Some of us may have experienced the effects of job burnout at some point in our lives. According to Mayo Clinic, possible causes of job burnout can result from various factors including lack of control, unclear job expectations, dysfunctional workplace dynamics, lack of social support, and work-life imbalance. Some of the risk factors to burnout also include a high workload.
No dedicated technical resource can mean a high workload for some employees
When you have a team that is working many hours a week to grow the business, juggling their regular tasks, and doing IT Support, it can be a recipe for disaster if they have too much on their plate. Burnout can lead to less productivity, a decrease in engagement, and possible turnover, costing your business valuable time and money.
In the beginning years of operation, a small business is usually focused on growing its brand and may have limited resources. This usually means they don’t have a dedicated technical resource, so they assign technical tasks to one or more of their employees who have some experience with IT Support. These employees that get tagged with these tasks usually have a limited background in IT and become the “go-to” person for all IT support. Without a trained technical resource, IT issues can become a game of hot potato putting stress on all employees involved. These individuals most likely do not have the time, experience, or interest to keep up with the technology needs of the business but are willing to do what they can to support the company (until they don’t have the energy to anymore- AKA burnout).
At a minimum, a business will want to make sure that the following areas of IT are always being managed effectively:
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Help Desk – anything from troubleshooting hardware to resetting a password.
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Procurement – purchasing the right hardware and software for the company.
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Management of all Devices – maintaining backups and security.
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Documentation – documenting important items like licenses, processes, and critical tasks.
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Technical Assessments – identifying and reducing risks in the business.
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IT Planning and Budgeting – planning for change, evaluating the business's 1–3-year goals.
Handing these tasks off to employees whose job is completely different increases their workload and could lead them to feel like they have a lack of control and burnout. By outsourcing your technical needs to an IT Partner, IT tasks and responsibilities can be offloaded from employees so they can focus on the important tasks they were hired for. Taking it a step further, outsourcing an IT provider with proactive support can offer your company solutions to reduce the occurrences of IT-related issues in the future and insight on how to align your technology with your business goals. Most of the time, people who are juggling their daily responsibilities as well as IT support for the business cannot cover all details and won’t think about risk and strategy.
Outsourcing is an excellent reason to bring in an IT Partner to advise your company. An IT Partner can identify risks in your business and outline a solution for them that can empower your employees to continue to provide the best service to your customers and reduce the chances of burnout. Outsourcing your business’s IT responsibilities helps you and your employees focus more on growing the business – not troubleshooting.
Interested in outsourcing IT services?
Contact Yardstick today to discuss your options for outsourced IT services. We offer a range of solutions to suit your business needs and can support your entire company.
