Study Finds Two-Thirds of IT Administrators Have Considered Switching Careers Over Job Stress

Posted on April 28, 2012

GFI Software recently conducted an IT Admin Stress Survey, which found that 67% of IT administrators have considered switching careers due to job stress. Managers, users (employees), and tight deadlines were cited as the biggest job stressors. The survey results also revealed that IT professionals tend to work long overtime hours, with one third working the equivalent of 10 additional weeks per year.

The independent blind survey, which polled 204 IT administrators in U.S. organizations ranging from 10 to more than 500 employees, was conducted by Opinion Matters on behalf of GFI Software. Here are some highlights of the study:

Nearly 70% of all IT administrators surveyed consider their job stressful.
Greater than 67% of IT administrators consider switching careers on either an occasional (43%) or regular (25%) basis due to job stress.
72% of respondents consider themselves either just as stressed as or the most stressed compared to others in their social circle.
While less than half (47%) of IT admins at companies with between 10 and 49 employees say their jobs are stressful, that number skyrockets to 83% 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%), tight deadlines (20%) and the users they support (18%).
IT admins in the Northeast are the most stressed in the country (74%). Midwesterners are the least stressed, with nearly two-thirds (64%) still saying their job is stressful.
Nearly 85% of respondents feel as though their job has impacted their personal life in some way.
42% say they have lost sleep over work
39% say they have missed time with their kids due to work
20% say they have experienced stress-related health issues such as high blood pressure
22% say they don't feel great physically

Phil Bousfield, general manager of GFI Software's Infrastructure Business Unit, says in a statement, "IT 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. Not 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."

It does seem like stress is definitely on the rise for people in many IT fields.