Stressed IT workers in career change quandary

Almost three quarters (69 per cent) of IT administrators have considered changing career because of job stress, according to research from security vendor GFI Software.

The firm surveyed 201 IT administrators from across the UK and found that 31 per cent regularly considered changing jobs because of work-related stress. A further 38 per cent said they occasionally thought about it.

Dealing with managers was the top source of tension for 36 per cent of those surveyed, while 21 per cent said they found working with end users most stressful.

Out of those questioned, 82 per cent said their job has had an adverse impact on their personal life, with 31 per cent losing sleep over work.

Phil Bousfield, general manager of the infrastructure business unit at GFI Software, said: "IT is a critical component of a company's success, yet many IT managers [are not equipping staff] with the budget, staffing and resources they need to be effective.

"This is creating a high stress environment for IT admins to operate in, but it's also resulting in long overtime hours and impacting on their professional and personal lives."