Tech workers face a ‘burnout crisis’ unless employers act now

The technology industry faces a 'burnout crisis' as chronic workplace stress and exhaustion hammers IT workers.

A study of more than 36,200 IT professionals across 33 counties by mental wellbeing platform Yerbo found that two in five workers are at high risk of burnout, prompted by longer hours, more demanding workloads and conflicts in work-life balance.

Likewise, 42 per cent of IT workers who are facing high levels of burnout are considering quitting their company in the next six months, Yerbo found, while 62 per cent of IT professionals report being "physically and emotionally drained".

The researchers said the findings "point towards a burnout crisis in the tech sector, with poor outcomes for workers and employees", including loss of motivation and engagement with work, high staff turnover, absenteeism and damage to the company's reputation – not to mention making organizations more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Overall, one in four tech workers wants to leave their workplace in the short term, Yerbo's The State of Burnout in Tech report found. "The pressure of working against the clock to feed the global tech frenzy often force employees to work late hours, leaving little time for personal life and creating work-life conflicts," said the researchers.

These time pressures also force workers to resort to "short-term fixes to get the job done" – or 'antipatterns' – that ultimately lead to bigger problems and additional work later down the line.

"When this happens day after day, allowing no space to recover mentally or physically, the ghosts of burnout – exhaustion, self-inefficacy, cynicism and depersonalization – start closing in," the report said.

What is burnout?

The World Health Organization defines burnout as an occupational phenomenon that comes as a result of "chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed". Even so, WHO does not recognize burnout as a medical condition, even though it can cause – or be caused by – mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Women face a greater burnout risk than men. Yerbo found that 46 per cent of women had a high burnout risk, compared to 38.2 per cent of men. More women than men (69 per cent vs 56 per cent) also reported feeling "run-down and drained of physical and emotional energy" at the end of a workday. The researchers speculated that this could be because more women "face the burden of childcare and housework, which accumulates with their work-related tasks."