The Relationship Between the Performance and the Perceived Stress of Employees

The study aimed to determine the relationship between the job performance of individuals working in the sports industry and their perceived stress. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 474 people including 361 males and 113 females that working in a private company operating in the sports industry in Istanbul, and they were selected by purposeful sampling method. After the data showed normal distribution; Independent t-test, ANOVA and Pearson Correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. According to the result of the analysis, there was no statistically significant difference found between the job performance and perceived stress levels of the participants according to their marital status and educational status. A significant difference was found in the perceived stress levels and job performances of the individuals according to their gender and working period in the workplace. Finally, it was found that there was a negative and low-level relationship between the perceived stress scale and job performance scale. As a result, it was determined that the stress perceived by the individuals and their job performance levels differed according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the individuals, and the higher the stress levels perceived by the individuals, the lower their job performance were.


INTRODUCTION
As a result of today's competitive environment and rapid changes, people work in a stressful work environment regardless of the profession. In such an environment, it is not possible to stay away from stress. Stress causes many organizational negativities such as psychological and mental problems, dismissal from work, and a decrease in work efficiency (Tekin et al., 2019). In other words, stress is a concept that is required to handle in terms of business management.
Because stress directly affects employees and determines their behaviour, productivity, and relationships with others (Luthans, 1994: Ceylan & Ulutürk, 2006. In general, feelings of fear, anger, depression, inability, hopelessness and guilt in the individual against factors that negatively affect the adaptation process of the environment in which individuals live, disturb and deprive them of their needs are caused by the stress process (Lazarus, 1966;Yener, 2018).
Froyen, who made the first studies on stress, defines stress as a physiological reaction of the body and mentions two types of stress. The first one, useful stress (eustress), makes it easier for individuals to adapt to changes and helps increase performance. The second is harmful stress (distress), the stress that can cause loss of efficiency, health deterioration, and collapse as a result of excessive pressure (1988, as cited in Şanlı, 2017). In this context, stress sources can be grouped into three groups as physical (originating from the employee's environment), social (interpersonal relationships in working life), and emotional (frustration, anxiety, anger resulting from perception) stress (Güney, 2009;Kesen & Akyüz, 2015). When the results are examined, it is possible to divide stress into two classes as good (positive) and bad (negative). Positive stress often produces positive results. It gives people satisfaction and joy of living instead of anxiety. Positive stress usually occurs in parallel with the positive events people desire (marriage, promotion, etc.). Negative stress primarily decreases the self-confidence level of individual, and the person becomes hopeless and desperate. Negative stress usually develops in parallel with negative situations in people's lives (being unemployed, death of a relative, etc.) (Canpolat, 2006;Şahin, 2018).
Job performance is the results obtained by an employee by fulfilling the task assigned to her/him within a certain period (Özgen et al., 2002;Kahya, 2013). According to another definition, job performance gives all the actions employees have taken to fulfil their duties and the degree to which they or their businesses achieve their goals as a result of these actions (Tekingündüz et al., 2016). According to Viswesvaran and Ones, work performance can define as measurable actions, behaviour, and outputs that contribute to the goals of the organization (2000, as cited in Şantaş et al., 2016). Wu (2011) stated that the essence of job performance is based on the requirements of the job, the goals and objectives of the organization, the behaviour in the organization, and the most valued beliefs (Yurttaş et al., 2020).
Work performance is dividing into two groups as individual and organizational performance. Work performance divides into two groups as individual and organizational performance. While the employee's performance of the assigned duties in a timely and correct manner defines the individual job performance; the overall job performance of the employees defines as organizational performance (Doğan & Bayraktar, 2020). In other words, Individual-level performance is the achievement of the desired quality and number of personal results by combining one's knowledge, abilities, and skills with personal efforts and behaviours (Aktaş & Gürkan, 2015;Kızanlıklı & Çöp, 2017). Job performance in organizations fulfils the defined job by the individual's characteristics and abilities within acceptable limits. The first thing which is important for an individual's performance should be the job description, later the job must match the individual's skills and characteristics; and meet the standards that indicate the level of performance. (Falay, 2000: Çakır & Gözdoğdu, 2019. Organizations need the contributions of high-performing individuals to achieve their goals successfully, provide a competitive advantage, and offer superior value to their customers (Tabiu et al., 2016). One of the basic requirements for employees to show high performance in the working place has a healthy environment in both physical and psychological terms (Yurttaş et al., 2020). In this context, this study aimed to determine the relationship between the job performance of individuals working in the sports industry and their perceived stress, and the answers to the following questions were sought within the scope of the research.
Does the gender of individuals working in the sports industry have an impact on their job performance and perceived stress?
Does the marital status of individuals working in the sports industry have an impact on their job performance and perceived stress?
Does the educational status of individuals working in the sports industry have an impact on their job performance and perceived stress? Does the working time of individuals working in the sports industry have an effect on their job performance and perceived stress?

