Recognize if your development team is burned out

Is your?development team burned out??As a manager, you want to do right by your employees and support them during periods of intense work so they don't burn out. But this can be a challenge when you're feeling over-stressed yourself.

Today, this real problem affects?startups and small companies, hurting the final products, as the development team is not inspired or eager to work.

In this post, we’ll explain this burning out phenomenon, how you can identify it, and how you can end it for success.

What is the “burned out” phenomenon, and why is it dangerous for a software development project?

Burnout is defined as emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged or repeated stress. Symptoms of burnout can range from physical symptoms such as headaches or dizziness to health problems that can often resemble symptoms of depression. Burnout can occur due to prolonged periods of stress, usually caused by problems in the work environment.

Whatever the industry, burnout is a daily reality. However, the technology sector is the most affected due to the high productivity demands and the complexity of the workload. According to a study by Team Blind, 60% of workers in the technology sector report feeling burned out in the workplace.

It can become a big problem for?development teams, as developers feel stuck working hard for long periods on projects that seem impossible to complete. If someone doesn't take action on time, they may stop programming, directly affecting the project's development. We offer you some symptoms that developers experience when they are suffering from this phenomenon:

• The most common symptom is a severe lack of motivation and passion for coding. If you enjoy programming, you start feeling that power is going away. In that case, that can signify that you start beginning to burn out.
• If you feel fatigued mentally and physically and have no energy or drive to code or even do other things in your life, you may burn out. You feel like your emotions are dull or numb.
• A Feeling of isolation.
• Lack of accomplishment and ineffectiveness.
• Cynicism. A sense of doubt and indifference.
• A Feeling of depression and anxiety for weeks for working and other things.
• You look tired, and mood swings can severely affect other parts of your life, like your relationship.
• Insomnia, hopelessness, detachment, loss of enjoyment of things you used to enjoy, and a general feeling of being disconnected.

Signs that your development team is burned out

Decreased productivity and quality of work:

When you notice a decrease in sales and projects completed or increased customer complaints and missed deadlines, it's easy to assume that the employee in charge is getting lazy. Suppose your ordinarily reliable and consistent employee suddenly becomes unreliable and sluggish. In that case, his decline in productivity is likely due to being overworked or enjoying his job.

Uncharacteristic disengagement:

A team that makes enthusiastic suggestions, offers feedback, and collaborates on problem-solving is a team that is committed to their work; instead, when employees feel burned out and unoptimistic about work, they disengage from that team mentality.

In our experience, you'll see him glued to his desk, refusing to communicate with co-workers or in team meetings. He'll sit in the corner with his arms folded instead of offering helpful tips and tricks like he used to. He won't even come near you to ask you questions.

Increased cynicism and complaining:

Everyone has bad days, but it's a bad sign when you suddenly catch your characteristically upbeat employee muttering. The occasional complaint is permissible - and even expected. But when you constantly hear negativity from someone who was once a source of encouragement to the rest of the team, they're probably feeling the effects of burnout.

Loss of passion:

Most developers get started because they love programming. Suppose this passion fades, and you dread logging on to your computer or programming application. In that case, you may be starting to burn out.

Physical lethargy/fatigue:

Working long hours daily in front of a computer is not suitable for our bodies at the best of times. It can lead to muscle aches, back problems, or headaches, which are made worse by anxiety and stress.

Suppose you feel increasingly lethargic and too tired to do anything other than the program. In that case, there may be a problem in the making. Also, suppose you find yourself getting colds and flu more than usual. In that case, it may signify that fatigue/stress has weakened your immune system.

Mental exhaustion:

Scheduling can be cognitively intensive and drain your cognitive battery. It’s okay, up to a point. You may be approaching burnout if you are too exhausted to think clearly or enjoy other activities. Unusual mood swings or feeling numb are other signs of mental fatigue.

Achievements at work give no satisfaction:

Their passion for programming is slowly dripping out. They are no longer enthusiastic as they once were, even after a breakthrough. They don’t sound excited about their career goals anymore. You can feel their general disconnection in team meetings.

Ways to end this “burning out” syndrome

Lead by example:

It’s essential to understand that managers are supposed to be leaders, and good ones lead by example. People generally dislike being the first in the office to put down the keyboard and go home. Staying late can quickly become part of the culture if the manager always stays late. If it doesn’t even come with extra pay, you could soon lose your best talent over something you may not notice. Leading by example also means staying healthy, encouraging vacations, and everything else.

Define roles clearly:

Make sure everyone on your team knows their responsibilities and goals. It’s essential to be clear so uncertainty doesn’t stress anyone over their expectations or whether things will get done.

Create a culture of recognition:

Recognizing good work goes far in preventing or remedying developer burnout. It makes your reports feel appreciated and secure in their jobs. On the other hand, the lack of feedback will speed up the developer burnout process. So, make sure to give feedback on your reports yourself.

Also, give them the tools to provide feedback to each other and encourage them to voice their positive opinions.

Remote work and flexible scheduling:

Allowing opportunities for remote work is expected in the software industry. It’s a great practice, allowing your employees to feel more trust. Give your developers extra flexibility in their schedules. For example, let them work 4 x 10 hours, get a long weekend and still get the job done.

Improve?team communication:

Managing a dedicated development team in foreign countries has advantages. However, you should rethink your management approach because working remotely can also increase susceptibility to developer burnout.

One thing is for sure; there is no effective rule on managing a remote development team with ease. However, maintaining proper communication channels is an excellent place to start if you want to hire remote developers.

Improving team communication goes a long way in encouraging software engineers to talk frankly about work difficulties. The better your software team feels, the less likely you will burn out.

Organize team bonding activities that encourage interaction and participation:

Holding monthly team-building activities is excellent.

Software engineers engaging in activities outside of work minimizes the risks of software burnout. During these activities, bond with your team members. Help them understand that you care for them beyond assigning their programming tasks. Also, you can track early signs of software burnout when you notice indifference or lack of excitement from a team member.

Take regular breaks throughout the day:

This is crucial for your mental and physical well-being. Ideally, you’ll move away from your computer and engage in physical activity to get the blood circulating and clear your mind. Even just a short step away from the screen - eating something or chatting with a colleague - will help keep you fresh.

How and why does hiring a software delivery team free you of “burned out” teams?

You already know how to avoid this syndrome in technology teams and can even recognize when a member suffers from it. But let's face it...

Sometimes it isn't easy to control and measure singular member by member.

One of the most effective ways to eliminate this problem is to hire an external team. But make sure that the company promotes activities on its employees' mental, physical, and even financial health. A company with good policies equals healthy and?productive employees.

You can save yourself the work and put this follow-up in the hands of companies like us, who have experience with remote teams and understand how it is possible to be free from the ailments of burnout.

The moment you become aware that burnout is approaching, deal with it. It won't go away on its own. So make sure you are in good health, mix the daily routine with some more exciting tasks and activities at and outside of work, and don't be afraid to use your vacation days.

Common sense, experience, industry experts, and clinical psychologists agree on?development burnout?exists; they can't all be wrong.

These are valuable tips on countering burnout so your team can work productively. And in case you need to grow your team, we can help you with that.?We have a super productive and capable developers?team ready to deliver the software solution you need.