Signs Your Tech Employees are Nearing a Burnout

Employer Insights

IT Employee Burnout

Has it been increasingly difficult to motivate and retain your best IT workers? Employee burnout is, unfortunately, all too common at many companies, occurring over weeks and months – and often leading to poor retention and morale. Things are especially difficult right now with the ongoing COVID-19 situation, so it’s important to be attuned to your team’s overall attitude.

Identifying the signs of burnout is imperative for preventing it from becoming worse and wreaking havoc on your organization at large. While there are many potential signs indicating employee burnout, here are some of the most common ones and how you can handle them:

Decreased work quality.

Have your employees been making easily preventable mistakes lately? Do they seem to take shortcuts whenever possible? Are they missing deadlines? When it comes to IT, even the smallest mistakes can cause major problems – potentially costing your organization hundreds of millions of dollars. If you notice your IT employees producing a lesser quality of work, it’s time to step in and make a change. Calling a department meeting to discuss employees’ concerns can often be a great first step in the right direction. From there, you can use your team’s feedback to make the appropriate management changes as needed.

Toxic internal relationships.

Poor internal relationships in the workplace can have a negative impact on the perception of your department as a whole. If you spot tension among your employees or notice negative communication patterns, addressing these issues sooner than later is paramount. Meeting with employees in private to discuss the root causes of internal conflict can help you reverse bad behavior and make the necessary changes to improve interpersonal relationships among members of your team. Doing so promptly will show your employees you care about their well-being and are willing to address their concerns.

High turnover.

One of the telltale signs of impending burnout is increased turnover among your staff. High turnover – especially in a short amount of time – often indicates that morale at your organization is poor. Not only that, but the employees who are shouldering the increased workload are also at increased risk of burnout. If you notice your employees leave after a short period or many are leaving at once, start conducting exit interviews and learn about what’s prompting them to leave. For example, is it a manager’s behavior? A lack of communication? A negative work environment? Compensation? Whatever the reason (or reasons) may be, asking for honest feedback from exiting employees is essential for getting to the root of major internal problems affecting your culture.

Failing to rectify these types of problems is likely to lead to greater problems within your department’s culture, which can have negative effects that ripple through your organization. The sooner you spot signs of burnout and address them, the easier it will be to maintain a positive work environment for years to come.