Life or Life style: IT Industry Perspective

It was the pleasant spring, marked by the mellow sun and gentle breeze, work place was buzzing with the usual activities and one and all was in hurry as there is no tomorrow. There was an occasional but imposing silence prevailing over the buzz of the day after the long and hauling session of deliberation and argumentation. Without breaking the hallowed silence one of my colleagues confided in me to share the tragic news of the sudden demise of Ranjan Das ,CEO of SAP , India. By any stretch of imagination, it was impossible to believe that one of the most physically fit and health conscious CEO of the IT industry would succumb to a fatal cardiac arrest at such a young age (certainly not a viable, die-able age*).Alas –my day is too busy to think of these tragedies beyond the moments of instantaneous shock and grief.
When the silence of the night descended and I confided myself to my own secluded space of nothingness , events of the day started appearing before my eyes , ghastly tragedy which got lost in the hustle and bustle of the day started hounding me, scaring me and even staring me in the face. I could not understand why I was losing my calm and sleep over the death of someone whom I never met and or knew well. There have been numerous cases of death of young IT professionals in past due to “sedentary lifestyle Problems” as prescribed by the doctors and social scientists but I never felt unnerved and conveniently remained stoic and at best indifferent.
This disturbing incident forced me to observe, understand and analyse the life style in the much hyped IT and ITES sector which redefined India and positioned it proudly on the global map. This industry has always been associated with the better salary (buried in past but the perception persists), global assignments which make parents a few inches taller in the society and the go getting attitude of the young generation.
Beyond much hyped glitz and promising career, this industry has inseparable relationship with high stress level and self prescribed ”over-the-counter medicines” such as cigarette and alcohol to overcome their woes and worries.
It sounds vapid (perhaps “not so cool” is the right phrase) to discuss the health hazards and sedentary life style issues with which IT professionals are struggling every now and then. Social scientists and doctors raised the alarm, each time these kinds of news got the media attention though rarely as the killer does not have the marketable/sellable face. Being an insider, I believe that it is more dangerous than it really seems to be but all and sundry is happily treading the path of self destruction in the unmitigated hope that it might bring glory and much enviable success.
Major reasons which are seriously affecting the physical and mental health of the young IT professionals are elucidated below.
1 Long Working Hours: Recession and the Dog-Eat-Dog world of the information technology have forced the companies to reduce the price. But the change in prices does not necessarily mean the change in profit, for which corporate world has invented a new mantra “more for less” which resulted in the reduction of resources and delivery time. Employees, the weakest among all stake holders of the organization have been entrusted with the onerous task of meting the crushing dead lines of the delivery by working for extra time and even on week ends.
2 Erratic work schedules: Off shore projects which include the application outsourcing, voice based services .etc where the employees are required to work as per customer time zone which might fall in the late hours of the local time. Many a times resources are working in late night shifts (described as graveyard shift) continuously for a period of more than fifteen days.
3 Working Conditions:Work in the IT and ITES industry is mostly about sitting in front of the computers for endless hours but unfortunately neither workplace is ergonomically designed nor enough care is taken by the person themselves about the health advices displayed at their work desk in jazzy design and flashy colours.
4 High Stress Level: Most of the IT professionals are over stressed thanks to the long and tiring work hours which is not just affecting the their physical and mental health but also destroying the peace at home as they do not devote quality time their personal lives deserve. This creates a vicious cycle of stress which is further augmented by the complications of the stress. There is a ubiquitous phenomenon of peer pressure which inspires few but impels all to win the race of life at every cost even at the cost of life.
5 Long Traveling Hours: Many people spend a lot of time in traveling from places to places which leaves the body and mind exhausted. Long term exhaustion may also cause the burnout of the individuals.
6 Eating Habits: IT industry is known for its love of junk foods and caffeinated beverages. Unhealthy habits e.g. smoking addiction and alcohol consumption are also quite prevalent among the IT professionals, some times to overcome the stress and many a times to celebrate the spirit of life.

The list is long and commonsensical, without any revelation or surprises. Old Cliché “Health is wealth” still holds true and any accomplishment at the cost of physical and mental health can neither be relished nor does it make an economic sense. We must learn to manage the paradoxical situation where growth and stress are indelibly linked after all health is an individual’s choice not the organization responsibility. To dispel the fear, I would conclude the discussion on a lighter note with the following quote of Mark Twain.

"Be careful about reading health books.You may die of a misprint."

Do not panic, stay calm and be conscious of your health.