A recent study of more than 36,000 IT workers found that two in five want to quit because they say they’re burning out. Longer hours, more demanding schedules, and working remotely, are all leading IT teams down the path to exhaustion.
Burnout is a real phenomenon. The World Health Organization lists burnout in their international classification of diseases as an occupational hazard. Burnt-out IT workers lead to coding or other errors that can linger in your organization for years. Both employers and their workers need to get a handle on stopping burnout by improving work/life balance. But how do we get there? Before you lose good talent and have to call your favorite local employment agencies for help, read this blog and protect your organization from burnout.
Tips To Avoid Burnout
#1 Be more realistic about your time management
Even Batman and Batgirl have to take a break from saving the world now and then. In theory, a good project manager in an Agile environment should be monitoring what they predict they can accomplish versus output. But the reality is in many cases, IT teams do have a level of control over their “To Do” list. What we’re failing to do, however, is to prioritize time away from our screens. This is especially true if you’re a remote worker. Setting more realistic standards about what you can accomplish every day, then setting focus time to be more productive, and then finally, getting away from your screen can help you get a handle on a chaotic day.
#2 For managers—Normalize work/life balance
Companies and teams should talk more about the importance of finding balance, how to avoid burnout, and even why it’s important to use all of your vacation time. It’s true: Americans are terrible about taking a vacation. Unlike every other industrialized nation, employers aren’t mandated to offer vacation time. But when they do, not everyone takes it. That’s why managers and employers should carefully make note of the time-off taken by their top tech talent. IT staffing solutions companies like Prosum offer IT staff augmentation for short or long-term assignments that can help lift the burden so your employees feel like they can take time off. But your culture should be one where having work/life balance is best practice for everyone on the team.
#3 Invest in yourself
Okay, if you work in IT, this tip is for you. Your employer can’t make you go on vacation. Your spouse maybe can’t even get you to put down your screen. The reality is that you should acknowledge and recognize when and if you feel overwhelmed—and then do something about it. Even if you invest in yourself for an hour a day to step away from work tasks and enjoy your life, it will help avoid burnout. You’ve heard all the lectures about your health and may roll your eyes, but burnout is real, and it can even sneak up on you when you least expect it. So, get out there and do something about it. Sometimes that means leaving your current role for a new one. That’s where Prosum can help.
Prosum is not your typical local employment agency. We are hands down one of the best IT staffing agencies in the regional markets we serve. If you’re in Denver, Los Angeles, or Phoenix and need top tech talent, or if you’re an experienced IT professional, our company is here to serve you.
