The number of suicide committed by techies in the city has gone up in the recent years. Stress, financial commitments, micro-management, and lack of job security are the few reasons that are driving techies to the edge.
Bengaluru, Nov. 19, 2018: Bengaluru houses nearly 1.5 million employees who work in Information Technology (IT) or Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) sectors. The lucrative remuneration provided by the IT sector attracts lot of youths in the country.
But the IT sector is going through a monumental change at the moment. Companies are relying more on automation to replace tasks that were once performed by humans. Companies are competing with each other to launch innovative products in order to capture the market share.
The ever increasing pressure on an IT employee has sky-rocketed. Hemanth Chaudhary, who works with one of the IT firms in Bangalore, said,” Companies are expecting us to outperform and also have unimaginable deadlines for deliverables. Pressure from the managers is enormous. I work nearly 10 to 12 hours every day to make sure that I deliver the expected tasks deliverables on time.”
Rajesh K, a telecom engineer with IBM said,” Micro-management is making an employee’s life miserable. Managers are not considering the human element of an employee while giving those targets. Most of the employees are not aware of the counselling services which are available within the company.”
Santhosh, a freelance computer security analyst said,” IT jobs do not provide job security like other jobs in various sectors. Hire and Fire is the new policy of IT Companies. Employees who are spendthrifts should save for the rainy day. Most of the young employees lack this habit of saving which leads them clueless when they lose their jobs.
“Let people manage themselves. Companies should have more engaging programs to keep employees engaged. Employees should up skill themselves, as the job market has become very dynamic. If an individual is not happy with their work, they can always change their job rather than ending their life, “said Philip Alex an IT Manager by profession.
“Depression is a disease that is not visible. One has to watch out for symptoms such as change in behaviour, appetite, trouble sleeping. Most of the IT employees lack social life which leads to isolation, loneliness, and negative feelings about oneself. All these factors may lead an individual to commit suicide.” said Dr. Thomas, a leading psychiatrist in Bangalore.
According to doctors at NIMHANS Hospital, the numbers of software engineers who are in their late twenties to mid thirties who seek medical help with issues such as anxiety, lack of interest in work and relationship problems have increased in the recent years.
