Work stress, office clutter and employees’ performance during COVID-19 waves

Purpose The aim of the study is to test the integrated model involving work stress, office clutter and employee performance with the moderating roles of training and self-discipline (SD) after the re-opening of the banks after the COVID-19 wave. Design/methodology/approach The study used 333 respondents from banking industry, whose responses were recorded using a closed ended questionnaire. The authors used partial least square path anaysis to analyze the data. Findings Work stress significantly increases office clutter, which harms the employees’ performance. Moreover, SD and training significantly improve employees’ performance by reducing work stress and thereby office clutter. There are various mechanisms through which both these factors reduced stress and office clutter. Practical implications The employee’s performance can be enhanced with lower levels of office clutter. The office clutter can be managed through having lower levels of stress and providing people with training and inculcating SD among them. A greater understanding of the factors that count toward office clutter might help bank managers and employees to address the issues related to their performance. Originality/value The authors have proposed a new framework involving conservation of resources theory for the employees’ performance. They posit employees’ performance is an organizational resource, which can be conserved as well as enriched both by employers and employees through their own contribution.