IT Administrators Experience High Stress Levels

The top three sources of stress for IT admins are management, tight deadlines and the users they support.

As part of National Stress Awareness Month, which kicked off April 1, GFI Software announced the results of its IT Admin Stress Survey, which found that 67 percent of IT administrators have considered switching careers due to job stress. Managers, users (employees) and tight deadlines were cited as the biggest job stressors. Survey results also revealed that IT professionals tend to work long hours, with one-third working the equivalent of 10 additional weeks per year.

The survey gauged respondents€™ stress levels at work and revealed their opinions on their main stressors, as well as how their stress levels compares with those of friends and family, and how it affects their personal and professional lives. Nearly 70 percent of all IT administrators surveyed consider their jobs stressful, with greater than 67 percent of IT administrators considering switching careers on either an occasional (43 percent) or regular (25 percent) basis due to job stress. Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of respondents consider themselves either just as stressed as or the most stressed compared with others in their social circle.

While less than half (47 percent) of IT admins at companies with between 10 and 49 employees say their jobs are stressful, that number skyrockets to 83 percent when those at companies with between 50 and 99 employees are polled, representing the most stressed group in the respondent base. The top three sources of stress for IT admins are management (28 percent), tight deadlines (20 percent) and the users they support (18 percent). IT admins in the Northeast are the most stressed in the country (74 percent). Midwesterners are the least stressed, with nearly two-thirds (64 percent) still saying their job is stressful.

In addition to the stressors themselves, IT admins also noted that they routinely put in many overtime hours beyond the traditional 40-hour work week. More than one in three (36 percent) say they work eight hours or more of overtime during an average week, which adds up to nearly 10 extra weeks per year.

Nearly 85 percent of respondents feel as though their jobs have impacted their personal lives in some way. According to the survey results, respondents have lost sleep over work (42 percent), missed out on social functions (40 percent), missed time with their kids (39 percent) or canceled commitments to friends and family due to work (35 percent).

Additionally, many respondents say their jobs have even affected their health. Nearly one in four (22 percent) say they don€™t feel great physically and 20 percent say they have experienced stress-related health issues, such as high blood pressure.

€œIT is a critical component of a company€™s success, yet many SMBs, particularly those with between 50 and 100 employees, are not equipping IT managers with the budget, staffing and resources they need to be effective,€ said Phil Bousfield, general manager of GFI Software€™s Infrastructure Business Unit. €œNot only is this creating a high-stress environment for IT admins to operate in, but as evidenced by the survey results, it€™s also resulting in long overtime hours and impacting their professional and personal lives. SMBs need to take these findings as a wake-up call, and ensure their IT staff is supported, productive and armed with the tools they need to be successful. Doing so will deliver business value and help IT admins have a better work-life balance.€