Data and technology professionals claim they are squeezing the equivalent of 7.5 days into the working week, according to a new study which shows just how ‘lean’ most workforces are being kept.
Recruitment agency Randstad conducted a survey of over 2,000 UK employees and found data and technology employees performing the job of one and half people.
Outside the industry, the average UK professional believes they perform the job of 1.3 people, covering 30% more work than one person should.
Over a third of the technology professionals questioned (34.5%) said they believe they are working harder now than they did twelve months ago. Only 19.5% said their workload has eased over this period.
According to the survey, data professionals put their feelings down to a variety of different reasons. Just over a quarter (27%) cited job cuts as one of the major contributors to an increase in their workload; another 27% said it was down to organisations keeping teams lean during a time of economic recovery; and 25% said the rise in workloads was linked to the need to do more to keep a secure job.
Randstad managing director Mike Beresford said: “The data and tech industry is under immense pressure. With the economic outlook so uncertain it’s understandable that management are keeping workforces as lean as possible. Unfortunately, this isn’t a sustainable model.
“Making fewer people work harder can improve the bottom line initially, but in the long-run, spreading the workforce too thin leads to burnout, mistakes and lower productivity. Not something the sector needs at the moment.”
With the rise in data professionals’ workloads, 22% said they feel more stressed now than they did six months ago. Just under a third (32%) said work is making them more tired than it did six months ago and 10% admitted to having rows in their personal lives because of worries/stress at work.
In addition, over half (56%) said they could not completely shut off from work when on holiday. Over one in five (21%) said they worry about clearing the backlog of work when they return after their holiday.
