Employee productivity in call centers is influenced by various factors, including job stress and leadership style. High job stress can reduce productivity, while transactional leadership is often applied in target-based work environments to improve performance. This study aims to analyze the impact of job stress on work productivity with transactional leadership as a mediating variable. The research used a quantitative approach with Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) analysis on 164 call center employees at PT. X in Malang City. The results indicate that job stress has a negative effect on work productivity and transactional leadership. Transactional leadership has a positive impact on work productivity and serves as a mediator in the relationship between job stress and productivity. The implications of this study highlight the importance of effective stress management and the development of adaptive transactional leadership to mitigate the negative effects of job stress and enhance employee productivity.
