I've been working in demanding tech roles for several years, including Operations, Development, and Cyber Security. I've observed that burnout is a common problem, but it's often not visible to anyone outside our team. On the surface, everything seems fine—projects are completed, systems are stable—until a couple of people resign all at once. While managers might focus on performance metrics like uptime and incident counts, they don't always reflect how overwhelmed the team genuinely feels. Additionally, team members often hesitate to report burnout to HR because they don't want to be seen as complainers. I'm curious about how others communicate issues of burnout to HR or leadership. Specifically: 1. How do you or your manager ensure that HR or higher-ups are aware of the human side of workloads? 2. Has HR ever intervened before burnout escalated, or do they typically get involved post-factum? 3. What single metric would you suggest to HR that could help them understand your reality better? 4. Do you think it's HR's job to notice burnout in tech teams, or is that solely a managerial responsibility? I'd love to hear your experiences, thanks!
3 Answers
Unfortunately, I don’t expect HR to notice! They're usually just looking to fill positions fast after someone leaves. If burnout happens, they just see it through the lens of turnover rates. Generally, it’s up to us to speak up before it's too late. If major issues are affecting the team, we might need to step up, gather data, and go to management first without involving HR until necessary.
Rule of thumb? Forget HR. If burnout is real, it's on your manager to notice and act. HR mainly steps in only when expenses rise due to turnover. Make sure your manager is aware of how many people are under stress and what that means for productivity. If you're hanging on by a thread, stop overworking yourself! Find your acceptable workload limits and adhere to them. Keep pushing and you might just end up looking elsewhere, which is a valid option.
True! Your mental health should always come first. If your manager isn't proactive about addressing burnout, that could be a red flag for you.
To be honest, HR is there to manage risks for the company, not you as an employee. If you want them to react, you need to frame the issue in a way that shows how it affects business outcomes. Metrics like eNPS (employee Net Promoter Score) could be helpful. But ultimately it boils down to how much your direct manager keeps tabs on team morale. If they’re not paying attention, you'll likely burn out before any issues get escalated.
Good point! It's all about how you communicate the effect on productivity. If HR sees it as a business risk, they might take it more seriously.
Exactly! It’s often a case of showing clear evidence of burnout's effects before anyone will pay attention.