IT Job Stress Is Down, Pride Is Up: Study
A survey shows IT professionals are feeling pretty good about their jobs and their prospects in a sector that has a 2.5% unemployment rate.
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We've got some good news for a change. If you are reading this, you are probably less stressed than last year, according to a survey from TEKsystems, an IT staffing firm.
TEKsystems' annual IT Stress and Pride survey polled 1,000 IT workers at all levels. The results indicate you're much happier than you were a year ago about your decision to work in IT. For the most part, the things causing you stress are changing for the better.
The best news might be the reason for the change: One of the things TEKsystems is seeing is that employers are starting to let workers unplug when they are on vacation or otherwise off duty.
"What we've been looking at in the IT landscape in general is that one of the biggest issues [for companies] is retaining the IT talent they have on staff," said Jason Hayman, research manager at TEKsystems, in an interview, "A lot of [the change from employers] has to do with IT being in such huge demand. The supply of talent is low. The IT unemployment rate is around 2.5% right now. It has actually dipped down. In 2014, it was 3.5%."
According to Hayman, companies are starting to say, "'How do I keep my top talent happy? What is some low hanging fruit? What are things I can do?' Changing your culture is one thing you can do."
Improving work-life balance will certainly make people feel better. Hayman also said that the high demand for IT pros is making them feel less trapped in their jobs than they would be in a dimmer jobs market. Hayman said he sees a "certain feeling of invincibility" from IT pros. "They think, 'If I'm not happy where I am, I won't have trouble finding something somewhere else. If I get stuck or fired in this job, I won't have trouble finding a new one.'"
According to the survey, that all adds up to happier IT pros. Check out the details of the survey, and let us know whether the results align with what you're experiencing. Are you less stressed than you were last year? If not, what's stressing you out? What have been the most important changes to your work environment in the past year? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
Only 11% of survey respondents say they consider the work they're doing now to be the most stressful of their career. Slightly more senior-level IT pros (13%) say they're at their most-stressed this year. That is down from 30% and 32% of respondents, respectively, in 2014.
Why ask respondents whether their current work is the most stressful of their career? Hayman said it is because anyone can feel stressed at least a little. By asking whether respondents view their current work as the most stressful of their career, the researchers feel they get an accurate gauge.
A study released last week said IT folks were as stressed as ever, but the survey question in that report was asked very differently.
Almost a third (31%) of entry-level to mid-level respondents said they had considered taking a new position that would equate to a pay decrease because of a stressful situation at work this year. While that sounds alarming, it's a dramatic drop from the 69% of respondents who said the same last year. We'll assume it isn't because all of them found a new and better job, but instead found some stress relief.
Things aren't so pretty if you're a senior-level IT professional: 47% of respondents in that category said they accept a pay decrease to take a new job because of a stressful work situation this year. This is up from 22% of respondents who said the same last year. It is possible that managers are taking your stress on themselves to make their teams' lives a little easier. If that's the case, here's a tip of the hat to managers making the sacrifice for their team. I hope they get some relief, too.
Four in ten entry-level to mid-level respondents (41%) reported that keeping up with technological advancements was the most stressful part of their careers. That is up from 29% last year, and that is good.
Keeping up with technology passed "keeping up with organizational requests" as the biggest IT job stressor this year. That seems like a good change. Staying current in your job is not really a stress you want to remove.
Results were similar but more distributed for senior level IT respondents, 30% of whom cited keeping up with tech as their top stressor. Second place for all respondents was keeping up with company requests. For entry-level to mid-level IT pros, the big reduction in stress came in the category of "interacting with managers and co-workers," which was cited by 9% of respondents this year, compared with 18% last year. Is this further proof that managers are picking up the slack for their teams?
The number of entry-level to mid-level respondents who said they were expected to be available "24/7, no excuses" dropped from 27% in 2014 to 15% this year. In 2014, 61% of senior-level respondents said they were expected to be available 24/7, compared with only 13% of respondents for 2015. The majority of both groups are reporting that they are expected to be available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The number of entry-level to mid-level respondents who said they were not expected to be available during vacations went up from 74% in 2014 to 85% this year. That's one metric where an increase is good news.
Senior leaders are finally getting some relief, too. In 2014, only 30% of senior-level respondents said that they did not need to be available during vacations. In 2015, 83% of senior-level respondents reported that they could go on vacation without expecting work to interfere.
Nearly all entry/mid-level respondents (97%) said they are proud of their IT careers this year, compared with 89% of entry/mid-level respondents who felt the same last year. Likewise, 97% of senior-level respondents are proud of their careers this year, compared with 93% last year.
More than nine out of ten entry-level to mid-level respondents (91%) said that, given the chance to do it all again, they would still pick IT as their job, and 85% of senior-level respondents said the same. The survey doesn't ask, but I'm guessing the rest wish they had joined the circus or become professional football players.
So how do you feel about your IT career this year? Are you less stressed in 2015 than you were in 2014? Have you noticed any difference in your expectations or work-life balance? Do you have any can't-miss tips for relieving job stress? We want to know all about those in the comments section below.
So how do you feel about your IT career this year? Are you less stressed in 2015 than you were in 2014? Have you noticed any difference in your expectations or work-life balance? Do you have any can't-miss tips for relieving job stress? We want to know all about those in the comments section below.
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