Research Method
This research was conducted with quantitative research methods. The research was designed with a non-experimental scanning model, and a relational model was used according to the scanning method. Relational model is a research model that aims to determine the presence or degree of change among two or more variables (Karasar, 2020).

Research Group
The research group consisted of a total of 474 people, 361 males (Meanage=38.327.71), and 113 (Meanage= 33.537.42) females, who were working in a private company operating in the sports sector in Istanbul, and selected by purposeful sampling method.

Data Collection Tools
Personal Information Form: The "Personal Information Form" prepared by the researcher was used to determine the gender, age, marital status, financial status, working place working conditions, and working period in the working place of the individuals participating in the study.
Perceived Stress Scale: The "Perceived Stress Scale" developed by Cohen et al. (1983) to determine the perceived stress levels of individuals and adapted to Turkish by Eskin et al. (2013) was used. In the Turkish adaptation study of the scale, the validity and reliability study of the 10-article and 4-article short forms, as well as the 14-article long version, were also conducted. Articles in the scale scored as (0) Never, (4) Very Often.
Job Performance Scale: The "Job Performance Scale" developed by Kirkman and Rosen (1999) to determine the job performance of employees and adapted into Turkish by Çöl (2008) and Akkoç et al., (2012) was used. The scale consisted of one dimension and four items. The scale was 5-Likert type and answered as 1 = Strongly Disagree; 5 = Strongly Agree.

Data Collection
The implementation of the data collection tools used within the scope of the study was carried out with the permission of private companies. Data collection tools were filled in voluntarily by Avunduk, Y., The Relationship Between the Performance and the Perceived Stress of Employees individuals on the online platform after they were given permission by the companies. The answers given were checked by the researcher, missing or incorrect ones were excluded from the study, and valid and acceptable ones were included in the study for evaluation.
Data Analysis SPSS 22.00 package program was used to evaluate the data. Percentage and frequency methods were used to determine the distribution of personal information of the participants.
For the tests to be used in the analysis of the collected data, the skewness and kurtosis values were examined to determine whether the data showed normal distribution or not. Sposito et al. (1983) stated that the data showed a normal distribution of skewness and kurtosis values between -3 and +3. It was determined that the skewness and kurtosis values of the data obtained from the scales used in our study were in the range of -1 to +1 (Table 2), therefore the data were assumed to have a normal distribution, and the data were analyzed with parametric tests.

FINDINGS
After the data showed normal distribution, the following hypotheses were tried to be supported by applying the t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation test in the analyzes. Within the scope of the research, below are the distribution of demographic characteristics of individuals, distribution of scale scores and analysis results.

Research Hypotheses
Within the scope of the research, the hypotheses of the study were formed as follows: H1: There is a significant difference between the job performance of individuals according to their gender.
H2: There is a significant difference between the stress perceived by individuals according to their gender.
H3: There is a significant difference between individuals' job performance according to their marital status.
H4: There is a significant difference between the stress perceived by individuals according to their marital status.
H5: There is a significant difference between job performance of individuals according to their educational status.
H6: There is a significant difference between the stress perceived by individuals according to their educational status.
H7: There is a significant difference between job performances of individuals according to their working hours.
H8: There is a significant difference between the stress perceived by individuals according to their working hours.
H9: There is a significant relationship between job performance and perceived stress. The distribution of personal information of the participants in the study shown in Table 1.
According to the analysis results, it was found that while 76.2% of the participants were "Male"; 79.7% were "Married"; 78.9% were "Undergraduate", 65.2% were between "1-3 Years" at work.  Table 2 showed the mean scores of the participants. According to the analysis results, the mean score of the work performance scale was (3.52), while the mean score of the perceived stress scale was (3.42).

Avunduk, Y., The Relationship Between the Performance and the Perceived Stress of Employees
The Effect of Gender on Individuals' Job Performance and Perceived Stress In Table 3, independent t-test results regarding the scale scores of the participants according to their gender given. According to the analysis results, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the perceived stress levels of the participants according to their gender (p <0.05). It was determined that the stress level perceived by females were higher than the stress level perceived by males. Moreover, a significant difference was determined between the job performance levels of the individuals according to their gender (p<0.05). Females' job performance was higher than males job performance. In Table 4, independent t-Test results regarding the scale scores according to the marital status of the participants were given. According to the analysis results, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the perceived stress levels according to the marital status of the individuals (p>0.05). There was no significant difference between the job performance levels of the individuals according to their marital status (p>0.05). In Table 5, the results of ANOVA analysis regarding the scale scores according to the educational status of the participants in the research were given. According to the analysis results, there was no statistically significant difference determined between the perceived stress levels of the participants according to their educational status (p> 0.05). Besides, there was no significant difference determined between the job performance levels of the individuals according to their educational status (p> 0.05).

