When work takes its toll

Stress matters

With increasingly strenuous deadlines and mounting pressure, cases of depression and mood swings are increasing by the day in most fields of work, especially in the Information Technology sector. In the wake of an IT professional committing suicide last week due to depression, Bengalureans talk about their day-to-day struggles and how to combat them.

An uneasy atmosphere at work affects one’s entire development, says Gautham U, who works as a senior software engineer with Mindtree. He says that lack of communication between the client and the provider can create big issues. “When committing to deadlines, people often make blind estimates as a result of which pressure mounts. The timelines are often designed according to one’s personal knowledge. An experienced staff can finish the work in much lesser time compared to a fresher. Thus, while making these estimates, it’s always best to calculate accordingly. People panic and face a problem in the starting — this is often due to lack of guidance and knowledge of a particular field,” says Gautham.

He adds that accepting what one doesn’t know and approaching someone senior to them to get a better understanding works best. “This reduces unwanted confusion and stress,” he says.

The amount of workload can also lead to problems, says Chandra Shekhar P V, a senior process executive with Infosys. He adds that miscommunication within a team can lead to tension. “At times, when one isn’t happy with their teammates — be it with managers or subordinates — friction within the team can add to existing problems, leading to lack of interest at work.” Since a big part of one’s life is spent at work and additional workload can affect one’s personal life, this can, in turn, lead to low energy levels.

Striking the balance or stepping away from what is stressing one out is important. “To combat pressure, one must take regular breaks so that they can stay focussed. Sometimes just a coffee break helps!” he says.

Senior professionals like Vikas Bhonsle, CEO with Crayon Software India Pvt Ltd, point out that increasing competition is one of the reasons for increased stress. “There is a lot of competitive peer pressure in the industry and the HR management tries varied ways to evaluate performance. But when chances of growth are limited, the pressure increases leading to a ‘survive and thrive’ atmosphere,” says Vikas.

He points out that the intense work environments with 10 to 14 hours of work contribute to an imbalance in life. “One’s social and personal needs get affected. Everyone needs to go out and have their own arenas to destress. But sometimes this doesn’t happen,” states Vikas. He adds that the pressure to sustain at one’s work is another issue. “One often gets used to working in a particular environment and then the fear of losing the lifestyle they enjoy can add to the stress.” Vikas adds that his organisation has tried to implement career counselling and yoga at their workplace for the well-being of the employees.

Medical professionals like Dr Seema Pradhan, consultant psychologist and psychotherapist, Fortis Hospitals, say that 4 out of 10 people she sees are from the IT sector. “They come with issues where work-related stress has affected their relationships and this, in turn, affects their work. Stress which is bottled up, comes out in an inappropriate manner — to the extent of taking one’s life,” says Seema.

She points out that reaching out to friends or family and indulging in hobbies helps destress. “Work-related issues should be sorted out with managers or the people concerned, as increased confusion just adds to the situation,” says Dr Seema. She points out that the fast-paced advancement of technology becomes an issue for some.

“Technology is changing at a rapid pace and not everyone can take this in a positive way,” adds Dr Seema.

Tasneem Nakhoda, psychotherapist with ‘Tattva’, says that striking the right balance is the need of the hour. “Many people experience personal problems on different levels and that messes with work schedules. It’s not just always work pressure but often personal issues which make their way into one’s professional life,” points out Tasneem.

She adds that organisations also need to provide some source of counselling to their employees if they want to seek professional help. “When seeking such help is made mandatory, it will increase the performance levels too. I have seen a steady number of people from the industry — 7 out of 10.” Making firm decisions, like when to stop taking work calls and work according to a schedule, will help fight this stress. “Often one’s managers will not be able to encourage each employee to work efficiently. One will have to come up with their own methods to combat stress,” she says.