Background: Stress is a state, indicative of worry or mental tension associated with a difficult situation. It is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives. Health and stress are biochemically linked, and that chronic stress created physiological illness when the endocrine system became exhausted in its general adaptation syndrome theory. This research paper aimed to assess job stress and its reduction mechanism among primary health care (PHC) workers in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria as well as its translation beyond the workplace.

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used to study 250 Primary Health Care (PHC) workers in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria who were selected by multi-stage sampling technique, to determine their views and perspectives on job stress, using structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and descriptive and inferential statistics, used in presenting characteristics of respondents.

Results: Majority of the respondents (62.4%) had worked for 5 years and above, meaning respondents have enough experience to substantiate issues of job stress and its reduction strategies. Also, 62.8% of the respondents indicated inadequate staff strength in their various units, but up to 94.8% of them reported completion of daily workload at their respective units in order to meet up task. While 42.8% of the respondents indicated, having working duration of 9 hours and above. Overwhelming majority (97.6%) of the respondents indicated no presence of facilities to reduce job stress in their workplaces, while 85.6% of them indicated, the need for formulation and implementation of effective policies to reduce job stress in their respective workplaces; whereas 74% ofthe respondents advocated for management of health facilities to come up with intervention to reduce stress at work. More so there was significant (X2 = 68.488a, df =1; P<0.05) relationship between occurrence of long working duration and tight work schedule of respondents. But no significant association (X2 = 3.010a, df =1; P=0.08) between, compulsory completion of daily task and staff strength, depicting that staff strength does not significantly control compulsory completion of daily task. Also, there exist, nonsignificant (X2 = 2.160a, df=1; P=0.14) relationship between the presence of stress easing facility and management intervention to ease stress on respondents.

Recommendation/Conclusion: There is need to put in place strategic policies and stress reduction management techniques, that will transcend beyond the workplace for sustainable performance of the workforce. Therefore, the adoption of the four (4) optional “As”- avoid, alter, adapt or accept remain the need to know as the mainstay of stress management beyond the workplace. While the must to know emphasizes stress as not a disease on itself, but an adaptation syndrome and the best stress management strategy is adequate rest and avoiding the specific stressors.