Job Stress among Software Professionals in Pakistan: A Factor Job Stress among Software Professionals in Pakistan: A Factor

Analytic Study Analytic Study

Abstract
Job stress is a common workplace problem experienced by all professionals irrespective of
their nature of work; however, this phenomenon is more common in situations that are
deadline driven. Software house is one such sector, which is affected profoundly by this
challenge, and professionals serving these organizations are often observed under huge
stress. Software professionals nature of ob is highly time!bound, client!oriented and
technology intensive. "he trends in turn, coupled with many factors, contribute towards
stress. "hese factors are extremely diverse, including change of technology, client
interaction, fear of obsolescence, family support, long working hours, and work overload etc.
"his study explores the nature of stress amongst software developers and professionals, and
endeavours to identify the key factors responsible for producing stress amongst
professionals, which limit their ob functionality and overall productivity. "he study was carried
out through survey instrument, which was developed around ten stress factors. #n analysis
of about $%% professionals serving different software houses in the local context was carried
out. "he gathered data was analyzed using descriptive and correlation analyses which
revealed interesting trends related with stress and age group, gender, marital status and
&ualification. "he insights developed through this study are useful to many stakeholders in
the local context, including software professionals, proect managers, and the 'akistan
Software (xport )oard.
Keywords* Job stress, software professionals, software developers, stress factors.
1. Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Rapid growth of technology and its extensive use in business and industry has increased the
competition manifold among organizations across the globe, and the worker of the 21
st
century is facing more challenges as compared to his/her predecessors. hese compelling
forces in the organizations are continuously reshaping the business strategies, restructuring
the hierarchy, re!engineering business processes, and altering managerial practices, thereby,
forcing the organizations to adapt innovative business models with their uni"ue blend of
technology.
he technological and structural changes in the organizations blurred the boundaries of
traditional departments, modified the roles and responsibilities of employees and affected
work!team relationships. #n the one hand, those changes forced the organizations to
acclimatize innovative technology for their business processes and pressurized the
employees to accommodate them in their daily work routines$ while on the other hand,
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
automation of business processes created a huge demand of software development within
the organization and they faced difficulties to accomplish those demands. hat puts pressure
on the software development team within the organization. he in!house software
development team faced two basic problems% first they had time constraints, i.e. developing
more software modules in a short span of time, and second, changing technology and
learning upcoming technological changes to accommodate in their processes. #ne
successful model to overcome the situation was outsourcing of software development.
&ence, software development emerged as a roaring business in the last two decades and
good "uality software professionals were in a greater demand. 'eveloped countries adopted
the business automation "uite earlier as compared to under!developed countries. his
created a huge demand of software developers and professionals in those countries, hence
an immense brain drain was also observed. he outcome of this brain drain resulted in the
form of an acute shortage of "uality software professionals in local software houses. his
shortage further pressurizes the existing professionals and developers working in different
software houses in (akistan. he situation has also produced many other types of pressures
in the organizations and has resulted in the form of )ob stress, )ob dissatisfaction, employee
burnout and other related issues of employee motivation, behaviour, and performance.
1. Study !b"ecti#e
his study is aimed at conducting a research survey on software professionals and
developers associated to various software houses in (akistan, in order to explore various
factors causing stress among professionals assuming diverse roles in software houses.
1.$ Significance of the Study
*oftware development is a growing industry in (akistan. he (akistan *oftware +xport ,oard
-(*+,. is putting a lot of efforts, for the last many years, towards the betterment of software
developers and professionals associated to software houses. his study will not only help
(*+, but also software houses and pro)ect managers to understand their work force.
1.% &esearch 'ethodology
he research is "uantitative in nature and a tailored "uestionnaire, comprising of /0
"uestions, along with demographic factors, is designed and distributed in various software
houses all over (akistan to collect the primary data.
he population of this study comprises of all software professionals working in different
software houses in (akistan and includes programmers, developers, and pro)ect managers
and "uality assurance personnel.
1 sample of 200 professionals was selected by using proportional allocation and the same
"uestionnaire was sent to the selected software houses for all types of people working there.
&owever, due to poor response and many reminders, only 21/ forms were received by the
deadline of the study, out of which 12 were incomplete, hence the sample size was reduced
to 202. he "uestionnaire is based on the seven!point 3ikert!scale, comprising of ten factors
to measure stress. 1long with this, demographic data is also collected through the same
"uestionnaire.
