You might think that an IT professional can transition to remote work without any problems.
But that's a misconception, according to Jack Stevens, a senior product manager at IT services firm Publicis Sapient.
"I've always had a feeling of anxiety," he says of the start of the lockdown in the UK.
His role involved a lot of teamwork and ad hoc conversations and when the lockdown started, the only conversations he would have with his colleagues were using video conferencing tools.
"I take a lot of energy from being around other people and suddenly I don't have it anymore - it all has to be conducted through screens and it just doesn't provide me with social interactions that I have any long-term interest in being a part of," he says.
Longer hours
Mr. Stevens struggled with sleep for several weeks, his productivity decreased and he felt constantly exhausted. He was constantly worried that he would be fired since he joined the company just a year ago, and this, combined with remote work, made him work longer hours as he struggled with presidentialism.
"I spent time working on a project four weekends in a row, 10 to 14 hours a day, and I don't think I did more work than I would if I had a regular 9 to 5 job, but it was a way to make up for the fact that people don't see you, "he says.
His employer Publicis Sapient says he has provided employees with a range of resources "to help them manage their mental health and well-being in these uncertain times," including free subscriptions to the Headspace awareness and mediation app and access to mental health emergency workers who offer support "and a confidential ear if needed".
Mr. Stevens says he is in a much better position now, having reduced his working hours, and feels he has a better work-life balance.
His case is not unique: More than a third of tech professionals (36%) saw their mental health deteriorate as a result of the crisis, according to a May survey conducted by tech recruiters Harvey Nash.
For over a third of those who are actively concerned about their mental health, it is the first time in their life that they have experienced that worry. The two main reasons cited by respondents were lack of time to switch off (46%) and worries about losing their job or contract during the pandemic (41%).
The crisis meant a lot of extra work for IT professionals. And while job tracking sites have said the industry is currently growing, that can be a double-edged sword for technical staff.
"The offices were told to work remotely 100% immediately and all the tech workers - who were already under the stress and strain of having their foundations shaken - suddenly had to make sure they could focus all their attention on meeting the needs. of their companies in record time, "says Amber Coster.
She founded her company Balpro with the mission of helping companies with employee well-being in mind, after she ran out years ago working for a tech start-up.
"For many of those tech workers who helped transition to remote work, there was a lot of adrenaline and purpose, but it was short enough because after the workforce was made remote, the demand for IT staff was' e now?' " she says.
IT professionals, like everyone else in the country, have therefore had to deal with their usual full-time jobs, as well as other responsibilities that have changed in light of the pandemic.
'Stressful'
"I have been working remotely for several years, but working from home during a crisis was much more difficult," says Stu Hirst, cloud security engineer at Just Eat.
"There was a 10 to 12 week period where my two young children, my wife and I were all home together all day and there were days that were extremely stressful," he says.
In Harvey Nash's survey, for 32% of people with children, home care and education for their children was cited as the main cause of their stress.
This is made more challenging because there have been fewer outlets to relieve stress or take a break and because there is still constant pressure to keep systems running remotely.
"Given the nature of an entire country working from home, keeping IT systems up and running is much more important than before - we need to make applications and collaboration tools work and this is where IT teams, in particular, need to exercise. a lot of pressure on them, "says Mr. Hirst.
More technology for business
But Ms. Coster says she is reluctant to blame remote work for impacting mental health. He believes that it is up to managers to enforce the boundaries of remote work.
"Presentism exists when you're in an office where there are many hours and it's very easy to get into that slippery slope when you're working remotely," he says.
Burden
Like thousands of other workers, many IT employees have been fired or laid off altogether.
"A lot of technicians have done a workload when everything has worked out and then half of the team are told they will be put on leave, which means you have a smaller percentage of that group carrying even more weight," says Ms. Coster .
For those who have been let go, the outlook is also bleak and this is affecting mental health.
Sam Reynolds accepted a job offer with Storm Technologies in January and served the notice period with his former Whistles employer until March. When he started working for Storm, he was in a remote work environment and two and a half weeks in his new role, he was told he would be fired.
"It was a hard pill to swallow - at the time my wife and I had a four-month-old baby, and we were trying to move house so that everything would go out the window," he says.
At the time, Mr. Reynolds believed he would find a new job, but over time he believes the market has gotten worse.
He has applied for six jobs a day for the past four months, paid to renew his CV, and took a series of courses such as his ScrumMaster - a project management certification sought after by many professionals working in IT - in order to give yourself an advantage over other candidates.
But he doesn't feel that all this has helped him.
"There have certainly been times when I wanted to cry, but it's not something I can control, there's nothing I can do anymore," he says.
Even for those in work, support for mental health problems may be non-existent: half of employers do not provide formal support for mental health problems, and one in seven technology professionals describe their employer as not supportive on issues. mental health.
Bev White, chief executive of Harvey Nash, believes employers need to review their mental health support measures and provide virtual support through dedicated webinars.
"It is also important to encourage staff themselves to share their views and experiences on the subject via blogs and vlogs," says White.
"In addition to getting the right support, you also need to change the culture so that everyone feels it's their responsibility to pay attention to their peers and care about who they are."
