The study reveals various stressors affecting professors, including organisational stressors like funding constraints and departmental politics, workload and time management pressures, and organisational dysfunction such as unclear performance expectations and administrative burdens. It also uncovers a negative correlation between job stress and teaching effectiveness, highlighting the need to support professors’ well-being to maintain the quality of education. Through factor analysis, three distinct stress factors are identified: “Organisational Stressors,” “Workload and Time Management,” and “Organisational Dysfunction.” Each factor encapsulates related stressors and significantly contributes to professors’ overall job stress. These findings have significant implications for academia, suggesting the importance of targeted interventions, enhanced teaching quality, strategic human resource practices, and ongoing professional development to create a conducive and less stressful academic environment. In conclusion, addressing job stress among professors is essential to promote both the well-being of educators and the quality of higher education.