Burnout and breakdown – it’s time to start taking mental health seriously

It’s no secret that the last few years of chaos have presented a huge number of challenges to both individuals and industries alike. Whether it’s personal or professional, we have all been feeling the sting of the pandemic and nowhere has it been more obvious than in our mental health. We have been existing on the edge of our seats for years at this point, it’s no wonder that levels of burnout are skyrocketing.

Burnout is defined as the emotional and physical exhaustion brought on by long periods of constant unrelenting stress. It renders you feeling depleted and dejected and can have long-term negative impacts on health. If this is sounding familiar, you are far from alone. ‘Symptoms of stress’ as a search term grew by a staggering 5000% in 2020 compared to the previous year. More and more people are coming forward to seek help and are reframing their priorities as a result. More than half of UK employees would leave their jobs for better burnout support, and while managers feel they are equipped to manage stress, employees disagree.

While these issues are universal across the board, focusing in and looking at the IT and Security industry reveals that some are definitely worse off than others. With soaring numbers of cyber-attacks, cyber security teams are more overworked than ever. In a survey of 557 cyber security professionals, over 51% are kept up at night by the stress of the job, and 80% recorded being more anxious or stressed since the start of the pandemic. Elsewhere, 32% of IT managers and 25% of IT directors are considering quitting their jobs in the next 6 months. Many organisations are already struggling to fill IT and Security roles, with resignations at an all time high, the situation only worsens for those who stay behind.

With the threat of all out cyber warfare looming, things look bleak for an already suffering industry. Fortunately, we can thank the pandemic for one thing, it has forced people to finally address the elephant in the room. As the stigma surrounding mental health is slowly dismantled, people are coming forward with their own experiences with the hopes of improving the situation for everyone else.

We at Rela8 Group and Technology Leaders Club want to be part of enabling these discussions. Keep an eye out as we’ll be speaking with industry professionals and shining a light on their experiences, sharing their steps to help those in need, and hearing how they feel the industry could be doing better by its staff. The more everyone talks about it, the harder it becomes for people to ignore.

If you have been feeling the effects of burnout and want to share your experiences, or maybe you want to share how your organisation is tackling this problem, contact us at content@rela8group.com to have your voice heard.