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
1.%.1 (ariables
4ollowing are the ma)or factors contributing in )ob stress of software professionals working in
different software houses -Ra)eswari and 1nantharaman, 2005.%
1. 4ear of obsolescence% 'ue to change of technology and "uick learning of new
technology.
2. 6ndividual and team interaction% 6nteraction of analyst, developer and pro)ect
manager.
5. 7lient interactions% 6nteraction during business analysis and system analysis.
8. 9ork!family interface% aking work home or working for late hours.
2. Role overload% 1ssuming different roles in a different or same pro)ect.
:. 9ork culture% ravelling abroad and facing different cultures.
/. echnical constraints% 3ack of technical expertise.
;. 4amily support towards career% 1ttitude and relation of the family towards work.
<. 9orkload% +xcessive and diverse work.
10. echnical risk propensity% Risk due to using innovative technology or process.
. Job Stress in )ork*lace
he continuing streams of information technology innovations are transforming the business
world -3audon and 3audon, 200/. from traditional work processes to 6 enabled integrated
environment. he impact of this change has brought many challenges to software
professionals and developers, working in organizations as in!house programmers and
developers. he rise in software demand to business and industry, beyond the capacity of
=6* professionals, who cater to the needs of organizations, has given birth to software
houses -Ra)eswari and 1nantharaman, 2005.. hese software houses are fulfilling the
demand of industry and providing customized software according to the need and
re"uirements of the client organizations, by using latest available technology and skills in the
market. he technology is changing so swiftly that it is becoming difficult for the professionals
to keep abreast with the upcoming technology along with the daily chores of the workplace.
*oftware industry is a human capital intensive industry -Ra)eswari and 1nantharaman, 2005.
and largely based on knowledge workers with technology concentrated environment. 1lso,
the software development process is a learning and communication process ->lass, 1<</.$
hence, it re"uires greater interaction with the clients, deep understanding of the nature and
business processes, clear and timely communication with people involved in the development
process, and insight into technological innovations. his situation puts pressure on
professionals involved in the process of software development in software houses and results
in occupational stress among them.
6n 1<<0s, the restructuring of organizations and the trend of downsizing and rightsizing further
engraved the situation for 6 professionals with a fear of losing their )obs ->lass, 1<</..
?arious studies in @apan were conducted to measure the stress among software
programmers, and the studies concluded that programmersA stress was not only common but
more problematic to the organizations ->lass, 1<</..
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
.1 )hat is Stress+
*tress is defined as Bthe pattern of emotional states and physiological reactions occurring in
response to demand from within or outside an organizationA ->reenberg C ,aron, 2005$
*ingh, 2005.. 1 stressor, on the other hand, is considered to be Ba condition or situation that
elicits a negative response such as anger, frustration, anxiety or tensionA -Ra)eswari C
1nantharaman, 2005.. 9orkplace stress is "uite common and can be measured through
different sources. 9orkload, time pressure, role ambiguity, role conflict, career progress and
communication are considered as ma)or sources of pressure in the life of an 6nformation
*ystem professional -6vanchevich, Dapier and 9etherbe, 1<;5.. (ressure ultimately causes
the stress that leads to different types of strain and finally hampers the performance of the
employees. *tress, not )ust affects the efficiency of the employees, but also causes ailment
and other physical or emotional problems as well -*ingh, 2005..
. Stress in ,ifferent !ccu*ations
here is a belief that some occupations are sources of greater stress than others. &owever, it
would be unwise to attribute stress, and its fatal conse"uences like employee burnout, health
issues etc. only to professionals and executive groups -=cEenna, 2002.. here is a view that
occupational stress is more likely to be found among blue!collar and routine white!collar
workers because often they work to meet the difficult deadlines or the heavy burden of work
does not give them time to relieve the pressure -4letcher, >owler and (ayne, 1</<.. 1 survey
of senior managers in 112 financial organizations conducted in 1<;: in 3ondon, showed that
:8F identified stress as their main health concern and worst affected were accountants and
building society managers. hose who worked in the city identified Btoo much workA as the
biggest single factor in causing stress. #ther causes mentioned were long hours, competition,
pressure to perform, over!promotion, conflict between work and private life, and )ob insecurity
-=cEenna, 2002.. he most fre"uently mentioned symptom of stress was deterioration in the
employeeAs performance. #ther symptoms identified were irritability, absenteeism, problems
with making decisions, difficulties with drinking and depression -=cEenna, 2002.. 1 report by
the GE &ealth and *afety +xecutive -7ox and 4erguson, 1<<8. calls into the problem of
stress at work, as well as advocating training for employees. he report identifies excessive
periods of repetitive work, lack of management support, and over demanding work schedules
as contributory causes of stress. 1dditional factors were low pay, poor relationship with
management, lack of variety, )ob insecurity, and conflicting demands of work and home.
