The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : No time to take care of health in a fast-track career

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

No time to take care of health in a fast-track career

Swathi Shivanand and Sahana Charan

A dramatic fall in the health graph of IT professionals has forced the industry to take a reality check

75 per cent of computer professionals suffer from repetitive stress injuries
Many IT and ITES employees diagnosed with osteoporosis in recent times

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Heavy price: Stress, coupled with erratic sleep patterns and unhealthy food, is affecting the health of IT and ITES employees.

Bangalore: The Information Technology (IT) boom skyrocketed Bangalore to international fame. But with intense scrutiny of the merits and demerits of the sector, the toll the highly demanding field takes on the health of its professionals has emerged as the next big news. Reinforcing that critical need to ensure employee health, the Government has now decided to formulate certain health-related guidelines.

Karthik Shekar, general secretary of the Union of Information Technology Enabled Services (UNITES), has more to say on the experience of working on night shifts and constant change in shifts that throw people’s internal cycle off balance.

“Socialising opportunities lost also add to the pressure. For IT enabled Services (ITES) professionals, meeting targets and satisfying customers on call affects them mentally. If they do not meet targets, they start to lose incentives and have to take a cut in their salaries,” Mr. Shekar says.

These are manifested in dysfunctional behaviour such as becoming addicted to sleeping pills, alcohol and even caffeine. What adds to the stress is the constant monitoring that some companies subject their employees to. “They are monitored even in their break times. It is completely unhealthy and people should be given some freedom at work,” Mr. Shekar says.

Body takes a beating

This stress, pressure to meet deadlines, sitting on the computer for long hours, coupled with erratic sleep patterns and unhealthy food can have an adverse affect on health of IT and ITES employees. The most common are eye and bone-related ailments, while lifestyle disorders such as blood pressure, high blood sugar levels and obesity follow.

“The strain of looking at the computer for a long time in the same posture can lead to headache, irritation and a dry feeling in the eye,” says Arun Samprathi, consultant ophthalmologist.

According to Dr. Samprathi, the eye muscles contract when the eyes are focussed close to the computer and cause headache and irritation. Looking at the computer for long hours can reduce the blink rate, leading to the eyes becoming dry.

In the words of Deepak Sharan, consultant in Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation and Medical Director of RECOUP Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation Centre, a lot of young IT and ITES employees were being diagnosed with osteoporosis in recent times.

“The problem was earlier associated with post-menopausal women but now people in the 20 to 35 years age group are suffering from the ailment. Inadequate nutrition, which does not have adequate amounts of milk and milk products may be the reason as most IT professionals eat in their workplace and may not have access to nutritious food,” Dr. Sharan adds.

Besides, at least 75 per cent of computer professionals suffer from Repetitive Stress Injuries, the most common being tingling sensation in the fingers and arms, neck and back pain, he says.

Because of their fast-track and high stress careers, many IT professionals may neglect their health and therefore be more vulnerable to having high blood pressure and blood sugar levels at a younger age, says P.S.V. Rao, endocrine and laparoscopic surgeon.

“Obesity is high among IT and ITES employees because of the junk food they eat, which can be a risk factor for diabetes and cardiac problems. Moreover, many of them travel often and work night shifts which ruins their biological clock and affects metabolism,” Dr. Rao adds.

Welcome trend

In what seems to be a welcome trend, while major IT and ITES firms have initiated steps to address the health concerns of its employees, the latter have also started to reject or opt for companies that allow them to have lives apart from work.

Shalini Suresh, an IT professional, travelled long distances to work on bad roads and did late hours for nearly one year. The result — backaches, constant irritation and even depression. That is when Ms. Suresh decided to quit her job.

“The job I have now has flexible timings so that they work when they are most productive. I can work early mornings because that is when I do my best and then I have the evenings to myself,” she says.

To keep their employees happy and cut down on the high attrition rate the industry witnesses, major companies have several health-related programmes and put incentives in place.

A business process outsourcing firm has free gym facilities for its employees. “We have insurance covering the employee and four more dependents. We have an in-house medical facility available round the clock plus, tie-ups with hospitals which mean that our employees can get reimbursed for their treatments. We also have a counsellor available three times a week,” says Karthikeyan Selvaraj, vice-president, human resources, 24/7.

Many IT and ITES companies have adopted different methods to help their employees let their hair down and breathe easy. Dance therapy, meditation and yoga classes are regularly conducted.

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