Burnt Out?

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

Does anyone happen to know any statistics (etc) that relate the average amount of time it takes for someone in tech support to get burnt out?

Oh yeah, there's a story behind this.  Just trying to get some facts straight before hitting boss-man in the face with it all.

x-posted

Comments

[deusmetallum.livejournal.com]

That question is impossible to answer. It all depends on the mental strength of the tech and how stupid the users are. It could range from 10 minutes to 50 years!

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

sure, one could go so far as to say: one person has a longer patience level than another, who is easily irritated.

really, i'm just looking for an approximate average time before a good techie has to push away and say "enough. i need a break or i'm gonna go postal" and then take a month off, or quit.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

50 years? Which manager have you been listening to?

[syberghost.livejournal.com]

Hence his use of the term "average".

[pne.livejournal.com]

ISTR reading a figure of 18 months for "call center", though of course that covers a multitude of sins, not just tech support.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

i'm going on 3+ years

[luminousx.livejournal.com]

HDI did a survey that indicated turn over of help desk agents is usually 18 months. Whether that is due to 'burn out' or other factors is unknown.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Factors:
Number of users supported.
Quality of Management support.
Amount of free-reign and self expression allowed.
Amount/frequency of "downtime" given.
Quaility of hardware/software supported. ("It all sucks, some just suck less!")
Quality of users suppported.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

And seniority. Although that could be somewhat related to "free rein".

I lasted for 6 weeks on a helpdesk, 18 months as desktop support, and I've been a Windows/Exchange/Postfix admin for over 6 years now.

[turningallblue.livejournal.com]

I've seen way too many techs who have stayed in the field long past their burn-out date. Having said that, it seems (with my informal estimation) that the time span is usually 18-24 months.
I myself hit the wall after about 4 months, but that's because of the company I was working in.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

maybe it's time then; time for a sabbaticals or something.

[tecie.livejournal.com]

The average I always saw was around 1 year to 18 months.
Of course, there are many variables involved.
But usually around the one year mark, most techs I've met just stop giving a crap.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

i still give a damn after 3 years, but DAMN IT it's hard!

[canray.livejournal.com]

Lies, damned lies...

[pne.livejournal.com]

"Never trust a statistic you didn't forge yourself"

[ptomblin-lj.livejournal.com]

I like to start out burnt-out and hating the lusers. It saves time in the long run.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

HHAHHAHAHAA!!

[necessitysslave.livejournal.com]

Well one of our callcentres was running at 200% attrition for heldesk work. ie they employed ~200 people but had to recruit 400 new staff a year.

This works out to average length of stay to being .5 a year

[abstrak-tokatl.livejournal.com]

I think it depends on how much you are getting paid.

back when i was working for at&t's sublet, people where getting paid 10, the turn over rate was about 6 months.

When i was working for ISP channel, people where making 20 to start, and bonuses after 3 months. People rarely quit and internal promotions came first before searching else where for those job positions.

[vortex.livejournal.com]

10, 20 what?

When I started Helpdesk back in 1997, I was making $20 per hour and worked my way up to about $25 per hour over the years and with changing companies about every three years. (note: I worked in IT as a Novell Netware CNA before Helpdesk)

I look at opennings for helpdesk jobs now and there is no way in Hell I'd work for what they are offering $13, $15 or at the most I've seen $18 per hour. Those rates are just above Department store rates. As Helpdesk, you have to be Highly skilled, Energetic, Highly knowledgeable (about computers, software and networking, things most people have no clue about) and you have to keep that knowledge on the cutting edge to stay in the field. There was a time when people enjoyed doing Helpdesk because they were learning stuff, but now days it is so compartmentalized, that it is just not worth what companies are paying.

In 2003 I became a Network Engineer and saw that companies were doing the same for that job title as they did for helpdesk, so I got out...

[aylinn.livejournal.com]

okay, I'm about to blow the 18-24 month curve here. I've been doing tech support for over 20 years.

