Assessment of risk factors and work stress for IT product developers

Abstract

Due to the growing concern about workplace stress, there are more and more publications on psychosocial stress in the workplace and its negative health effects. This article examines the results of research over the past 20 years concerning the assessment of stress in software developers. A qualitative analysis of 684 publications was conducted to assess the relationship between work stress and mental and physical health, as well as the impact of measures to reduce stress in the workplace on the effectiveness of IT product development processes and the formation of project teams. Based on the use of a flexible logical-heuristic method, the key risk factors for the development of stress in IT workers are identified. There are four groups of factors that determine the degree of risk of industrial stress: the working environment, working conditions, the organization of processes and individual qualities. The most significant factors are: heavy workload, job stability, work schedule, vision problems, emotional intelligence.