Gujarat IT Sector Faces Productivity Crisis Due to Systemic Workplace Stress, Study Reveals

At 3 a.m., Rajkot lies in deep slumber. The streets are shrouded in darkness, and the city remains motionless. Yet, Shruti Singh is fully alert. Not awakened by a nightmare or external noise, but ensnared by the relentless cycle of logistics disputes, client complaints, and accounting tasks that have stealthily invaded her role and refused to depart. Her alarm is set for three hours later, but it is irrelevant—her workday has already commenced within her mind.

Shruti is not an exception; she represents the norm. Across Gujarat's IT hubs—Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot—thousands of technology professionals are embroiled in a similar battle: chronic, escalating workplace stress that has evolved far beyond occasional difficult weeks. What may appear as individual burnout from the outside is now identified by researchers as a systemic issue with significant economic repercussions.

Groundbreaking Study Uncovers Alarming Trends

These insights stem from a comprehensive academic investigation titled "The Impact of Work Stress on Employee Productivity in IT Companies in Selected Cities of Gujarat". Conducted by research scholar Dr. Archana Mishra under the supervision of Dr. Sandipkumar G. Prajapati at the Department of Commerce and Business Management, Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda, the study analyzed responses from 1,400 IT professionals across the four cities. It blends statistical data with personal narratives to explore how stress, intensified by the pandemic and remote work transition, is subtly eroding productivity from within.

Stress as the Default State in IT Work

The statistics are startling: 42.6% of surveyed IT employees report feeling stressed "always" due to work demands, while 34.5% experience stress "sometimes". Merely 22.9% claim never feeling stressed at work. This pattern is consistent across all cities, indicating it is not isolated to a few toxic environments but ingrained in the sector itself.

Key stressors identified include:

Tight deadlines and extended working hours
Overtime and frequent meetings
Ambiguous role definitions
Pressure from managing multiple projects simultaneously

For Shruti, this lack of clarity manifested physically, resulting in chronic cervical pain and recurrent migraines. When she addressed the issue, she was informed it was "part of the growth process". The study corroborates her experience, revealing that stress frequently translates into health problems such as sleep disorders, anxiety, and medical complaints, particularly prevalent in Ahmedabad and Surat.

Pandemic Exacerbates Existing Stressors

If stress was already a component of IT work pre-2020, the pandemic transformed it into the foundational structure. Initially portrayed as flexibility, the shift to working from home (WFH) actually increased stress for over 57% of respondents. Boundaries blurred, work hours expanded, and constant digital availability became standard. Even post-reopening, the strain persists: 38.6% continue WFH, 33.9% adopt a hybrid model, and only 27.5% have returned to offices full-time.

Additionally, 40.7% work night shifts, disrupting sleep patterns, family dynamics, and social interactions in ways that accumulate over time. Maulik Bhansali, CEO of Netweb Software, emphasizes that the core challenge now is not the existence of hybrid work but its effective management. "After Covid, the entire working culture changed," he states. "Prolonged isolation weakens team cohesion, peer learning, and collective energy, directly impacting engagement and productivity."

Bhansali advocates for clarity and structure in hybrid models, urging leaders to define active and non-active hours to prevent work from encroaching on personal time. "Productivity today hinges on problem-solving ability, peer learning, and future readiness, not merely long hours," he adds.

Productivity Under Siege: Direct Negative Impacts

The study's pivotal finding is stark: 56.4% of IT employees affirm that work stress directly undermines their productivity. This effect varies by city, with Vadodara reporting the highest rate at 67.1%, followed by Rajkot (58%), Ahmedabad (51.4%), and Surat (51.2%). Consequences include diminished focus, declining work quality, missed deadlines, and increased absenteeism.

In Vadodara, Vanshika Motwani's experience illustrates the collision of stress and hierarchy. After highlighting a timeline error in a project supervised by a senior director, she received a formal warning for "insubordination", leading to fear, sick leave, and a confidence breakdown—a spiral the data shows is common.

The Productivity Paradox: Effort Versus Output

A curious phenomenon emerges: despite widespread stress, many employees still perceive themselves as productive. The survey indicates 18.6% rate themselves "very productive", 15.6% as "productive", and 25.1% remain neutral. However, nearly 45% classify themselves as unproductive or very unproductive. Researchers term this the productivity paradox, where increased effort does not equate to improved outcomes.

Kshiti Joshi, an IT professional from Surat, encapsulates this: "Health issues and subtle workplace bullying are constant. You're always proving your worth. The effort is invisible, but the exhaustion is real."

Eroding Loyalty and Job Satisfaction

Stress is also diminishing employee commitment. Only about 39% express full dedication to long-term careers with their current employers, while nearly 35% do not. Job dissatisfaction affects around 43%, with Ahmedabad and Vadodara showing the most pronounced figures. Financial pressures—such as stagnant salaries, delayed promotions, and limited growth—rank among the top career-related stressors.

Dr. Prajapati contextualizes Gujarat's findings within national trends, citing the 2025 Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report: 41% of employees under 35 experience daily work stress, and 50% of Indian employees are actively considering job changes, signaling widespread dissatisfaction. He notes that Indian IT professionals often work 45 to 50 hours weekly, exceeding the standard 40, contributing to poor work-life balance.

The downstream effects are predictable: long hours impair focus, daily anxiety boosts absenteeism, and stress-related health issues escalate healthcare and turnover expenses. Referencing Deloitte's Mental Health and Well-being in the Workplace survey, Prajapati quantifies the damage at approximately Rs 1.1 lakh crore annually for Indian employers—comprising Rs 51,000 crore from presenteeism, Rs 14,000 crore from absenteeism, and Rs 45,000 crore from attrition. "These figures demonstrate that workplace stress is not just an HR issue but a measurable drain on organizational competitiveness," he asserts.

Inadequate Organizational Responses

Are companies addressing this crisis? The data suggests insufficient action: nearly a third of employees report their organizations never implement stress-reduction programs, and 53.7% believe stronger stress-management strategies are needed. The MSU study concludes that workplace stress in Gujarat's IT sector is no longer an individual shortcoming or HR footnote but a structural risk to productivity and talent retention.

Dr. Mishra warns: "Without role clarity, realistic workloads, supportive leadership, and genuine mental health support, especially in hybrid and WFH settings, stress will continue to silently drain productivity. For a sector propelling Gujarat's digital ambitions, the foremost challenge may not be technological—it may be human."