Work Stress And Competence As Direct Predictors of Employee Performance: Work-Life Balance Does Not Mediate The Relationships

Abstract

This study examines the effects of work stress and competence on employee performance and tests whether work-life balance mediates these relationships among employees of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency (Dinas PUPR) of Palembang City. Using a quantitative associative design, data were collected from 180 of 358 employees through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS. The results show that work stress has a negative and significant effect on employee performance, whereas competence has a positive and significant effect. Competence also has a positive and significant effect on work-life balance, while work stress does not significantly affect work-life balance. Work-life balance does not have a significant direct effect on employee performance. The indirect effects of work stress and competence on employee performance through work-life balance are also not significant at the 5% level. These findings indicate that employee performance is more directly associated with managing work stress and strengthening competence than with work-life balance as a mediating mechanism