#ccupational stress, in particular, is the inability to cope with the pressure in a )ob -Ross,
2002. because of a poor fit between someoneAs abilities and work re"uirement and conditions
-&olmlund!Rytkonen and *trandvik, 2002.. 1 mental and physical condition affects an
individualAs productivity, effectiveness, personal health and "uality of work -7omish and
*windle, 1<<8.. hong and Hap -2000. have summarized prior studies on workplace stress,
showing that, while the topic of stress continues to interest information system researchers,
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
there has been a lack of a cumulative tradition, in terms of the specific theoretical frameworks
used to understand the problem.
$. Job Stress among Software Professionals
$.1 Software ,e#elo*ment Process !#er#iew
here is not a single way to define software development process like one assembly line$
however, there are fundamental development principles underlying the process that provide
the foundation to understanding the software house environment and its work!pressures. he
series of steps that software undergoes, from concept exploration through final retirement, is
termed as a Blife cycleA -*chach, 1<<:.. he overall pro)ect planning re"uires a software
system development life cycle to provide a framework for considering the specific tasks to be
accomplished. 6t also needs to account for the interaction among management, development
and software "uality assurance and client throughout the pro)ect life cycle -'onaldson and
*iegel, 2001..
$. -auses of Stress among Software Professionals
*oftware development process is "uite complex, from understanding of clientsA re"uirement
to the maintenance phases, different sets of knowledge and skills are re"uired. &ence,
various personnel are involved in a cycle, like business developers, pro)ect managers,
system analysts, programmers, coders, and "uality assurance people$ apart from other
consultants who provide the insight into the domain knowledge of the area in which software
is developed.
3ike other occupations, software development process is also engulfed with extreme
stressors. ?arious factors have been identified as stressors among software development
personnel. &owever, Ra)eswari and 1nantharaman -2005. have identified ten most important
factors that are crucial in determining the )ob!related stress among professionals. hese
factors are% fear of obsolescence, individual and team interaction, client interaction, work!
family interface, role overload, work culture, technical propensity, family support towards
career, workload, and technical propensity. 4ear of obsolescence is the stress caused by
changing technology when software developers feel stressed to learn newer technology
along with their routine )ob. *oftware development is a process carried out in various teams
and re"uires greater interaction among team members which creates pressure on one
member to timely respond to the other member, and transfer the details of work to them.
9ork culture in software houses also causes stress because software professionals often
work for longer hours than usual$ they are supposed to work even on holidays during near!
completion time of their pro)ects. Role overload is another ma)or stress factor among software
developers because if a team member leaves during the pro)ect then other members are
supposed to take over the responsibility of that person. 6nvolving a new member in the team
re"uires the training of that person and delays the pro)ect.
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
1ccording to 1cton and >olden -2002., Bhe satisfaction of employee and its retention in
general is important$ however, the retention of software personnel is vital for business
successes.A his is also verified by the studies of =ac'onald -2000.. 6n fact, software
development is a human!intensive industry and farsighted pro)ect managers recognize that
the greatest impediments to success are often related to people rather than to information,
technology, and systems -Roepke, 1garwal et al., 2000.. 7onsidering the high costs
associated with replacing 6 staff and their experience, it makes sense for companies to
invest in mechanisms designed to keep 6 staff longer -=ak and *ockel, 1<<<$ =oore, 2000..
his may involve keeping their )ob more relaxed and stress free. &ence, understanding the
mechanism of their )ob and complexities is vital to optimize the performance and retention.
