Pressure Cooker - Fall Cooking?

IT professionals at all levels are facing unprecedented stress in their jobs these days. Ever ask yourself why? How are you dealing with your stress? 

Stress has a negative impact on your health, not to mention your family and inner circle.  The impact of stress on our health is well documented. Among the problems created by chronic stress: It makes us more susceptible to getting sick because it attacks our immune system; it causes high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)—both of which increase our risk of heart attack; and it can also leads to ulcers. According to the American Institute of Stress, 90 percent of all illnesses are stress-related.

So where is all the stress coming from?  Where do you want to start?  Economic, job security, over worked, out of alignment expectations, constant communications, and the list goes on.  Technology is making difficult for you to leave work, always working, always online, checking email, sending emails, and so forth.  Ever feel like you could explode?

I talked with a now retired CIO who went to Florida for sun and golf, and no iPhone, no technology.  He said the stress, tension and uneasy left when he unplugged.  Took him awhile, but he said looking back, his mistake was not taking time that was rightfully his.  He should have punched out and turn the electronics off to have dinner with the family, the soccer games he missed, the baseball games.  He is now in his late 60's and it is to late for him to do those things with his kids, they have grown to fast and he never had time.  Just one more upgrade, one more late night meeting, one more trip, one more ERP system, and 40 years later - he never made that game, that dinner or play.  His advice to anyone coming up in IT is to keep it in check.  If you are working over 45 hours every week, you better evaluate your priorities and push back or move on.  Jobs come and go, but family is forever, and you only get one trip on this earth.

I propose to you  that a good leader knows what his staff is working, and will help ensure there is work/life balance.  In tune with your staff is to make sure they make those life events, to ensure they have personal time, and that there is a culture that has expections to demands.  There are staff shortages in IT, and the demands are ever increasing.  Communication with your manager, or staff are essential, and upstream as well as downstream communications. 

Make sure you have a hobby, or punch out and take a walk, play Wii with the kids - do something that is not work related.  Have some downtime, good for your health, and good for your employer.  If you are healthy, you are a happy productive employee. 

One more comment if I may, I find it concerning that there is quickly becoming a negative tone towards IT in the business community.  IT says they need more staff, more time, more money - but just push down on them, work them harder with less, we need to save money.  Technology will make your company successful, and your IT staff is essential to that goal. If IT doesn't like it, just go to the cloud.  Be careful with that attitude and direction, you have unqualified business people making  techology decisions.  40% of companies go out of business after a significant disaster - you cooking one up? 

Keep it positive!

Scott Arnett
scott.arnett@charter.net