Bach Seat

The 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.”

One-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.

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.

The 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:

• Complaining 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

• Work Is Biggest Cause Of Stress In People’s Lives (medicalnewstoday.com)

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.