Tag Archive for Career

| May 26, 2017
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Demand for Project Managers Dropping

Demand for Project Managers DroppingThe role of IT project managers is critical, as new technology adoption, regulatory compliance, outsourcing, and other factors make it vital that projects be properly planned and controlled.

project managers as a percentage of the IT staff dropped

Computer Economics says that too few organizations adequately staff the project manager function and, as a result, too many projects fall short of objectives, miss deadlines, or overrun budgets. In their report, IT Project Management Staffing Ratios (Reg. Req.), the research firm found that project managers as a percentage of the IT staff dropped slightly at the median from 4.8% in 2015 to 4.5% in 2016.

project managers as a percentage of the IT staff
The Irvine, CA-based firm speculates that there are a variety of reasons for the recent decline in the percentage of project managers. They found that like other IT functions, the staffing ratio for project managers is in flux. The percentages of staff in certain other IT job categories are growing, with a higher percentage going to application development, business analytics, and security. This, by definition, pushes down the percentage in project management.

project managers handle more projectsOther reasons Computer Economics cites include the improvement in project management tools, which might allow project managers to handle more projects. It also appears a small number of companies might be abandoning the dedicated role of project manager, combining it with the role of lead developer, for example. The study also blames the growing popularity of agile development, with its focus on, also may be contributing to the decline in project management as a discrete function. However, this decline has only been recent and may not yet reflect a trend. Tom Dunlap, research director for Computer Economics said,

Despite the slight drop in the percentage of PMs, I’d be surprised if that turned into a long-term trend. With the rapidly changing nature of technology in the enterprise and the generally bad track record of IT departments getting projects in on time and on budget, I expect the percentage of PMs to go up.

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Compare this data to that PMI reported in their Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap 2017–2027 (PDF) report where they are making the case for a growing job market for PMs. The report claims that through 2027, the global project management-oriented labor force in seven project-oriented sectors is expected to grow by 33 percent, or nearly 22 million new jobs.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Project Management | Tags: , , , , , ,
| June 17, 2016
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Your Next Job

Your Next JobHate your job? The Business Insider says that only 19% of IT professionals are really happy at work. Still feeling the bite of the 2008 depression, market correction, recession, recovery that wont recover? Here is an out-of-this-world opportunity. NASA wants you to apply for a  job on Mars.

Work on Mars

The space agency released a series of recruitment posters that advertise potential positions that may one day need to be filled on Mars. The posters feature ads for farmers, surveyors, teachers, technicians, and other positions.

Journey to Mars‘ (PDF) plans to colonize the Red Planet envisions people living and working in Martian colonies beginning in 2030.

You can download all the posters from the NASA website.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , ,
| June 9, 2015
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IT Pro Relationships Suffer From Stress

IT Pro Relationships Suffer From StressGFI Software released the results of their fourth annual IT Admin Stress Survey. The GFI Presser says IT professionals are increasingly feeling job-related stress. The IT Pros want to quit their current job due to stress. The study found that 78% of those surveyed experienced workplace stress. Almost 82% of respondents are actively considering leaving their current IT job due to workplace stress and dissatisfaction with working conditions.

TGFI Softwarehe new survey revealed a new four-year high in the number of relationships that have been impacted by work commitments intruding on personal life. More than 25% experienced this in the last year, up from 23% last year. Sergio Galindo, general manager of GFI Software observed;

… this year’s IT Stress Survey makes for worrying reading. The 2015 survey results clearly show a substantial deterioration of the work/life balance and job satisfaction among the US IT workforce 

Key findings from the GFI survey

  • substantial deterioration of the work/life balance78% of all U.S. IT staff surveyed consider their job stressful – up 1% from 2014.
  • 45% have missed social functions due to overrunning issues and tight deadlines at work, up from 38% in 2014.
  • 40% report missing time with their children due to work demands imposing on their personal time.
  • 38% of IT staff regularly lose sleep due to work pressures.
  • The number of respondents experiencing stress-related illnesses increased slightly, to 27% from 25% in 2014.
  • 19% continue to report feeling in poor physical condition due to work demands, up 25% from last year.

Management and users cause stress

Pressure and unreasonable demands from management clearly emerged as the biggest contributing factor to workplace stress in 2015.

  • substantial deterioration of job satisfaction28% of those surveyed singled out management as their biggest point of stress, down from over 36% last year.
  • Stress caused by the users that IT staff look after jumped from 16% to 23%.

Unpaid overtime

This year’s survey revealed continuing high amount of unpaid overtime required by IT staff to meet deadlines and deployments.

  • 48% of those surveyed work up to eight unpaid hours of overtime a week, with a mean average of 8.1 hours a week of unpaid overtime worked.
  • 47% of those surveyed work eight hours or more overtime, unpaid, every week.

GFI GM Galindo observed:

Realistic IT budgets and staffing headcounts make a huge difference in both workplace happiness and productivity, for example, as does automating mundane and time-intensive tasks such as resetting passwords, patching computers and servers and looking for network vulnerabilities

increases in staff looking to find another jobThe GFI presser concludes that for the fourth year running, high workplace stress levels for IT professionals is an issue. The stress is dramatically impacting both employees and employers. These impacts are illustrated by increases in staff looking to find another job. Staff working increasing amounts of unpaid overtime to cope with workloads. A growing number of IT staff are also experiencing substantial disruption to their personal lives as a result of work demands.

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GFI has conducted this poll year after year and the results have not changed. Stress, stress, and more stress. 

