Forty percent of Ireland’s 52,000 project managers have suffered from prolonged stress due to their work. The study involved 407 project management professionals in Ireland from a broad range of sectors and was carried out with the assistance of Pan Research.
This is according to a survey carried out for PM Summit which involved 407 project management professionals in Ireland from a broad range of sectors and was carried out with the assistance of Pan Research.
The results show that people in IT roles suffer most from stress, with 44% reporting that they have suffered from prolonged work stress, followed by people in the architectural, engineering and construction field where 39% report this. Conversely, the stress levels of project managers in operations and logistics were low, with only 5% revealing that they have suffered prolonged stress.
The survey shows that project managers, aged 35-55, are the most stressed; with 43% saying they’ve suffered with prolonged stress, that is stress experienced for an extended period. This contrasts with project managers aged over 55, of whom less than a third (31%) reported prolonged work-related stress.
The largest segment of respondents (29%) identified the execution stage as the most stressful. This is typically the longest stage and most demanding phase of a project. Project managers in IT roles in particular found this phase challenging, with 37% identifying it as the most stressful.
The close-out phase, when all activities are finalised and the project is formally closed, was acknowledged as the most stressful by almost one in five (19%) project managers. Project managers in architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) roles found this to be the most stressful stage, with 30% identifying it as the most trying.
Commenting on the research, CEO of PM Summit, Raymond Poole said, "While it is encouraging to see that some project management professionals have received formal training in how to manage mental health issues, there is a long way to go in making this training available more widely in the industry. Our mission at this year’s PM Summit in July is to help people to manage and reduce the impacts of stress for themselves and their teams."
The PM Summit is taking place at Dublin Convention Centre on Tuesday, 17th July. Tickets are now available for the PM Summit at €395 for a single ticket or €275 per person for groups of two or more (prices exclude VAT). Tickets guarantee access to three keynote presentations as well as 15 breakout sessions. Refreshments and lunch will be also provided, and delegates will have the opportunity to interact and network with peers.
Source: www.businessworld.ie
