Workforce size and work-related role stress

This paper examines the relationships between workforce size and four work-role stressors, along with two variables that are proposed here to mediate these relationships: objective organizational support and perceived organizational support. A total of 112 clerical workers in organizations of 1-500 employees participated in the study. Workforce size was positively associated with role ambiguity, role conflict, quantitative and qualitative role overload, and objective organizational support; and it was negatively correlated with perceived organizational support. Partial correlations were then computed between workforce size and role stress, controlling sequentially for objective and perceived support. The relationships between workforce size and the four role stressors remained significant when objective support was controlled. However, the corresponding relationships were non-significant after partialling out the effects of perceived organizational support, which suggests that the effect of workforce size on role stressors is indirect, and a function of perceived organizational support.