When job-related stress becomes the rule instead of the exception, a state called burnout commonly results. Over the past couple of years, this emotional issue has spread through the tech support world like a forest fire. If you manage an IT department that offers helpdesk services you need to understand the threats burnout can pose to your productivity – and what you can do to fight back.
What Causes Burnout?
Although the WHO doesn’t officially recognize burnout as a medical disorder, psychologists readily acknowledge the problem. Burnout can have multiple causes, from feeling unappreciated or hopeless about future prospects to a lack of control or autonomy. It also occurs due to crushing overwork, fatigue, and lack of support from supervisors or employers.
Bad News for IT Departments
Common signs of burnout in helpdesk technicians include regular tardiness or absenteeism, mood changes, fatigue or listlessness, and cognitive symptoms such as forgetfulness. These impediments would be enough to stall any IT department’s productivity. One study found that 65 percent of IT workers struggle with unsustainable stress levels. Another study reported that 62 percent of them describe themselves as emotionally and physically drained.
Helpdesk burnout also leads to another, even more devastating problem: increased turnover. An astonishing 42 percent of tech workers are thinking about abandoning their positions within the next six months due to burnout.
How to Buck the Burnout Trend
Fortunately, you can take steps to prevent or reduce burnout in your helpdesk team. For instance, you can identify inefficiencies in your processes that can be streamlined, such as better self-help options for low-level help tickets. You can also reduce your IT employees’ workload by outsourcing much of your helpdesk burden to Gravity Helpdesk. Contact us to learn more about how we can ease your technicians’ lives, improve their performance, and keep them on your team.