One Road to Turnover: An Examination of Work Exhaustion in Technology Professionals

Top Stories

Work Exhaustion Concept  What is Tedium?  What is Job Burnout?  What is Exhaustion?

Antecedents Work overload Work overload Role conflict Role conflict Role ambiguity Role ambiguity Lack of autonomy Lack of autonomy Lack of rewards Lack of rewards

Consequences Reduced job satisfaction Reduced job satisfaction Reduced organization commitment Reduced organization commitment Higher turnover Higher turnover Turnover intention Turnover intention

Work Exhaustion in the IT Environment Causes of Work ExhaustionCauses of Work Exhaustion –Functioning around the clock –Continuous demands –Workloads & Deadlines Symptoms commonly associatedSymptoms commonly associated with work exhaustion with work exhaustion

Hypotheses H1: Technology professionals experiencing higher levels of work exhaustion report higher intentions for turnover H1: Technology professionals experiencing higher levels of work exhaustion report higher intentions for turnover H2: Relative to other workplace contributors to work exhaustion, work overload is the strongest contributor to work exhaustion in technology professionals H2: Relative to other workplace contributors to work exhaustion, work overload is the strongest contributor to work exhaustion in technology professionals

Full-Mediation Model Role Conflict Role Ambiguity Perceived Workload Fairness of Rewards Autonomy Work Exhaustion Turnover Rate

Partial-Mediation Model Autonomy TURNOVER RATE WORK EXHAUTION Autonomy Fairness of Rewards Role Conflict Role Ambiguity Perceived Workload

Which is more appropriate?

Survey Results Work exhaustion is a significant predictor of turnover intention Perceived workloads is the strongest predictor of work exhaustion Difference between exhausted and non exhausted subjects

Discussions and Implications Exhaustion plays in turnover Exhausted professionals experience high desire to leave the job Works overload is the crux of exhaustion Strongest contributions to turnover

Limitations of the Study The sample does not represent the general population of technology professionals The sample does not represent the general population of technology professionals Negative affectivity can operate as a nuisance variable Negative affectivity can operate as a nuisance variable Mood-disposition variable is associated with the experience of work exhaustion and burnout. Mood-disposition variable is associated with the experience of work exhaustion and burnout.

Directions for Future Research Data collected should not be biased towards non-exhausted workers Data collected should not be biased towards non-exhausted workers Comparison studies of work exhaustion among technology and non-technology professionals at similar occupational levels Comparison studies of work exhaustion among technology and non-technology professionals at similar occupational levels Qualitative data clarify that IS/IT departments and teams are understaffed and do not have the resources required to meet the demands and expectations placed on them Qualitative data clarify that IS/IT departments and teams are understaffed and do not have the resources required to meet the demands and expectations placed on them

Directions for Future Research Job involvement has a high effect on the work exhaustion framework Job involvement has a high effect on the work exhaustion framework Actual rather than turnover intention is encouraged Actual rather than turnover intention is encouraged

Implications for Practice The retention of technology professionals is vital for many organizations The retention of technology professionals is vital for many organizations The “Best People” face “work exhaustion” The “Best People” face “work exhaustion” Self committed professionals can be burn out Self committed professionals can be burn out Professionals may undergo exhaustion without managers’ supervision Professionals may undergo exhaustion without managers’ supervision

What are the causes of Exhaustion problem? The unreasonable workload Communication is crucial Reward should be taken into consideration

Actions To Minimize Work Exhaustion Awareness of the workload Awareness of the workload Appreciation to technology professionals Appreciation to technology professionals

Managers’ Role in Helping IT professionals who are experiencing exhaustion Help to identify the cause of the exhaustion Help to identify the cause of the exhaustion Try to manage the workload of others Try to manage the workload of others Know the strengths and weaknesses of their employees Know the strengths and weaknesses of their employees Develop a plan of action after identifying the cause Develop a plan of action after identifying the cause Hire more workers Hire more workers

Thank You Thank You