How to Keep 'Web Stress' From Lowering Your Productivity
I was pulling my hair out recently when CBS Interactive's version of WordPress -- which I use to write this blog -- was down. I was trying to get a post published, but the Web app wasn't responding. While I cursed at my screen, my stress level rose, I lost my focus, and even when WordPress was up and running again, I couldn't get on track.
Apparently, my experience isn't unusual. CA (formerly Computer Associates) just commissioned a European study (the CA 2009 Web Stress Index) that confirmed what I suspected: Workers' problems with under-performing Web applications is a major cause of stress, frustration, and lost productivity.
Um, duh, you might be saying right now -- no whopping surprise there. But what is sobering is the discovery that so many workers rely on Web apps to get our work done. According to the study, 97 percent of respondents said they couldn't do their jobs without them.
More sobering stats, from the press release detailing the CA study:
"Almost a quarter [of respondents] (24%) say that every day they have to cope with badly performing applications with an additional third (34%) claiming this happens on a weekly basis. Worryingly, 81% say they have no choice but to use some business applications even when they aren't working properly, painting a bleak picture of idle employees and wasted time."So, there's the problem. How do you solve it? One option is to use an Application Performance Management (APM) solution. Shocker: CA provides just such a solution. Which explains why they funded the study.
But there are some obvious additional solutions. Make sure your infrastructure can handle the demands of Web apps. Provide the fastest Internet connections possible. Where feasible, reduce your team's dependence on Web apps to get things done. Have a backup plan. (I often write my posts in a Word document, so I don't run the risk of a sluggish blog interface while I'm in a creative mood.)
And of course, choose the right apps for your team. That cool little app offered for free by that start-up is a lot more likely to fail you than an offering from an established vendor with redundant systems in place.
Do you have any other suggestions for lowering Web stress? Share them in the comments section.