* Reader feedback on the stresses IT managers face
I recently reported on the results of OpTier’s survey about the stresses IT managers face on the job and asked what you do to alleviate stress and burnout among your staff. Many readers from far and away shared feedback and advice.
First, one reader wished to remain anonymous for reasons that should be obvious when you read his comments. Of his IT counterparts at a financial services firm, he says, “Our people handle burnout by finding opportunities elsewhere! Being a global organization with 24/7 demands on us, the best and brightest tend to move on to greener pastures.” He is actively seeking work at a smaller company.
Another IT pro reduced his stress by getting to know the customer hot spots to better understand their IT issues. Unfortunately for him, though, he was recently laid off and heard through the grapevine that senior management complained he was too close to the customer. Go figure.
Edward Marczak of Radiotope says balance is key. “As an IT professional, you do need to be able to react to different situations. However, to miss an event such as the birth of a child is simply foolish.” He explains that senior ladders must have the right staffing levels to provide coverage or cut back on projects without it.
As a former CIO for the Hungarian Radio, George Kenez says he focused on proactively heading off problems by using management software. Whether open source or expensive wares, use it to notice things before they happen. He also recommends formulating a business continuity plan and making sure IT staffers are aware of what can happen and how to prevent it.
IT coach Hank Marquis of ITSM Solutions says he’s experienced quite a bit of stress over the last 27 years working in a variety of high-tech positions. He attributes the cause to “a lack of business/IT alignment, and poor or non-existent leadership from managers.” In an article, Marquis maintains that the next killer app for IT is leadership.
Finally, Javaid A Khan, CEO of Peoplebenefits, chimes in. Khan, who has about 10 years of experience in IT, says, “IT Infrastructure (applications and communications) is critical for a happy and healthy life for us all, therefore it is very important to keep IT people happy and healthy.” Some of the ways he does that are to give staff a vision of what the company is doing, plan activities and follow discipline.
