Occupational burnout in information technology workers

Burnout in the information technology sector is a growing concern, especially as information technology permeates all industries, increasingly serving as the backbone of modern organizations. Leadership is also responsible for supporting information technology teams and individuals. However, information technology professionals possess unique job responsibilities (e.g., on-call, technical complexities). This study aims to (1) assess burnout differences between information technology professionals in leadership and associate-level roles and (2) test for differences in information technology leadership and associates' assessment of their mental health literacy.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between February and May 2023. A total of 462 US-based information technology professionals responded to the IT MindState online survey, of which 292 who completed the Burnout Assessment Tool were included in the analyses. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies) were calculated. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare burnout and mental health literacy between leadership and associates-level professionals.

There was no statistically significant difference in burnout risk between associate-level and leadership/management. However, leadership reported significantly higher mental health literacy (z = -4.097, p < 0.001) compared to associates-level respondents.

Associates have similar burnout scores to their leadership counterparts, however their knowledge of mental health symptoms and ability to recognize them is significantly lower. These findings suggest that mental health literacy, an important resource for symptom recognition, is insufficient to buffer the demands of the IT sector. Therefore, interventions focused on the organization rather than the individual could help to reduce systemic stressors.