For information technology (IT) professionals, all work and no play can
dampen productivity, suggests a recent survey. More than half (55 percent)
of chief information officers (CIOs) polled cited rising workloads as the
number one source of stress in the workplace. Office politics ranked second
with 24 percent of the response.
The survey was developed by RHI Consulting, a leading specialized consulting
firm that provides information technology professionals on a project and
full-time basis. It was conducted by an independent research firm and
includes responses from 1,400 CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S.
companies with more than 100 employees.
CIOs were asked, "Which of the following do you think is the greatest source
of workplace stress for IT professionals?" Their responses:
- Rising workloads - 55%
- Office politics - 24%
- Work/life balance issues - 12%
- Commuting - 4%
- Pace of new technology - 1%
- Other - 1%
- Don't know/no answer - 3%
"With employment at record highs and the pace of technological advancements
continuing to escalate, workloads on already understaffed IT departments are
rising exponentially," said Greg Scileppi, executive director of RHI
Consulting. The danger in this situation, Scileppi warns, is the risk of
employee burnout. "Recognizing and taking steps to alleviate an overburdened
staff can prevent turnover and allow firms to keep key IT initiatives on
target," he said.
Scileppi noted that office politics can also get in the way of productivity.
Nearly one in four CIOs surveyed said this is a leading source of job stress
at their firms. "IT professionals are working more closely with employees
throughout the enterprise, which increases the need for diplomacy and solid
interpersonal skills."
Scileppi offers the following suggestions to address work-related job
stress:
- Get employees involved. Seek out individual input on ways to better manage
workloads. Staff members may offer creative solutions to keep morale and
productivity high.
- Let workers know they count. Acknowledge and reward hard work with
bonuses, special awards, recognition programs and career advancement
opportunities.
- Promote outside activity. Plan monthly lunchtime or after-work social
gatherings with your staff to build camaraderie and provide diversions from
day-to-day routines. Encourage participation in local tradeshows or user
groups to keep employees involved in the industry and promote networking.
Events such as these bring diversity to the workday.
- Look for signs of burnout. Symptoms typically include a poor attitude,
lack of enthusiasm, fatigue or increased absenteeism. If someone on your
team shows signs of job stress, acknowledge your concern and try to develop
a plan to ease his or her workload.
- Encourage team building. To reduce the potential for misunderstandings at
work, hold regular meetings to obtain progress updates on initiatives and
provide a forum for team members to interact and exchange ideas. Increased
communication can diffuse office politics.
- Bring in outside help. Hiring additional staff -- either full-time or on a
project basis -- until work levels return to normal, can relieve pressure on
internal staff.
-- Article courtesy of RHI Consulting, which is a leading provider of
technology professionals for the Internet economy. With over 100 locations
in North America, Europe and Australia, the company offers specialized
consulting services, on a project and full-time basis, for IT initiatives
ranging from e-business development and multiplatform systems integration to
network engineering and technical support. For more information about RHI
Consulting or to learn about online job search opportunities, please visit
http://www.rhic.com.
