Category: Expertise strategy
This article focuses on how we combat stress at emagine and the IT environment in which we work. How can you spot stress among your professionals, what are the reasons for it, and how can you prevent it?
Magdalena Waśkowska, Warsaw, 14. june 2023
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s become very normal to go through phases at work where some aspect of our job feels dissatisfactory or overwhelming. Like professionals in any industry, IT specialists may also experience stress due to the fast-paced nature of the IT sector, where new technologies emerge daily, and the demand for their skills continues to rise. What steps can you take to promote a healthy and satisfactory workflow in your organisation?
Ensuring the well-being of IT specialists and management processes is the foundation for building long-term relationships and the basis of our work. Read along and learn how we strive to effectively provide the necessary support systems for our workforce to ensure burnout does not happen.
Stress is defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation (WHO). To ensure the well-being of your specialists, it’s important to understand the causes of stress so you may recognise its symptoms and know how to address it long before serious health issues arise.
The causes may sound familiar because they aren’t only relevant to our occupation, but often accompany us in our day-to-day lives.
Some of the main causes of stress are:
If left unmanaged, prolonged feelings of stress can lead to burnout. Definitions present burnout very straightforwardly: a gradual loss of energy and motivation for work. It’s a process which spans over a long time and can have significant consequences for the individual. By utilising the tips we share in this article, you will be able to prevent your specialists from struggling long before these symptoms occur.
The most common symptoms indicating stress include lack of energy, mental detachment from work, a negative attitude towards professional duties, and a sense of reduced professional effectiveness.
Additionally, other symptoms can include problems with focusing on assigned tasks, lack of concentration, the excessive and prolonged experience of negative emotions, isolating oneself from others, lack of sense and meaning in tasks and work in general, helplessness, feelings of emptiness, low self-esteem, neglecting work, and apathy.
Stress often overwhelms ambitious individuals who are exceptionally dedicated to their tasks, and companies should empower them to thrive while they’re achieving their goals.
What’s most concerning is that psychosomatic issues can be included, such as headaches or stomach aches, which we commonly associate with chronic stress. Additionally, cases of sleep disturbances, excessive irritability, frequent mood swings, and low self-worth might be affecting your specialists, and these are issues managers may never notice.
These worst-case-scenario symptoms can be prevented if the company employs the right measures when it comes to tackling stress.
Priorities among IT professionals are shifting with the changing trends in the industry and economy. If previously rapid advancement and competitive salaries were a priority, they now also prioritise some sense of security and stability in their place of work – even as independent specialists.
Read also:The main reason for stress among IT professionals is the pressure of time, which often entails intense and prolonged work that goes beyond the limits of standard working hours. Technology never sleeps (consider cyber-attacks and the need to defend against them).
Other contributing factors to stress in IT include:
These factors lead professionals to excessive contemplation regarding the purpose of their tasks and even the meaning of their work in general. This is often accompanied by the feeling of discouragement and decreased productivity.
It’s important to emphasise that stress often overwhelms very ambitious individuals who have taken on too many responsibilities and those who are exceptionally dedicated to their tasks. Unfortunately, this often results in an imbalance between work and personal life and increased dissatisfaction with their own work.
The 24/7 alertness, constant changes in technologies, the need for rapid adaptation and increasing competition among consultants are the most common reasons for stress among IT specialists.
The atmosphere in the workplace is highly important and greatly influences the performance of professional duties. Both employers and employees contribute to the atmosphere, but how can organisations approach this issue strategically?
The employer’s actions are significant in helping employees combat stress – support (or lack thereof) has a significant impact. Healthy motivation and understanding that specific actions have meaning can help employees accomplish even the most challenging tasks. Providing objective and constructive feedback on their work allows for a more positive mindset, and its effects shouldn’t be underestimated. It leaves employees feeling motivated, which ultimately only helps your organisation.
The above actions align with what we recommend in any other work environment. So, what sets IT apart? It’s commonly believed that burnout occurs more frequently in the world of technology due to factors such as:
In addition to general stress management techniques, IT companies should possess the skill of time management to cope with deadline pressures. They should learn to conduct conversations in a way that doesn’t overwhelm and diminish motivation.
Many books and training programs are available which can guide this important topic, and companies should be able to help their specialists reach for such aids faster.
Providing your consultants with objective and constructive feedback on their work allows for a more positive mindset, and its effects shouldn’t be underestimated.
Coping with stress is influenced by personal predispositions, but it also greatly depends on the conditions and organization of work created by employers. Occupational burnout is a real threat to every employee in every industry.
People who prioritize work and professional careers throughout their lives, including highly engaged and ambitious consultants, are particularly susceptible to burnout syndrome. It cannot be denied that these individuals are often the top performers within a company.
We tend to spend most of our day at work, so it’s important that we can arrive at work motivated and experience satisfaction during those hours. Companies should employ as many preemptive measures as they can to protect their employees from stress and help them reach a satisfactory work-life balance – consequently, helping them perform better. All of it will ultimately only benefit the organisation as a whole.
Read also:
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