Occupational Stress among Software Employees in I.T Sector

Abstract

In the emerging era, life is becoming more and more complex, problematic and conflicting day to day. Stress is an unavoidable consequence of modern living. With the growth of industries, pressure in the urban areas, quantitative growth in population and various problems in day to day life are some of the reasons for an increase in stress. The present study delves into the occupational stress experienced by software employees in the IT sector, aiming to analyze its prevalence and impact on various demographic variables. The research involved a normative survey of 400 software employees in Hyderabad. The study employed Occupational Stress Index developed by Dr. A.K. Srivastava and Dr. A.P. Singh(1981) for collecting the data. Findings revealed that a significant percentage of IT sector employees were experiencing high levels of occupational stress.  Findings also revealed that factors such as role overload, strenuous working conditions, and unreasonable group pressures were key stressors. Gender and age were identified as influential factors, with differences noted in dimensions like intrinsic impoverishment and role ambiguity. Interestingly, the study highlighted that both male and female IT employees faced similar levels of occupational stress. While marital status did not significantly affect stress levels, differences were observed in dimensions like role conflict and powerlessness. Similarly, experience levels influenced stress, with certain stress dimensions being more pronounced in employees with varying levels of experience. Age, however, did not show significant differences in overall stress levels, although variations were noted in role conflict between different age groups. Moreover, the research indicated that organizational interventions are crucial to mitigate stress levels among employees. The study underscores the importance of addressing occupational stress in the IT sector through targeted interventions to enhance employee well-being and productivity