A lack of control over standardised software products
and inflexible deadlines are the biggest causes of stress among IT
managers, according to a survey by the Trades Union
Congress.
"Part of the stress is the fact that IT managers feel the way
software packages are developed - the amount of control they have
over them - is limited. They are also expected to work to
unrealistic deadlines," said Hugh Robertson, head of health and
safety at the TUC.
The TUC surveyed 5,800 safety representatives from all industry
sectors to identify how common workplace stress has become.
Of all those surveyed, 58% identified stress as the worst hazard
in their workplace. The TUC said all employers should be required
by law to carry out risk assessments of the levels of workplace
stress within their organisations. Stress was the worst work- place
hazard by 18%. The next greatest problem in the workplace,
repetitive strain injury, was cited by 40% of respondents.
Robertson said, "Given that the effect of something going wrong
can be quite major, that can be stressful for IT workers."
According to the survey, the biggest cause of workplace stress
was employees' workloads. Some 79% of respondents identified it as
a cause of stress.
Cuts in staff numbers and workplace change were the next most
significant contributors to workplace stress. They were singled out
by respectively 49% and 47% of the safety representatives. Next on
the list was long hours, with 37% of respondents citing this as a
cause of stress.
The TUC survey also found that the causes of stress among IT
managers in the private and public sectors were "completely
different".
Robertson said, "In the public sector, people actually found
that it was much more target-driven. In the private sector,
however, management were much more controlling - often to the
extent of bullying. Private sector people were not expected to be
self-motivated."
Causes of stress in the workplace
Workloads 79%
Cuts in staff numbers 49%
Workplace change 47%
Long hours 37%
Bullying 27%
Shift work 22%
Cramped working conditions 17%
Redundancies 14%
Sexual or racial harassment 3%
Source: Trades Union Congress