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Stress and the BOSS are out to get you

There was a day when paranoid employees thought their boss was out to get them. It seems they were right...
Written by Jane Wakefield, Contributor

It seems there is a syndrome for everything these days and IT is no exception as a survey published Thursday claims 71 percent of IT managers are suffering from BOSS (Brown Out Stress Syndrome).

'Brown Outs' occur when IT systems are unable to cope with the demand for information, resulting in delays or downtime. The study -- conducted by UK-based research firm The David Lewis Consultancy -- surveyed 500 senior IT managers on their usage of IT systems and found BOSS to be commonplace.

20 percent of those questioned believe the condition poses a serious threat to their mental and physical health.

Report author psychologist Dr David Lewis explains why BOSS is causing a problem in the workplace. "Brown Outs produce high levels of stress because they remove control from individuals while at the same time reducing their freedom to make decisions," he says.

Jane Oliver will freely admit to not being the brightest crayon in the box, and she can work out that some things annoy her and make her stressed out. But she doesn't need a ruddy syndrome and a full-on report to tell her that working with computers can be really frustrating. Go to AnchorDesk UK for the news comment.

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