European insurance IT directors are trapped in a cycle of stress and self-neglect, research by business services provider Synstar found.
The survey of 700 European IT directors revealed that 99% worked more than 37 hours a week, with 38% often skipping breaks and lunch hours.
Of the respondents, 35% regularly took work calls out of hours, and 80% said they found it hard to sleep due to work stress.
Outsourcing was an issue causing particular stress, with 29% of IT directors viewing it as a direct threat to their job security.
Synstar director of managed services, Russell Flower, said: "The importance of insurance companies IT departments has grown over the past few years and subsequently, so have the pressures placed on IT directors. Consequently, IT managers find it harder than ever to strike a health work/life balance."
