace for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The goals of the research were met by using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the TOPSIS technique. To begin, we conduct a literature review to identify and classify the many causes of occupational stress that have been identified in prior research. Workload, job instability, role ambiguity, role conflicts, and not having a proper balance between work and personal life are all examples of personal and organizational pressures. The selected policy alternatives are based on five main parameters (Demand, relationship, Control, Risk and Role), 16 sub-parameters, and three alternatives. A hierarchical decision model has been developed by using these parameters and their criteria selected for the study. A questionnaire-based survey has been conducted for data collection at different SMEs covering the Taxila, Hattar and Islamabad region. After analyzing the data, it is concluded that in the main criteria Demand factor has the most significant effect in the workplace. It also finds that the role factor has the least significant criteria. Talking about the ranking of the alternatives, Stress management workshops have the highest priority which helps us to minimize workplace stress.