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Health care | Tags: , , , , ,
| April 11, 2013
Comments Off on 73% of Admins Still Want to Quit Due to Stress

73% of Admins Still Want to Quit Due to Stress

Most IT Admins Still Want to Quit Due to StressThe number of IT professionals considering leaving their job due to workplace stress has jumped from 69% last year to 73% according to a recent survey by  GFI Software. The article in Help Net Security underlining the increasingly challenging business landscape in the UK and the growing emphasis being placed on IT to help businesses grow, thrive, and compete.  Phil Bousfield, GM IT Operations at GFI Software says that IT staffers are under pressure. “Companies are more reliant than ever on IT innovation, uptime, and speed of deployment, and thus, IT staff are under extreme pressure to deliver for the benefit of the whole business.”

GFI SoftwareOne-third of those surveyed by GFI Software cited dealing with managers as their most stressful job requirement, particularly for IT staff in larger organizations, while handling end-user support requests, budget squeeze, and tight deadlines were also singled out as the main causes of workplace stress for IT managers.

IT jobs impact personal life

The blog list other key findings from the survey:

  • 68% of all IT administrators surveyed consider their job stressful.
  • 49% are working six or more hours overtime a week.
  • 35% of respondents have missed social functions due to work issues.
  • 30% of those surveyed have missed out on planned family time because of work demands.
  • 28% of IT admins point to a lack of budget and staff needed to get the job done as their primary reasons for job stress.

sources of stressThe top sources of stress for IT admins are:

  • Management (35%)
  • Tight deadlines (19%)
  • Lack of budget (17%)
  • Users (16%).

To drive up IT admin’s stress, the most common user issues reported in the article were complaints of hardware not working, only for IT to find the device was either not switched on or not plugged in, and users spilling tea, coffee, and other beverages over their computer or keyboard and then denying they had done it. Some of the most ridiculous things that respondents said they had seen an end-user do include:

  • complaints of hardware not workingComplaining their mouse wasn’t working when they were trying to use a foam stress squeezer.
  • Thinking there was a ghost in her PC when IT support staff remoted into it to deliver support.
  • Reporting the Windows version as being “Patio Doors.”
  • Folding up a 5.25inch floppy disc to fit it into a 3.5inch disc drive.

A total of 80% of participants told GFI that their job had negatively affected their personal life in some way. The author states that the impact that work stress is having on health and relationships is a great concern.  Mr. Bousfield said, “We all know that a happy workforce is a productive workforce, so it is concerning that so many of our survey respondents are stressed to the point that they are actively considering leaving their current role in order to achieve a better work/life balance.”

The survey discovered some significant personal impacts the IT career has had on the personal lives of IT workers:

  • 28% have lost sleep due to work
  • 26% have had to cancel commitments to family and friends due to work.
  • 19% do not feel great physically as a result of stress
  • 18% have suffered stress-related health issues due to their work
  • Another 18% also revealed they had experienced a strained or failed relationship due to work stress.

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The IT business can be a grinder, not only because it’s hard, but everybody is an expert because they can use their iPhone. I have covered the health impact of the IT business here and here.

GFI’s Bousfield concludes that the research is a stark reminder that IT staff need to be supported and given the right resources – staff, budget, and technology – to do their jobs well. Management needs to be an enabler, not an obstacle for IT progress.

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Health care | Tags: , , , , , , ,
| September 4, 2012
Comments Off on IT Admins Switching Careers Due to Stress

IT Admins Switching Careers Due to Stress

IT Admins Switching Careers Due to StressHelp Net Security highlights a report from GFI Software which reports that 67% of IT administrators have considered switching careers due to job stress. IT administrators cited managers, users (employees), and tight deadlines as the biggest job stressors. GFI’s survey results (PDF) also revealed that IT professionals tend to work long overtime hours, with one-third working up to 10 extra weeks per year.

GFI Software logoThe independent blind survey, which polled 204 IT administrators in U.S. organizations ranging from 10 to more than 500 employees, gauged respondents’ stress levels at work and revealed their opinions on their main stressors, as well as how their stress level compares to friends and family, and how it affects their personal and professional lives.

Key findings from the GFI Software survey include:

  • Nearly 70% of all IT administrators surveyed consider their job stressful.
  • Greater than 67% of IT administrators consider switching careers on either an occasional (43%) or regular (25%) basis due to job stress.
  • 72% of respondents consider themselves either just as stressed as or the most stressed compared to others in their social circle.
  • While less than half (47%) of IT admins at companies with between 10 and 49 employees say their jobs are stressful, that number skyrockets to 83% when those at companies with between 50 and 99 employees are polled, representing the most stressed group in the respondent base.
  • The top three sources of stress for IT admins are management (28%), tight deadlines (20%), and the users they support (18%).
  • IT admins in the Northeast are the most stressed in the country (74%). Midwesterners are the least stressed, with nearly two-thirds (64%) still saying their job is stressful.

their job has affected their personal lifeIn addition to the stressors themselves, IT admins also told GFI that they routinely put in many overtime hours beyond the traditional 40-hour workweek. More than one in three (36%) say they work eight hours or more of overtime during an average week, which adds up to nearly 10 extra weeks per year.

Nearly 85% of respondents feel as though their job has affected their personal life in some way. According to the survey results, respondents have:

  • Lost sleep over work (42%)
  • Missed out on social functions (40%)
  • Missed time with their kids (39%)
  • Canceled commitments to friends and family due to work (35%).

Additionally, many GFI survey respondents say their jobs have even affected their health. Nearly one in four (22 percent) say they don’t feel great physically and 20 percent say they have experienced stress-related health issues, such as high blood pressure.

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The article concludes with Phil Bousfield, general manager of GFI Software’s Infrastructure Business Unit who says; “IT is a critical component of a company’s success.” He says, “firms … need to take these findings as a wake-up call, and ensure their IT staff is supported, productive, and armed with the tools they need to be successful. Doing so will deliver business value and help IT admins have a better work-life balance.”

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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