Improving employee performance by building stress management among banking employees

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractStress is a significant issue affecting employee productivity worldwide. This is especially true for banking employees who are famous for their high workload and pressure. The study seeks to determine how stress management initiatives influence work-life balance and self-efficacy, and how these elements jointly drive employee performance. The research was conducted between December 2024 and January 2025, employing a quantitative research design. The population consisted of employees working in Indonesian State-Owned Enterprise banks. Data for this study were obtained using interval-scale questionnaires and processed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the assistance of SmartPLS 4. The results demonstrated that both work-life balance and self-efficacy exerted a positive and statistically significant impact on employee performance (p < 0.05). Moreover, a significant positive association was found between work-life balance and self-efficacy (p < 0.05), emphasizing its role in cultivating employees’ confidence and competence. Self-efficacy also acted as a mediating variable linking work-life balance to performance (p < 0.05). Collectively, these findings highlight that effective stress management contributes to improved employee outcomes. Within the banking sector, fostering work-life balance is a vital strategy to minimize stress and enhance performance, while strengthening self-efficacy amplifies these benefits. The mediating role of self-efficacy highlights its contribution in translating balanced work-life conditions into higher performance. Therefore, organizations experiencing high stress and turnover rates are encouraged to integrate work-life balance programs and self-efficacy development into their employee management strategies.AcknowledgmentThe author expresses sincere gratitude to Universitas Sumatera Utara, particularly the Research Institute, for their invaluable support throughout this study. Appreciation is also extended to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology through the DPPM program (number: 82/UN5.4.10.K/PT.01.03/KP-DPPM/2025), which has provided intellectual and financial assistance.