Are employers taking advantage of their loyal tech employees?

March 19 2001 - An online survey by TechRepublic, the specialist IT site, suggests that the answer is 'Yes' - because IT professionals find it difficult to achieve a work-life balance.

The website (http://www.techrepublic.com) surveyed 3,900 IT professionals online as a part of thir ongoing study of the phenomenon known as the 'pervasive workplace.' This refers to the opportunity for confirmed workaholics - and exploited workers - to work anywhere, anytime through new technology such as cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

There is nothing new in IT pros working long hours - they have a reputation for this. Grabbing midnight pizzas and spending just a few hours sleeping under the desk in order to meet deadlines are common stereotypes of the IT professional. The survey confirms that many IT pros work long hours:

* 81% of IT professionals work 40-60 hours per week.

* 8% work 60-70 hours a week.

* 3% claim to work over 70 hours a week.

* Just 7% admit to working 30-40 hours a week.

* A mere 1% say they work fewer than 30 hours per week.

Significantly, 77% of respondents felt they had to work more than 40 hours per week in order to be successful at their jobs.

Two-thirds believed they worked too much, with many reporting that this feeling of being overworked indicated an imbalance between personal and working lives. 81% Eighty-one percent said the lack of balance caused them stress, either at work or at home - or both. The blame was often pointed at employers with 40% saying their overwork was due to understaffing and 18% feeling that management had no idea of the time required to complete specific tasks.

IT pros were not being paid for the extra time at work - probably because a high proportion were salaried employees. More than half (56%) were not compensated at all, with a mere 12% getting overtime pay. Some got time off in lieu.

"As businesses today look to further streamlining operations, demands on the IT pro will continue to rise," said Bob Artner, vice president of content development at TechRepublic. "The jobs that IT pros do are central to the success of today's enterprise and should not be underappreciated. Our members are telling us that the demands of the job are incredibly trying on their professional-and personal-lives."

"The 40-hour workweek no longer exists for the IT professional -- and that's not necessarily in the best interest of the IT pro or their organization," added Artner.