Are you Burning Out your Techs?

Signs of Burn-out:
  • Shift in attitude/Disengagement
  • Reduced Productivity & Quality of Work
  • Increased Cynicism or Complaining
What Can You Do About It?
  • Educate yourself
  • Encourage/Incorporate Balance
  • Switch Things Up 
As we saw in the spring of 2020, when the entire world jumped to working virtually, seemingly overnight, it does come with some growing pains. Tech companies are amongst the most adaptable when it comes to digitally transforming how we do things, because – well, we have to be. Tech support teams, however, not only support the needs of their internal staff but those of their customers and clients as well. These rapid changes in work life have required many to call in IT experts for additional help – placing even more on the shoulders of support teams that already work extended hours to get the job done right. So, what does that mean for our already overworked tech experts?  Are you burning out your IT support team? Learn more about the signs of burnout below and find out how Fully Managed can help.
 
Whether your morning coffee and desk are 5 steps away or 5kms, there are many adjustments we have all had to make to adapt to this new world we live in. And your friendly, “office-hood” IT guy is used to the after-hours work and regular cadence of supporting your team's IT needs and environment. However, as the demand for more digital transformation increases, are you putting undue pressure on your possibly, already overloaded team? Stress and burnout have a number of causes, but almost always involve:
  • Unreasonable time pressures
  • Shifting expectations/lack of role clarity
  • Unmanageable workload
 
If that sounds a lot like 2020 in a nutshell, you’re not wrong. The pandemic changed the game for many companies and created uncertainty, an urgent and overwhelming need for technology that works and as a result, more to-do items for IT teams.
 
Burnout can manifest in many different ways, but according to online mental health resource www.verywellmind.com commonly shows up as:
  • Exhaustion,
  • Cynicism (no longer enjoying your job), and
  • Feelings of reduced ability and as a result, performance (hopelessness).
What does all this mean for your organization?  
  • Stressed and overburdened IT teams may not be handling all the tasks on their plate – and that leads to considerable risk.
  • Lack of optimism and feelings of hopelessness do not equal happy employees that contribute to company success.
  • Your team and potentially your customers are no longer getting the quality support they need and deserve.
As a leader it is up to you to ensure your team has what they need to be successful and to focus on what you can do to support them. Overwork, in the IT support world, often comes from an increased user-to-technician ratio.  If you suspect this could be a problem, monitor it to determine the need for additional technicians, after-hours support, or a full team to fill in gaps and supplement much needed roles.

Fully Managed specializes in 24x7 IT support and wide-ranging technology expertise. We can provide staff augmentation to support your team when they need it. We call it Co-Managed IT –   IT service and technology know-how that adds to your bench strength and can alleviate team burnout. With a little help, you can provide the necessary work life balance your technicians require, especially heading into the holiday season.

Want to learn more? Contact Fully Managed.