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SteveDavidson
Forum Member
Australia
14 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 19:01:00
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While official data is limited, the general industry concensus is that the mean burnout time is around 18 months. However, the modal time is much shorter - slightly over twelve months.
This is largely due to the number of new starters in IT who decide that helpdesk is not for them within the first few weeks, and those who become employed for six- and twelve- month contracts and do not return to the helpdesk once the contracts expire (although they may find work elsewhere in IT).
Those cases aside, the major causes of attrition from similar positions include promotion to 'higher' IT teams (system/network/database admin etc), dissatisfaction with a limited and repetitive scope of work (depends largely on the employer and team), and stress caused by having to communicate with an endless stream of people who have apparently misplaced their ability to think, particularly when said people are being paid significantly more than the technician in question.
Note, however, that helpdesk attrition rates vary considerably from employer to employer, as the volitility of traditional sources of helpdesk staff magnifies the effects of the standard workplace environment. An employer who pays below industry standard rates, supplies substandard equipment and processes, and generally fails to provide an attractive employment situation may find themselves with a turnover rate of two to four hundred percent per year, with all the continuity and training problems that implies.
Likewise, an employer who provides a comfortable, stable, supportive, flexible work environment with the carrots of holistic training, solid wages, and the ability to make real changes, may find themselves with a turnover rate as low as twenty percent or less. For an industry where one hundred and fifty percent is normal, that's quite an achievement. |
Steve Davidson Consulting: business process improvement and workflow optimisation, operational cost reductions, training and mentoring. Boost ROI, slash TCO. No upfront costs. |
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Average IT Staff Burnout Rates
