IT pros don't use all their annual leave due to work pressure

Stress office

IT professionals are most likely, out of all working people, not to use their entire annual leave, according to a new Robert Walters Career Lifestyle Survey. This is mostly because they are under pressure to deliver new projects on tight deadlines, and to keep their projects safe from cyber-attacks.

Almost half (44 percent) of IT pros polled during research said they had not used their entire annual leave, compared to the average of 36 percent.

"In the last year, IT professionals working in cyber security have seen a particular spike in demand for their skills, driven by several data breaches at high profile companies in 2015", says Ahsan Iqbal, associate director at Robert Walters. "As a result, employers have been keen to bring these professionals on board to undertake large scale overhauls digital security systems. Given the immediate threat posed by a weak cyber security system, IT professionals are often under significant time pressure to complete these projects".

More than half (54 percent) of all the IT pros failing to use their entire annual leave say they couldn’t do it as they had to complete projects and meet deadlines.

"In many cases, deadlines for IT projects, particularly those concerning cyber security, are considered business critical and therefore cannot be moved. It is in these cases where IT professionals will struggle to make full use of their annual leave entitlement", Iqbal adds. "However, given the high demand for their skills, IT specialists are in a strong position to negotiate with potential employers to ensure that they will be compensated for additional hours worked".

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Future plc Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: baranq/Shutterstock

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