Russian scientists have identified the causes of burnout among IT professionals.

The research findings by scientists have been published in the journal "Organizational Psychology." The data obtained may assist managers in reducing employee turnover and enhancing staff motivation, according to the authors of the study, including Anastasia Kot, an assistant at the Department of Pedagogy and Medical Psychology at the Sechenov University Institute of Psychological and Social Work.

The study involved 60 IT specialists – developers, analysts, and team leaders. The analysis of the demand for the profession and key job characteristics revealed that, overall, IT specialists feel in demand (73 percent) and plan to advance in their careers (81 percent). Respondents noted that their work involves constant interaction with colleagues, clients, and supervisors (86 percent) and tight deadlines for task completion (63 percent).

Burnout among workers in this field is at an average level compared to other professions. It most often arises from chronic stress and emotional exhaustion, compounded by a low self-assessment of their skills and difficulties in interactions with others, including colleagues and clients.

The analysis of stress factors identified that the primary sources of stress and tension at work stem from situations related to communication with colleagues (meetings, conflicts, language barriers) – 46.7 percent of respondents; tight deadlines and task execution speed — 41.6 percent; multitasking, the need to handle several tasks simultaneously, and unclear requirements — 35 percent of those surveyed.

Nevertheless, the results are not entirely straightforward. Although frequent communication with colleagues and tight deadlines lead to stress, the highest levels of well-being were reported by respondents who also experienced a lot of communication and strict deadlines (93.5 percent). In the group with low well-being, such respondents made up 79.3 percent. Participants from the first, "well-being" group often work under tight deadlines (67 percent), while in the second group, this number is slightly lower (58.36 percent).

According to Anastasia Kot, this can be explained by two reasons: the nature of communications – when relationships within the team are friendly, warm, and trusting, with no conflicts, individuals do not feel isolated, which enhances their well-being – and the resources of the worker themselves, including their ability to cope with stress.

"IT specialists find it easy to build and maintain trusting friendships within the team, but when more formal interactions are necessary (in conflict situations, time constraints, or high responsibility), where influence and management skills come to the forefront, they face challenges," the research states.

However, stress is only one side of the coin. The greatest impact on the psychological state of specialists comes from entirely different factors. In the group with reduced well-being, respondents feel half as likely to be in demand in their profession (55 percent compared to 90.3 percent in the "well-being" group) and often do not understand their career development prospects (44.8 percent compared to 67.7 percent).

This reflects a lack of sense of purpose and "necessity" in their work, dissatisfaction with their professional background and newly acquired skills, narrow specialization of the tasks being solved, as well as a lack of understanding or actual absence of further career development in their current workplace. This issue is not uncommon – only about half of the participants (55 percent) understand the prospects and opportunities for career growth. This may be attributed to organizational factors – in small and medium enterprises, there is often no possibility to establish a clear and understandable career plan for employees – as well as the social situation related to fully remote work or the relocation of some companies.

Highly qualified employees who feel their demand and value for the team and organization are the most professionally prosperous. They skillfully integrate interactions, are engaged in the broader context of the company's activities, clearly understand their contribution to its results and their professional development prospects. "The mechanism is very simple – if a person feels their demand at work, sees where they can move and grow, they will be motivated to stay; if not, they are likely to frequently change jobs," said Anastasia Kot.

As every company faces the task of not only attracting talent but also retaining them, including by caring for their professional and psychological well-being, the research findings may be useful for company leaders, IT teams in non-profile organizations, HR specialists, and corporate psychologists, the authors of the study believe.

To enhance job satisfaction among specialists, there are numerous tools available. This includes developing various feedback channels, analyzing professional prospects together with employees, and working on helping specialists understand the operational and strategic context of their work.

"Many companies use personnel assessment methodologies, such as Performance Reviews – first, the employee evaluates themselves, then receives feedback from colleagues and supervisors, which provides a comprehensive assessment of their effectiveness, and after that, they meet one-on-one with their supervisor to discuss development prospects. This is useful for employees to have an idea about their further career growth and to objectively assess their achievements, which may seem minor to them while they are actually making a significant contribution to the company's work," Anastasia Kot explained. Additionally, she noted, it is important to pay close attention to the atmosphere within the team and help employees manage a high volume of communication, for instance, through psychological training.