UK Tech sector needs to tackle its mental health challenge

Acute skills shortages are putting tech teams under more pressure than ever, with knock-on effects on people's mental health, warns Harvey Nash CEO Albert Ellis

We live in a world that moves at breakneck speed. What was in the news yesterday? The chances are you can't recall because you've already been inundated with a fresh set of stories that you quickly scanned on the way to work, alongside all the emails, social media alerts and other messages coming at you from all sides…

There's no doubt that the ‘always-on' default setting of life today can contribute to issues around mental well-being. Technology is often seen as one of the contributors to mental health problems, as we all spend more time on our phones and less time communicating directly. For young people, especially, the hotbed of social media can be both a blessing and a curse.

As a result, mental health has risen dramatically up the agenda in recent times, and rightly so.

Pressure in the IT system

But what of the tech sector specifically?

New research from Harvey Nash launched today - World Mental Health Day - reveals that the industry faces an alarming mental health challenge. Half of the 2,000+ respondents to our research have been concerned about their mental health due to work. One-in-five people in IT operations report that they are wrestling with the problem right now.

This is a big concern, but it shouldn't be a surprise. For those working in tech companies and start-ups are frequently are in an environment of dramatic and rapid growth. This brings particular pressure and challenges, both to management and staff. Work eats into life, with no set patterns. The working week merges into weekends and, to make matters worse, the infrastructure often isn't in place to fully support colleagues due to the sheer speed of expansion.

For those working in corporate tech teams, life can be no less pressured. Businesses are making significant investments in digital transformation and are expecting the tech team to make it work - fast. Tech functions are struggling with migration challenges, legacy systems, security issues; the list goes on. It is the same story of change, pressure and a lack of time.

These issues are compounded by skills shortages. The recent Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey found that the UK's tech industry is experiencing its most acute skills shortage for more than a decade, with almost two-thirds of CIOs (64 per cent) reporting a shortfall in talent. It seems that existing tech teams are being stretched to breaking point in order to fill the gap.

Long hours are one of the results, with hours worked having a direct impact on levels of stress. Our research shows that the tipping point comes at somewhere over 50 hours per week. Tech professionals working these hours are twice as likely to be affected by stress to a great extent compared to those working under 50 hours a week.

Putting the support in place

But it is not all bad news. Our research also shows that organisations have it within their power to make a significant difference. Three-quarters of respondents to our survey said that their organisation has at least some support in place for mental well-being issues. These organisations are in a much better place than those with no support mechanisms at all: ‘unsupportive' organisations are almost three times more likely to have staff who are concerned about their mental health at any one time.

Flexible working arrangements can also make a significant difference. Businesses that are highly inflexible over how their staff work are three times more likely than highly flexible ones to have workers with mental health issues (31 per cent versus nine per cent).

There is no doubt that employers and tech leaders need to switch on their radars much more to mental well-being issues. Businesses need to have high-performance cultures, but ones that also recognise and support their staff as human beings.

Creating open cultures

At Harvey Nash it has been important to recognise that we are not perfect in this area, but that we are on a journey. And we are seeing positive results.

For instance, one of our young leaders experienced difficulties several years ago mainly due to significant changes in his personal life. He ran into quite serious issues, but the Group provided access to counselling and flexibility in how he structured his work. He is now a director, managing a large team. He has taken the responsibility of being a champion of mental well-being, running a regional wellness programme with regular sessions on different aspects of mental and emotional health.

The most powerful antidote to the challenge of mental health is to create a culture where it is openly discussed and stigmas are removed. It creates a better balanced, healthier and ultimately more productive team

Albert Ellis is CEO of global tech recruiter Harvey Nash. To register for a copy of The Harvey Nash Tech Survey 2020 report, Mapping the Tech Genome, please click here.