The Effect of Education Status on Individuals' Job Performance and Perceived Stress
The Effect of Working Time on Individuals' Job Performance and Perceived Stress In Table 6, ANOVA analysis results were given regarding the scale scores of the participants in the study according to their working period in a working place. According to the analysis results, there was a statistically significant difference determined between the perceived stress levels of the participants according to their working period in the working place (p <0.05). It was determined that the perceived stress levels of individuals who worked in a business for 7 years or more were higher. There was a significant difference determined between the work performance levels of the participants according to their working period in the working place (p <0.05). Moreover, it was determined that the participants who were working in an enterprise for 7 years or more have higher job performance levels compared to other individuals.
The Relationship between Job Performance and Perceived Stress

DISCUSSION
The study aimed to determine the relationship between the job performance of individuals working in the sports industry and their perceived stress. In this context, the result of the research was discussed and interpreted in this section.
It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the stress levels perceived by individuals according to the gender variable. In other words, the stress levels perceived by females were higher than the stress levels perceived by males. While the results of the study conducted by Özgan et al. (2008) and Arslan (2018) was not parallel with the results of this study, the stress levels of males were found to be higher than females in the study by Kesen and Akyüz (2015) and Tokgöz and Önen (2021). Similarly, in their study examining the relationship between individuals' perceived stress levels and their strategies for dealing with stress, Savcı and Aysan (2014), it was determined that females' stress levels were higher than male's. In this context, the results of this study were parallel with the results of the study conducted by Savcı and Aysan (2014). When the job performance levels of females and males were examined, it was determined that female's job performance was higher than males. There was no difference determined between individuals' job performances according to their gender in the study by Özdemir et al. (2019) that was about The Mediating Role of person-organization Fit in the Effect of Leader Support and Organizational Justice Perception on Job Performance. In this context, the result of Özdemir et al.'s (2019) study and the results of this study was not parallel. According to the marital status variable, there was no statistically significant difference determined between the stress levels perceived in the participants. In other words, although the perceived stress levels of single individuals were higher than married participants, this difference was not significant. In the study conducted by Görün et al. (2020), no significant difference determined between the stress levels perceived by the participants according to their marital status. Similarly, in the study conducted by Yanık (2017), it was found that there was no difference between the stress levels of the participants according to their marital status.
The results of the studies conducted by Görün et al. (2020) and Yanık (2017) were parallel with the results of this study. Similarly, no statistically significant difference was found between the job performance levels of the individuals according to their marital status. The result of the Özdemir et al.'s (2019) study and the results of this study were parallel.
There was no significant difference determined between the stress levels perceived by individuals according to their educational status. In general, although the perceived stress levels of university graduates were higher, this difference was not thought to be significant. Arslan (2018) stated, there was no relationship between individuals' educational status and perceived stress in her study about the relationship between individuals 'conscious awareness, depression, and perceived stress. Again, in the study conducted by Yanık (2017), there was no difference found between the stress levels of the participants and their educational status. As a result, the results of the study conducted by Arslan's (2018) and Yanık (2017) parallel to the results of this study. When the job performance levels of the participants were examined according to their education levels, there was no statistically significant difference found between the job performance of the individuals and their educational status. In other words, it can be explained that the education level of the individuals did not affect their job performance. It was determined that there was a significant difference between the stress levels perceived by individuals according to their working period in the working place. In other words, individuals Avunduk, Y., The Relationship Between the Performance and the Perceived Stress of Employees who were working in the working place for 7 years or more have higher perceived stress levels than other individuals. In the study conducted by Yanık (2017), According to their professional experience, it was determined that individuals with 25 years of professional experience have higher stress levels. Similarly, it was determined that individuals who were working for 7 years or more have higher job performance levels than other individuals. In the study by Karaman et al. (2020), which examined the effect of organizational exclusion on job performance and intention to quit, it was stated that there was no significant difference between individuals' job performance by years of service. In this context, the results of the study conducted by Karaman et al. (2020) and the results of this study were not parallel.

CONCLUSION
As a result, it was found that there was a negative and low-level relationship between perceived stress and job performance. In other words, as the stress levels perceived by individuals increase, their job performance levels increase. As a result, both the stress the female perceived and their job performances were higher compared to males. Even though the stress single individuals perceived and their job performances were higher, this difference was not significant. Besides, it can be understood that there was no significant difference between the perceived stress and job performances of graduate education. Both the perceived stress of individuals who worked in the business for 7 years or more and their job performances were higher compared to other individuals. Finally, it was concluded that the stress perceived by individuals increased, their job performance decreased. Therefore, it is recommended that companies should look for solutions to improve their job performance, especially to eliminate the stress situations of employees.