Employee Burnout: How Outsourcing your IT can improve productivity
Employee Burnout: Is your IT manager wearing too many hats?
Employee Burnout from being the only IT manager in your company is very real and can make you feel isolated or cut off from the rest of your colleagues, especially in smaller departments. The main struggle you may face as an IT Manager is juggling multiple job roles at once while the rest of your department may not realize how busy and important your job is!
Many IT managers end up juggling these on a daily basis:
1, Setting up new starters and dealing with people leaving.
2, Keeping company data secure.
3, Managing multiple IT projects at once.
4, Ensuring everything is backed up and there is a recovery plan in place.
5, General troubleshooting colleague IT fires.
6, Setting up meeting room equipment such as projectors or smart screens.
7, Server management and administration.
8, network security.
9, Antivirus and phishing tackle management.
And all of this is just to name a few of the main responsibilities, no wonder so many IT managers face employee burnout! (They do a lot more behind the scenes than employers or other team members may not realize!)
Signs your IT manager is wearing too many hats:
Employee Burnout can be detrimental to your team’s performance and productivity not only that, but it affects their mental health too! Burnout can lead to excess stress, anxiety etc here are 5 signs your team could be experiencing burnout or work overload:
Delayed Projects: If your IT manager is usually reliable and recently producing lower quality work or is missing deadlines frequently it could be an indication of burnout. Usually, a noticeable drop in performance indicates your employee could be overwhelmed or stressed and is making more mistakes due to overworking rather than a lack of care for the role.
An increase in time off or sick days: An employee suffering from burnout might take more time off or call in sick more often, as burnout can impact both mental and physical health. This could be a response to chronic stress or a way of coping by taking breaks.
Less enthusiasm: If your bubbly, imaginative IT manager suddenly stops contributing new ideas, becomes withdrawn, or appears uninterested in team meetings this could also be a big clue for identifying burnout.
Noticeable fatigue: Your employee may appear visibly tired, disengaged, or struggle to stay focused. Look for signs of exhaustion, like nodding off during meetings or needing more breaks than usual.
Changes in attitude: Someone who is burnt out can express a change in attitude for example becoming more pessimistic, irritable, or showing frustration more often than usual.
Risks of overworking staff:
As previously mentioned staff productivity can decrease if they are overworked and can display physical signs of exhaustion leading to an increase in mistakes and a decline in work produced to the same standards. Reduced productivity from one employee can disrupt team performance, leading to delays in project timelines, and ultimately affecting revenue, especially in deadline-driven industries such as a law firm or a manufacturing firm.
Here are 3 more risks to your company from Employee burnout:
Higher turnover: Employees who feel overworked or burnt out often leave the job role early increasing turnover rates. Higher turnover can cost a bit through recruiting, onboarding, and training new staff which requires time and financial investment.
Increased quality issues: Burnout affects an employee’s attention to detail and decision-making skills again leading to more mistakes which can end up costing the company!
Burnout among colleagues: Burnout is often contagious; when one employee is visibly exhausted and disengaged, it can affect team morale, leading to a negative work environment. Poor morale impacts productivity, collaboration, and overall team success.
So what can you do to slow the burn and get back to mastering your craft?
At Liberate IT we believe that you should be focusing on your area of expertise and building strategic initiatives rather than getting caught up with putting out IT fires and juggling 14 jobs in one! That’s where we come in and take a few of those hats off your head by…
Managing Large Projects
Rolling out new software, migrating to cloud platforms, or setting up infrastructure are intensive projects that are hard for a single person to manage. Partnering with an IT company gives your IT manager additional support, allowing them to run projects smoothly without burnout or delays.
24/7 Support and Emergency Response
Being on call 24/7 is exhausting. With an IT company, the in-house manager can share the load for after-hours support, reducing their constant availability requirement. This is especially valuable for emergencies, where having a backup team can make a big difference.
Providing Strategic Guidance
A good IT partner doesn’t just handle day-to-day tasks; they also offer strategic advice. For a solo IT manager, this means getting insights into the latest tech trends, solutions that can scale, and proactive recommendations that align with business growth. If this is sounding good to you we would love to have a chat with you! Contact one of our directors with any questions you may have about our services and how we can support your internal IT department!