Stress-Busters

Computerworld - In this tough economy, IT workers are taking on more projects and longer hours. With job-related stress on the rise, they're looking for ways to cope.

In Computerworld's survey of 11,525 IT employees at this year's Best Places to Work, 25% said they find work "stressful," and another 9% said it's "very stressful." IT workers say they value honesty from employers, access to exercise equipment, outside activities and work-friendly teams to help them beat stress. Here are some tips from IT employees and managers about stress-reduction techniques that work.

Be as frank with your IT team as possible.
"In these economic times, IT developers are worried about their companies looking offshore for workers; it makes IT workers concerned about how secure their jobs are," says Keith McLaughlin, manager of the applications development center at Avon Products Inc. (No. 18) in Rye, N.Y.

"Companies need to let the IT staff know what management is thinking. Avon told us in October that they had looked at outsourcing but didn't feel it met their requirements. As a result, I don't think anybody feels right now that the company has any plans to outsource IT," he says.

"While there have been layoffs here in the past, we always were informed well ahead of time what was going on," says Jeff Ecott, a senior systems analyst in consumer marketing systems at Bethesda, Md.-based Marriott International Inc. (No. 51). "We have 'town hall' meetings where management talks to us and lets us ask questions. That puts us at ease."

Offer on-site exercise for employees to let off steam.
"Exercise is a huge stress release for a lot of people in IT," says Marylee Barlow, a senior technical writer in the IT education division at Freddie Mac (No. 32), a McLean, Va.-based company that provides funds to home mortgage lenders. "We have a free fitness center on-site," she says. "It takes you away for a little while, and you don't have to deal with traffic and parking."

"I don't know how many problems I've solved by going to the gym; something usually occurs to me when I've cleared my mind," says Ecott. "I try to work out there every day."

Build cohesive IT teams with outside activities.
"As teams, we've relieved stress by having a lot of functions off-site on our personal time," says Sylvester Criscone, senior manager of global voice and messaging at Avon. "On one outing, more than 20 of us shot each other with paintball guns. Another time, both of my teams got together for drinks and hors d'oeuvres -- not on the company tab, but paid for out of my own pocket. When you put out that effort, employees feel they really are cared about."