Job Stress among Software Professionals in Pakistan: A Factor Analytic Study

Abstract

Job stress is a common workplace problem experienced by all professionals irrespective of their nature of work; however, this phenomenon is more common in situations that are deadline driven. Software house is one such sector, which is affected profoundly by this challenge, and professionals serving these organizations are often observed under huge stress. Software professionals’ nature of job is highly time-bound, client-oriented and technology intensive.The trends in turn, coupled with many factors, contribute towards stress. These factors are extremely diverse, including change of technology, client interaction, fear of obsolescence, family support, long working hours, and work overload etc. This study explores the nature of stress amongst software developers and professionals, and endeavours to identify the key factors responsible for producing stress amongst professionals, which limit their job functionality and overall productivity. The study was carried out through survey instrument, which was developed around ten stress factors. An analysis of about 200 professionals serving different software houses in the local context was carried out. The gathered data was analyzed using descriptive and correlation analyses which revealed interesting trends related with stress and age group, gender, marital status and qualification. The insights developed through this study are useful to many stakeholders in the local context, including software professionals, project managers, and the Pakistan Software Export Board.