Occupational stress in the accounting profession

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to identify the occupational stressors that an accounting professional may encounter; to examine the adverse effects that are being caused by occupational stress; and to examine any coping strategies that are being adopted by accounting professionals on a personal and organisational level. Design: The research objectives of this dissertation aim to explore and gain a deeper understanding of the topic under investigation. For this reason, a qualitative research approach was adopted via seventeen one-to-one, semi-structured interviews with accounting professionals. Findings: This study indicated that there are several occupational stressors present in the accounting profession. The most prominent stressors included role ambiguity; role conflict; role overload; responsibility for others; changes in regulation; and technological advancements. Such occupational stressors lead to numerous adverse effects including job dissatisfaction; low job performance; absenteeism; turnover intentions; and ultimately burnout. Due to such adverse effects, coping strategies have to be adopted, both on a personal and an organisational level. Findings showed that the most common personal coping strategies include regular exercise; time management; and spending time with family and friends. From an organisational perspective, initiatives such as flexible work arrangements resulted to be an effective coping strategy for accounting professionals. Conclusions: This study concluded that occupational stress is evident in the accounting profession. The findings identified various stressors; adverse effects of occupational stress; and coping strategies that the accounting professionals experience and adopt respectively. Value: Although this study’s findings are in line with the literature pertaining to occupational stress in the accounting profession, the qualitative findings of this study add a further insight to such extant literature.