Psychological Wellbeing among IT Professionals: A Study of Influencing Factors and Coping Mechanisms

Abstract

The information technology (IT) sector is known for its rewards but also for its pressures demanding deadlines, continual change, and the blurring of boundaries between work and life all of which bear upon the psychological wellbeing of the professionals who sustain it. This paper examines the factors that influence the wellbeing of IT professionals and the coping mechanisms through which they manage the strains of their work, viewed through a human resource (HR) lens. Drawing conceptually on insights from research into workforce dynamics in the IT and ITES sector, where self-efficacy, organisational communication, and a supportive culture were found to shape how employees respond to demands, the paper argues that wellbeing is shaped by a combination of individual resources and organisational conditions, and that coping is most effective when supported rather than left to the individual alone. It reviews the contemporary literature on psychological wellbeing, risk factors, social support, and coping strategies, and considers the organisational practices through which IT firms can protect and promote the wellbeing of their people. The paper concludes that wellbeing is both an individual and an organisational responsibility, and that HR has a decisive role in building the conditions and supports on which it depends.

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