I spent 5 years doing pharmacy help desk.
I spent 4 years supporting one gov't agency including holding down the entire desk for 3 hours by myself for 3 hours a night.
I've been handling tier 2 level support for my current gov't agency for 3+ years now - including a recently concluded stint of handling 2 centers at once for 6 months straight.

I wonder if the fact that I'm bipolar helps with the "survival" rate?

[fenrirvallin.livejournal.com]

Well, keyword is average. A lot of people are gonna wash out after 3 months. But a year and a half does sound about average. Not sure how you'd prove it though. Most call center jobs have such an insane turnover rate with new hires that the numbers almost stop meaning anything.

I know where I work about half the callfloor is oldskool. And the other half I don't even bother learning their names.

Also, being bipolar, I think it helps. We're probably a little more used to dealing with stupid stress issues.

Speaking of, apparently my sleeping meds didn't work tonight, and I'm gonna need caffine to survive this shift...

[xforge.livejournal.com]

Depends on whether you get to do deskside support and how many of the hot chicks on the floor seem to think you're the God of Computer Repair. Or maybe that's just me.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

i'm a phone-monkey man!

[kizayaen.livejournal.com]

I lasted just about one year even before taking a programming job in a much smaller company.

[jecook]

For straight helpdesk, the average burn out rate I noticed was usually around 9 months or so.

Vacations *do* increase the amount of time that it takes for someone to get burned out though, especially if the person taking the vacation actually does *nothing work related* during that vacation.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

i've taken almost none of my vacay time due to my team being persistently understaffed

[catmmo.livejournal.com]

I was on a help desk for about a month before I felt burnt out, then went to a different job where I was hands-on ... I was burnt out there by the end of my first 1.5 years ... but I didn't quit until yesterday (YAY!!!) at 7 years. I probably wouldn't have quit tho' if it hadn't been for the extreme micro management, and the hostile work environment that my supervisor caused.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

neither... just sick of the damn job!

I wish I could be a sarcastic ass, but that'd get me into more trouble! Doesn't matter that i take 2x's more calls than anyone else, or i have more clients who love me and call me directly, or whatever.

[tth.livejournal.com]

There is a comment that tech people change jobs on average every 18 months.

I ran a help desk for a while. The average burn out for most of my techs was 6 months. When I moved up to the NOC the burn out took a great deal longer. I would still be there if a certain illegal issue did not occur. My Doctor gave me a choice. Quit or be placed in the hospital for the next three months. I should have taken the hospital option.

K

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

yeah, not gonna let it get that far (hospital wise)... just not sure how to deal with it tho.

[hisamishness.livejournal.com]

I've had my job for 10 years.
I've burned out twice.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

And what did you do to help yourself? Did you just plow through? Take time off? Go postal?

[attackgypsy.livejournal.com]

My super says it averages about 2 years in our industry.

And yeah, I do happen to agree with her here. Seeing alot of senior techs starting to leave. Just up and quitting. No job waiting, just quitting.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I don't wanna do that, but if push comes to shove...

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

I did it for, lessee, 12 years, including 2-3 in various L3 roles. Plus another 2-3 earlier on where I was not officially techsupport but was the 'go-to guy' in the office for anything more complicated than a doorknob.

On the other hand, I've seen many, many people drop out after a 3-12 month contract, or at the end of an initial training period. Mostly because they simply had no idea of the level of knowledge or skill needed to be an actual tech. So I'm guessing these are skewing the figures lower. If they're taken out of the data, burnout time for those who have an actual aptitude for the job seems to be around 2-3 years before moving on to other IT positions.

[lovemonster.livejournal.com]

so, about time for me (been here 3+ years)

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Last job I was at, the official department average was 3 months...

[emsporter.livejournal.com]

I don't have figures to hand, but hunt for the studies on the "most stressful occuptations".
Nursing, teaching, firefighting, tech support are all in the top ... uh, I want to say top 5 but I won't swear to that. Top 10 at least.