here is a strong reason to believe that software professionals, working either in a software
house or in any organization for in!house development and maintenance, are prone to more
serious risks as compared to people involved in such )obs two or three decades ago -,rod,
1<;8.. 6t has been pointed out that Bhigh performance -re"uirements. with high technology
can exercise a dangerous influence on the human personality ... anyone who is constantly
working or playing with computers is at riskA -Ealuzniacky, 1<<;.. he constant use of
computers affects the users in terms of fatigue, eye strain, arm and shoulder pain, and
backache. Ehosrowpour and 7ulpan -1<;<. published a stress!related study applied to
individuals working in computer!related fields. hey observed% B6nformation processing
professionals see change in technology as a prere"uisite for their existence, yet the speed of
this change can have profound psychological and physiological effects.A
6n their studies, Eleiner and >eil -1<;2., Datalie -1<<2., and 4u)igaki -1<<5. argued that it is
important to measure the stress among computer professionals and their articles summarize
and report the presence of stress among these professionals. &oonakker -2002. argued
about different factors associated with "uality of working life and turnover. &e pointed out that
work and family life, if spill over to each other, create different psychological demands and
cause stress and depression. >oogins -1<;/. also reported the same phenomena. #ther
causes and conse"uences of stress have been assessed by different studies like% physical
ailments by 4rone et al. -1<</., life satisfaction by &iggins et al. -1<<2., turnover at
workplaces by >reenhaus et al. -1<</., and )ob satisfaction by Detemeyer et al. -1<<:.. 6n
their works, 4u)igaki -1<<5. and 4uruyama -1<<8. have tried to measure the causes of stress
among programmers and the impact of the stress in creating different types of errors in their
work. *ignificantly, they have mentioned that stress is present in almost all phases of
software development life cycle.
%. ,ata Analysis and Findings
he study is conducted through a research survey in ma)or cities of (akistan. 1 "uestionnaire
was distributed in various software houses through a contact person in every software house.
%.1 &es*ondents. Profile
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
/1F respondents are involved in technical )ob and others are doing both managerial
and technical )obs
8:F respondents have undergraduate degrees in 7omputer *cience and 22F have
postgraduate degree in computers, while others have degrees in different disciplines
2<F respondents have one or more certification besides their degrees
;5F are male
2<F are in the age group of 21 to 28 years and 8;F are in age group of 22 to 2;
years
/2F are unmarried
%. &eliability and (alidity
%..1 &eliability
he reliability of the scales is determined through 7ronbachAs 1lpha and all the variables are
found reliable, that is, the value of alpha is greater than ./ except workload.
%.. (alidity
he validity of the scale is determined through the people working in different software
houses.
%.$ ,escri*ti#e Analysis
+ach factor of stress is measured on a seven!point scale, where B1A indicates the lowest level
of intensity and B/A indicates the highest level of intensity. able 2 shows the average level of
intensity of each subscale along with their standard deviation. #n the basis of coefficient of
variance -7?F., the factors that are contributing more towards )obs stress are Bfear of
obsolescenceA -mean 5.</., Bclient interactionA -mean 5.;:. and Btechnical constraintsA -mean
5.80.. 9hile next two factors of )ob stress are, Bteam factorsA -mean 5.11. and Brole overloadA
-mean 5.5;.. &ence, ma)or factors contributing towards the )ob stress are not the work or
workload but changing technology, availability of technology and availability of technical staff
to build the suitable team for a pro)ect.
/able 1: ,escri*ti#e Analysis of Factors
Factors 'in 'a0 'ean S, -(1
4ear of obsolescence 1.<8 2.<8 5.</02 ./212 1;.<2F
eam factors .00 :.// 5.112: 1.1/52 5/./0F
7lient interaction .00 :./1 5.;:8; 1.8205 5:./2F
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
9ork family interaction .00 :./1 5.2221 1.52;/ 81.20F
Role overload .00 :.15 5.5;8; 1.2;21 5/.;;F
9ork culture .00 :./2 2.2/;0 1.//:: //.<<F
echnical constraint .00 :.;0 5.805< 1.28;/ 5:.:;F
4amily support .00 /.00 2.;<21 1.8251 20.1<F
9orkload .00 /.00 5./8:5 1.25<2 81.0<F
echnical risk .00 /.00 5.5;5/ 1.82:; 85.02F
9ork culture and family support has the least priority in contributing to )obs stress, because
work culture is measured through data where professionals are visiting foreign countries and
having stress due to new environment and culture, where most of the workers have not
reported any foreign experience. *imilarly, family support is not found as stressor because
/2F respondents are unmarried and /:F are under the age of 2; years.
%.% -orrelation Analysis
he correlation matrix reveals that the highest correlation is found in BworkloadA and Bwork
family interactionA i.e. .:28, and Bclient interactionA and Bwork overloadA are also highly
correlated. &ence, this suggests that staff interacting with clients have multiple roles in the
organizations and this mounts stress among the professionals at senior positions. #n the
other hand, there is weak correlation between fear of obsolescence with work culture and
workload. *imilarly, there is an obvious weak correlation of client interaction with family
support. #ne factor Brole overloadA has very high correlation with almost all other factors.
