Developer burnout is a widespread issue in IT teams. Preventing burnout helps maintain the team’s physical and mental health and enhances productivity. That productivity encourages innovation and helps the enterprise grow as the team focuses on creating positive user experiences for end users.
Software development is constantly evolving. Modern developers might feel that they are “always on” due to the lack of downtime to recharge. According to a 2021 Haystack report, “Study to Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on Software Engineers,” 83 percent of software developers experience workplace burnout.
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It goes without saying that the pandemic worsened symptoms of burnout, but additional factors also made it worse. As per the Haystack report, 47 percent of developers cited high workload, 31 percent said ineffective processes, and 29 percent said unclear goals or aims were the main contributing factors for burnout.
An essential element in creating a productive workplace culture that helps businesses retain and recruit high-value employees is how work is structured in a remote setting.
A sense of control can be restored with some autonomy and authority over time and place.
Here are three ways to avoid developer burnout:
Automate Routine Tasks
Today, automation is a crucial component of every industry, whether advanced Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), or just using software to carry out activities more effectively.
Developers are integral to all areas of work in organizations. When leading a group of developers, leaders can help prevent burnout by offering advice on organizing their task lists in the most motivating and effective way.
For task completion, developers should have efficient, streamlined processes. For instance, one of the best practices for eliminating repetitive work and accelerating and simplifying code delivery is using tools and technology to simplify complicated tasks. Long, tedious processes slow down developers and may hinder or delay the gratification of releasing anything.
Leaders conduct surveys and hold one-on-one meetings and must actively seek out more ways to understand if their teams have any processes they want to automate and how they feel about their workload.
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Additionally, automation increases developer bandwidth. Leaders can provide their developers more time to innovate instead of wasting time on basic, repetitive tasks by automating specific administrative duties, providing access to crucial communications data, and revising ineffective processes.
Build a Culture That Is Output-Driven
Clear goals must be established to create an output-focused culture. Once these objectives are set, developers must be given complete access to all tools and autonomy to control their own workflows to fulfill them.
An output-focused culture that reduces stress in the modern world and boosts productivity can be made possible through a flexible work schedule. Why not allow the team some flexibility since the majority of developer roles don’t require employees to spend all of their time in an office?
Employees tremendously value the freedom to set their schedules. Feelings of autonomy and agency are made possible when one has control over their location and time. Knowledge-based work does not always correspond to eight hours of output: Developers don’t necessarily get more work done by sitting in an office space longer.
Avoid Chronic Stress That Can Result in Developer Burnout
Even though it’s not always a problem, working too much can lead to developer burnout. Leaders must set an example and demonstrate that taking time off to recharge is acceptable.
The industry is moving away from a rigid 9-to-5 schedule in accordance with an output-focused mindset. Forty-three percent of participants in the Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey claimed that having flexible working hours made them more productive.
Developers need to be allowed to balance their personal and professional needs. When leaders lead by example in this way, it encourages their team to achieve balance in their own lives.