Job stress and quality of work life through job engagement in private higher education institutions in Muscat, Oman

This study examines the association between job stress and Quality of Work Life (QWL) among academic staff in private higher education institutions (HEIs) in Muscat, Oman. Drawing on Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory, the study uses a quantitative cross-sectional design and 303 complete responses analysed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Job stress was measured through time stress and anxiety stress, while QWL was operationalised through the eight dimensions of Walton’s model. The reported estimate comes from the full structural model, which also includes job satisfaction, remote e-working, and job engagement. Job stress was negatively associated with job engagement (β = −0.271, t = 3.665, p < 0.001), and job engagement was positively associated with QWL (β = 0.765, t = 18.397, p < 0.001). The resulting specific indirect association between job stress and QWL through job engagement was negative and significant (β = −0.207, t = 3.886, p < 0.001). The full model jointly explained 58.5% of the variance in QWL and showed predictive relevance for QWL (Q² = 0.228). These findings are consistent with the JD-R health-impairment process, but the cross-sectional design does not establish causality. The paper contributes context-specific evidence from Omani private HEIs and identifies workload governance and faculty support as possible managerial responses rather than tested interventions.