&ence, this seems to be a greater source of stress or at least the cause of creating stress
through other sources as well.
/able : -orrelation 'atri0 of Factors
1 2 5 8 2 : / ; < 10
1 1.000 .8/8 .801 .528 .512 .2:; .58< .215 .1;2 .58<
2 .8/8 1.000 .201 .8/2 .2:< .80< .58: .52; .50< .58;
5 .801 .201 1.000 .28/ .:1: .50/ .8;< .1</ .820 .858
8 .528 .8/2 .28/ 1.000 .2;: .855 .52; .820 .:28 .588
2 .512 .2:< .:1: .2;: 1.000 .85; .22< .50; .252 .2/2
: .2:; .80< .50/ .855 .85; 1.000 .822 .52: .2<1 .5:2

Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)

/ .58< .58: .8;< .52; .22< .822 1.000 .51< .52< .8;;
; .215 .52; .1</ .820 .50; .52: .51< 1.000 .552 .512
< .1;2 .50< .820 .:28 .252 .2<1 .52< .552 1.000 .882
10 .58< .58; .858 .588 .2/2 .5:2 .8;; .512 .882 1.000
%.2 Analysis of (ariance
1nalysis of variance is applied on subscales to check whether all subscales have the same
impact of stress or not. he analysis suggests that each factor does not contribute e"ually in
the overall stress. 6ndividual analysis of the factors also reveals that Bfear of obsolescenceA
and Bteam interactionA are the most important contributors towards )ob stress in software
houses.
/able $: Analysis of (ariance 3A4!(A5
Source of (ariation SS df 'S F F crit
,etween groups 82;.02// < 20.;<25 2/.25:< 1.;;82
9ithin groups 5;11.</< 2080 1.;:;:
otal 82/0.05: 208<
%.6 ,emogra*hic Analysis of Factors
%.6.1 Analysis by 7ender
9hen analyzing the data by gender, it is found that fear of obsolescence is the dominant
factor both in males and females. *imilarly, client interaction is e"ually distressful for both the
gender, as the next higher stress!creating factor. he factors creating lowest stress are work
culture and family support among both males and females. his is obvious because work
culture is associated with the ad)ustment of the environment of foreign culture when the
professional is travelling abroad. 1lso family support will become irrelevant because ma)ority
of the participants belong to the age group of 21 to 2; and are unmarried.
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
>raph 1% >ender!wise @ob *tress
$.6
$.8
$.$
$.$
$.$%
$.$6
'ale Female
%.6. Analysis by 'arital Status
1 higher degree of stress is found in unmarried people as compared to married people on the
average. 1lso fear of obsolescence and workload are two strong stressors among unmarried
people, whereas fear of obsolescence and client interaction are greater sources of stress
among married people as compared to other factors. #ne of the reason of this phenomena is
"uite possible% married people may belong to higher age group and are working on both
technical and managerial positions, hence, client interaction is a ma)or factor contributing to
their stress$ while unmarried people are working for stretched hours, hence, feeling stressed
due to workload. he lowest factors contributing in stress in both the cases are found to be
family support and work culture.
%.6.$ Analysis by Age
he data is collected from age groups ranging from below 20 years to above 80 years$
however, no respondent reported the age above 80, while only one respondent could be
included in the age groups of below 20 years and 5/I80 years and both are showing very
high stress$ while the age groups from 21 to 5: years are showing normal stress. #n the
average, the age group 22I2; years are reporting the highest stress, and the obvious reason
of this could be role overload and changing technology, because under this age group mainly
relates to technical )obs.
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
>raph 2% =arital *tatus and @ob *tress
.9
$
$.1
$.
$.$
$.%
'arried :nmarried
%.6.% Analysis by ;ualification
he analysis according to various degrees and "ualification shows that almost all types of
"ualifications% ,*, =*, ,7*, =7*, =,1, ,.*c, or =.*c are experiencing e"ual stress.
&ence, "ualification does not create any significant impact on the )ob stress.
%.6.2 Analysis by Job
=a)ority of the professionals working in software houses belong to the technical category.
&owever, most of the people who are working as technical support are also experiencing the
managerial support i.e. they reported to work both as technical and managerial positions. #n
the average, those people who are working both as technical and managerial support in the
software houses are experiencing more stress, and showed the higher causes of stress as
fear of obsolescence, client interaction, and workload.
