Almost half of women in tech report burnout, study finds

New research from a recruitment specialist suggests that almost half of women who work in the tech sector experience burnout – with a further 7% adding that they have felt pushed to their physical and mental limits.

Symptoms of burnout – according to consumer mental health publication Psychology Today – include ‘chronic exhaustion, chronic cynicism and inefficacy’.

The study, by recruitment firm Mason Frank, derived statistics from the latest Careers and Hiring Guides offered by Tenth Revolution Group and its recruitment brands – found that, in some cases, burnout led to female staff either taking sick leave or leaving their company entirely due to health complications.

“Many noted the importance of reasonable workloads and well-resourced teams, as well as being able to speak openly with colleagues and supervisors,” said Zoe Morris, the recruitmen firm’s head.

“The physical and psychological effects of burnout are serious and it’s vital that we work to support women who have or are presently experiencing it, alongside working towards preventing it from happening at all.

“We need to work to ensure that workloads are manageable and that company cultures allow for clear and ongoing communication – with a real emphasis on not stigmatising anyone’s workplace needs,” she stressed.

Morris also added that, through the prism of the global digital skills gap in tech, it was vital that companies created “healthy sustainable workplaces in which women can thrive”.

Tech News and culture sites alike have referred to the current widespread experience of burnout as a full-blown crisis, and if it is not addressed the UK could miss out on over £150 billion of cumulative growth, according to a recent Accenture report

As it stands, just 26% of those in the UK tech workforce are women,  according to the latest Women in Tech survey – meaning tech leaders can ill afford to lose  skilled female workers.

Read our report on Women and the Future of Work here.