Does leadership style impact perceived job stress among IT employees?

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether leadership style of managers impacts perceived job stress among IT employees. Cross-sectional research on 44 software companies was conducted through a questionaire. The sample set of the study consists of employees working in the organization for atleast 3 years. Responses were analysed using regression analyses. Transformational leadership was measured through an eight-item scale adopted from the study of Zhenget al. (2016) while transactional leadership was measured by an eight-item scale adopted from the study of Felfe and Schyns (2002). An outcome variable perceived stress scale was measured through a 14-item scale used by Cohen (1983). The result indicates a positive relation between transformational leadership and transactional leadership style with job stress. Managers should address mental wellness at the workplace through a clearly articulated workplace policy on mental health as well as recommend training managers on mental health which could help them not only recognize a stressed employee, but also reduce chances of job stress.