%.< =ey Findings
1. 1nalysis of variance suggests that all factors taken into account are not e"ually
contributing towards )ob stress among software professionals working in different
software houses in (akistan.
2. #n the average, Bfear of obsolescenceA is the most contributing factor in )ob stress,
and is found as a prominent factor of stress in all demographic strata.
5. B7lient interactionA and BworkloadA are next ma)or factors, after fear of obsolescence.
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
>raph 5% 1ge!wise @ob *tress
.<
.8
.9
$
$.1
$.
$.$
$.%
1>% 2>8 9>$ $$>$6
1ge >roups
8. 1ccording to correlation analysis of the factors, highest correlation is found of
BworkloadA with Bclient interactionA and Bwork family supportA$ and moderate correlation
is found with almost every other factor.
2. he most significant finding is obtained through demographic analysis, and it reveals
that, males are more under stress as compared to their counterparts, unmarried are
more distressful as compared to married, and the age group of 21 to 2; years
experiences higher stress with respect to their senior colleagues. &ence, the specific
group of Bunmarried males in the age group of 21 to 2; years is found highly under
stress as compared to other demographic segments.
:. hose professionals who are playing dual role of handling technology and managerial
position are facing more stress.
/. Jualification or degree of the participants is not showing any impact in causing
stress.
2. -onclusion and &ecommendations
he professionals working in software houses of (akistan are experiencing a moderate kind
of stress in their )ob. his stress is e"ual for male and female members and there is no
significant difference among them, but males are experiencing slightly higher stress as
compared to females. #ne of the reason of this can be that males are supposed to work for
longer hours as compared to females, and usually they take work along to their homes after
working hours and at weekends, while females avoid to work longer hours especially late
night sittings. 6t is also reported that males are supposed to work on *undays as well, when
the pro)ect deadlines are approaching nearer. 1nother reason of stress among the males is
that they are more work overloaded as compared to their female counterparts.
he age group of 21 to 2; years has the highest stress as compared to their senior
colleagues. he reason revealed through discussion with different professionals is that they
are working for long hours, are fresh and energetic, and interested to work for longer hours in
groups and friendship circles, usually formed when a pro)ect starts because they do not have
much responsibility at their homes. his age group is also involved in pursuing further
education, hence the added pressure of studies along with their )obsA.
he prominent segment, which reported the highest stress, is unmarried males in the age
group of 22 to 2; years, and the probable reasons found through the discussion are% they are
supposed to learn newer technology along with their daily )ob chores which puts a lot of
pressure. hey are more engaged in client interaction, and satisfying the client is considered
the most difficult part in software pro)ects. 1lso, most of the time, clients themselves are not
clear about their re"uirements, hence, they do not freeze their re"uirements, which causes
disruption and delays in the pro)ect and puts pressure on all other members working on the
pro)ect. herefore, it is concluded that the software professionals working in different software
houses of (akistan are experiencing moderate stress in their )ob.
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Journal of Independent Studies and Research (MSSE)
he ten variables considered in this study contributing towards the )ob stress of software
professionals do have e"ual weight and contribute differently, for example, family support and
work culture have not much impact on our study, and hence these factors can be omitted or
merged with other factors. *imilarly, technical constraint and technical risk can be combined
as one single factor. his will reduce some variables from the study and more prominent
variables can emerge or the impact of other variables can be measured more precisely.
he performance of part of the stress can also be added to distinguish the stress and
distress$ this will also provide the impact of each variable on overall performance of the
employee. 6t is also recommended that the scale should be reduced to one to five instead of
one to seven, because the seven!point scale created difficulty in understanding the difference
between two successive points, for example, having the stress of Bless than moderateA and
Blow stressA more or less created the same meaning as discussed with software professionals.
*o having a clear understating and "uantification of the precise words can create more
meaningful results.
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9esley.
7omish, R., *windle, ,. 1<<8 B=anaging stress in the workplaceA, /ational 'ublic
#ccountant, ?ol. 5<, Do. <, pp. 28!2;.
7ox, ., 4erguson, +. 1<<8 B=easurement of the sub)ective work environmentA, 0ork
and Stress, ?ol. ;, Do. 2, pp. <;!10<.
'onaldson, *. +. and *iegel, *. >. 2001 Successful Software 1evelopment. 2
nd
ed.
Dew @ersey% (rentice &all (R.
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