Skip to main content
5 min read

Employee wellbeing in tech: protecting staff from burnout

With increasing numbers of tech employees worrying about their mental health, employers need to have a support system in place to ensure tech workers’ wellbeing. As tech skills continue to be in high demand, retaining talent and reducing hiring costs will be a top priority for companies. Discover how you can protect your tech workforce and future-proof your business.

Throughout the pandemic, businesses have relied on technology to continue their operations. As a result, many tech employees have experienced increased workloads and responsibilities. In turn, this has had a negative impact on the wellbeing of many tech workers and has increased the risk of burnout. According to a recent report from Harvey Nash, mental health concerns among tech workers have increased by 75% during the pandemic.

The expertise of tech workers has never been more in demand. With much of the UK workforce operating from home, businesses will continue to rely heavily on IT skills in the future. To support tech employees’ wellbeing and protect them from burnout, employers need to have a support system in place to ensure they retain talent and reduce turnover and hiring costs.

Let’s take a closer look at how employers can protect the tech workforce from burnout:

How the pandemic has impacted tech workers’ wellbeing

Insight Workplace reports that almost half of employees would like less work stress in 2021 as many have found it challenging to maintain a work-life balance.

For many, working from home has meant a change in routine. With no commutes, the boundaries between work and leisure time have become ever more blurred.

Software company meQuilibrium’s recent white paper on the impact of Covid-19 on workforce resilience finds that tech workers suffered the broadest negative changes of any industry, with increases in job stress (11%), disordered sleep (14%), and burnout (23%). There was also a 30% drop in motivation.

We might surmise that an increase in burnout in the tech industry is down to employees working longer hours, having excessive workloads and having to cope with the challenged of working from home. According to The Guardian, UK workers have increased their working week by almost 25%.

In tech in particular, employees are often asked to meet unrealistic deadlines, which means increased periods of focus for longer periods of time. Despite the UK tech industry’s quick recovery during the pandemic, the fear of missing out on future opportunities can lead employees to ‘work through’ illnesses, which can increase background stress levels.

How companies can support tech workers

Reduce stress levels during the tech recruitment stage

As early as the recruitment stage, employers can help reduce stress levels by showcasing the support they have in place on job adverts. The prospect of job interviews and changing careers can be stressful and demonstrating awareness can help prepare potential candidates.

Set a clear job description and interview process

Writing clear job descriptions can help set expectations by highlighting the responsibilities of the role, as can outlining the recruitment process in individual steps.

Check our job ad guide on how to write compelling job adverts that will make your company stand out and attract better-quality tech candidates.

With many job interviews taking place online during the pandemic, employers should acknowledge the circumstances to reassure candidates that technical difficulties and unforeseen interruptions are expected.

Communicate your efforts to support employee wellbeing

CWJobs’ platform provides employers with the opportunity to showcase how their company supports employees’ mental wellbeing. Our premium job ads can also be used to highlight mental health support, work-life balance and flexible working policies.

 

In addition, by creating a company profile with detailed information, employers can help candidates get a feel for what it’s like to work for the company. We also provide up-to-date market insights that reflect the thoughts and feelings of the UK’s tech workforce.

Allow more flexible working to increase happiness in the workplace

One of the principal ways employers can support tech workers is to enable flexible working moving forward. Harvey Nash reports that although stress has increased throughout the pandemic, most tech workers have benefited from the greater flexibility that working from home has brought.

It reports that the number of tech workers who are happy in their role has increased this year to almost two thirds (63%), and that there are fewer tech workers unhappy in their role than in 2020. Harvey Nash also reports that three quarters (75%) of tech workers globally, want to continue working from home for the majority of the week (3-5 days) after the pandemic.

Listen to what support your tech workers want

Running staff surveys can be a good way of gauging stress levels in an organisation and identifying ways of supporting employees. It’s important for management to acknowledge when workers are stressed and to raise the issue on a department or company-wide level.

Improving the level of wellbeing support provides more options to those who need help. For example, gym memberships and access to meditation apps can help improve an employee’s health and wellbeing. Airbnb for example, provides free yoga classes to its employees. Nike has relaxation rooms, and Apple provides its employees with regular mindfulness training.

Employers should aim to establish support networks, whether in the form of counselling, employee-led groups or support from line managers. Providing employees with a space to talk about stress can ensure that preventative measures are put in place early.

WAS THIS HELPFUL?