5 Burnout Signs to Watch for On Your IT Team

The long hours and high stress of many IT jobs are major contributors to employee burnout. As an employer, it is your responsibility to balance the needs of your business with the needs of your employees, because if you sacrifice one, you compromise both. Watch out for these five signs that indicate your IT team may be at risk of burnout:

Changing Workloads

Have you recently reduced your staff or taken on a major new project? You need to be concerned about burnout on your IT team any time you ask them to do more. IT work is time and labor intensive enough, and for many professionals there is simply not enough hours and energy to take on a long new list of responsibilities. It’s fine to push your team, just be aware of the potential consequences.

Professional Development Decline

Have you noticed that your IT team is taking less initiative to attend conferences, learn new technologies, gain certifications, and go back to school, even as you have encouraged these professional development opportunities? That is a good indicator that their interest in the work they do is waning.

Decreased Productivity

Is your once productive team now struggling to meet deadlines, accomplishes goals, and lives up to expectations? It might not be because the challenge is too great but simply because their motivation is lacking. Look closely at the data to determine if this is the case. Burned out employees don’t always show it or vocalize their distress.

Changing Attitudes

Attitudes and behavior in the workplace play a strong role in the overall environment and culture of the company. When an employee becomes stressed and their attitude changes, becoming quiet, irritated or frustrated, these emotions impact not only themselves, but the entire team.

Staffing Issues

If you have experienced a wave of resignations, or had to fire once exemplary employees, it’s a clear sign that your team is restless and discontent. This is one of the most dangerous effects of burnout because it leaves you scrambling to staff back up and struggling to complete your projects with an insufficient workforce.

This issue of burnout underscores the importance of strategic staffing and employee retention. Building the right team and taking meaningful steps to keep them positive, motivated, productive, and committed is essential. If your workforce needs a boost, contact the Chicago IT experts at CultureFit.