Workplace stress factors and ‘burnout’ among information technology professionals: A systematic review

Background: Burnout is a widely acknowledged stress outcome. As the prevalence of burnout has been observed in several other professions, it is very plausible that it could be prevalent in the Information Technology (IT) field. Objective: To show a relationship between working environment of an IT professional and burnout. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review of studies dealing with burnout among IT professionals. Methods: Prior publications addressing burnout and IT professionals were retrieved by an online search of multiple databases. Abstracts were examined to determine which articles met specific criteria for evaluation. Two reviewers critically appraised three articles and determined three key exposure variables; role ambiguity, role conflict and job tasks. Results: There is a relationship between the three variables and burnout among IT professionals. However, the three articles collectively were evaluated as marginal (0.67 out of 2.0). Conclusions: Managers of IT employees must be aware of these exposure variables and take action to protect the individuals. These efforts will enhance individual well-being and save the company money over the long-term.