Dealing with IT support most stressful issue at work for Gen Y employees

Study indicates a growing trend of 'work lives' and 'personal lives' being merged into one

With a growing number of personal devices being used at the workplace, dealing with information technology (IT) has emerged as the most stressful issue at work for young employees in India, according to a recent research.

New York Stock Exchange listed VMware, a leading player in virtualisation and cloud infrastructure solutions, recently conducted a study ‘New Way of Work Life Study 2013' that shows that while a large number of employees (85%) in India are provided with a portable device from their employer, a growing number (81%, compared to 77% last year) are bringing their own device to work to help them complete their tasks.

A majority (75%) of the respondents to the survey in India were Millennials, or Generation Y, workers who were born between the year 1980 and 1995.

 

The study revealed that 40% Indians find dealing with IT issues far more stressful than dealing with bureaucracy (35%) or their workload (31%).

The Generation Y workforce is combating stress at the workplace by increasingly bringing their own device (81%) and using their preferred IT tools (69%), the study claimed.

"In fact, 78% claim to be happier in their role when they are allowed to use a device of their choice. Last year, 72% claimed to be more productive and 70% happier when allowed to use a device of their choice – showing improvements in productivity and happiness with the blurring of work and personal life enabled by technology," it further added.

Another key trend uncovered in the VMware New Way of Life 2013 study was the merging of “work lives” and “personal lives” into one, particularly among the “Millennial” generation in India.

The survey revealed that respondents were willing to let work intrude into what was once deemed as personal time, with 81% of the respondents working from home, 71% on holidays, and 57% while on the road.

"The market for end user devices is growing and changing very rapidly today, and India is no exception. Over the last year, we have seen new products and categories emerge which are presenting unique complexities and risks for organisations, who want to protect their company data and avoid the leakage of confidential information,” said Vinod Krishnan, director, advanced technologies, VMware India & SAARC.

"The research results highlight the pressing need for organisations to change and find the right balance between policies and how employees prefer to work," he added.