How COVID-19 has Impacted IT Leader Burnout and What You Can Do About It

The information technology industry is one of the most desirable industries to be in. But as an IT leader, you would know that it can be highly stressful, too.

According to Harvard Business Review, more than 50% of U.S. employees feel they need to check their email after 11 pm to stay on top of work. The problem?

Technology problems don’t sleep, but IT experts need to. IT workers are so worried about lagging behind on work – that switching off at night or on the weekends has become a challenge.

With the recent global pandemic driving most companies to work remotely, IT became even more crucial to organizations. The implications of the pandemic are still unraveling, and IT experts have to deal with high pressures every day.

Managing Stress in IT Roles

IT professionals can only do their best work – but there’s often pressure to do more. Especially after 2020. A study by Blind showed that 57% of IT professionals are currently experiencing job burnout.

Here are six simple yet effective ways to combat stress in your IT role:

1. Pay attention to your stress levels. Check in with your body throughout the day and tune in. How are you feeling? Are you in fight or flight? Can you calm the body down in the moment to alleviate stress throughout the day? A little deep breathing goes a long way.
2. Take short breaks during your day. Can you take a call and go for a brief walk outside? Even taking 5 minutes to do some deep breathing will calm down the nervous system and activate the parasympathetic relaxation response. If you don’t have five minutes, even three long, deep breaths will help.
3. Schedule vacation hours. You have time off. Be sure to use it. Things get busy and stress levels are up. But you need downtime to come back to work refreshed and reset. Take some time to plan vacation time to get some much needed rest. The science shows you’ll be more productive when you return to work.
4. Set boundaries. As much as you possibly can, try to leave your work at work – don’t work at night or on weekends. I know this is easier said than done. Take some time to consider what boundaries are reasonable and achievable and set them in writing. Communicate it with your team so they can honor your boundaries. And be sure to honor those boundaries yourself.
5. Get enough sleep. Good sleep helps you reduce stress, stay productive and improve virtually every function of your mind and body. Your stress levels – not to mention work quality and consistency – suffer due to sleep deprivation. Get more sleep, and you’ll get more done. All while reducing your body’s overall stress load.
6. Use a personalized technology discovery service. As an IT leader, you already have a lot of pressure on your shoulders. When you have to undertake new projects or initiatives, it’s often a challenging and time-consuming effort to research prospective technology and vendors. That’s more stress you don’t need to shoulder alone. We’ve helped thousands of IT leaders streamline the vetting process and can put you in front of technology partners who are a precise fit for your needs. We’re thorough and diligent in getting an understanding of your needs and goals, then we do the legwork for you, researching partners until we’ve found the right fit. We’ll help you save time and stress, and get you connected to the tech partners who can help you meet your objectives. All at no cost to you.

These solutions may seem simple, but they go a long way toward managing your stress and helping you to maintain a good work/life balance – especially in high-pressure roles like yours. Don’t hesitate to call us for help. We’ve got dedicated Account Managers standing by ready to talk to you about your pressures, challenges, pains. We’re always happy to help.