Let’s Talk About It: The Silent Crisis Affecting UK IT Professionals
Mental health challenges are becoming one of the biggest hidden risks in the UK’s IT industry. Behind the code, cloud platforms, and service tickets are people working long hours under intense pressure. Many are exhausted, anxious, and quietly burning out.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that 33.7 million working days were lost in 2023/24 due to work-related ill health, with stress, depression, and anxiety accounting for the majority. In the tech world, the pressure is even greater.
More than half of IT workers (58%) say they feel overwhelmed by their daily responsibilities and tasks, with the average IT worker reporting they only have the capacity to support 85% of the tickets they receive each day, according to a study commissioned by GoTo and conducted by OnePoll.
IT workers also report finding themselves responsible for a range of tasks outside their job description, such as addressing cybersecurity issues (39%), internal security issues (26%), and lack of budget (25%). This increased workload is contributing to tech worker burnout, leaving them with little time to get caught up.
This isn’t just a personal problem. It’s a business one. Every outage, missed deadline, and high turnover rate has a human story behind it.
Why IT Professionals Are Struggling
Always on, never off
IT teams are expected to be available around the clock. On-call duties, late-night emergencies, and constant notifications make it hard to switch off. The line between home and work has blurred completely for many.
Complex tools, complex stress
Technology stacks are getting larger and more complicated. Managing dozens of tools, alerts, and incidents every week leads to mental overload. The pressure to keep systems secure and online adds to the constant background stress.
The silent culture of heroics
In many teams, there’s still a culture of “just get on with it.” People often feel like they can’t admit when they’re struggling. There’s pride in being the one who saves the day, even when it comes at a personal cost.
The Real Business Impact
Poor mental health doesn’t just affect individuals — it impacts reliability, innovation, and reputation.
When burnout spreads through a team, mistakes happen more often, projects drag out, and morale collapses.
The CIPD Health and Wellbeing at Work 2025 report found that stress and mental ill-health are now the top causes of long-term absence across UK organisations. For IT and cybersecurity teams, that means higher risk, slower response times, and a growing skills shortage that’s hard to replace.
For employers, this is also a financial issue. Lost productivity, recruitment costs, and increased sick leave all add up. But the reputational impact — being seen as a high-stress, high-turnover workplace — can do even more damage.
What Tech Leaders Can Do
1. Listen and measure
You can’t fix what you don’t see. Track indicators like overtime, after-hours incidents, and workload trends. Talk openly with your team about how they’re coping and what needs to change.
2. Reduce the noise
Simplify where possible. Too many tools and alerts create chaos and cognitive fatigue. Clean up workflows, limit meetings, and protect deep focus time.
3. Provide real support
Mental health support shouldn’t be hidden in an HR document. Make it easy and confidential to access help. Promote services regularly and normalise using them.
4. Lead by example
Culture starts at the top. If leaders work late, answer messages at midnight, or never take breaks, teams will follow. Show balance and self-care — and your team will too.
5. Design work with wellbeing in mind
Plan schedules and rotations with rest in mind. Rotate on-call duties fairly. Build in recovery time after major incidents or stressful projects.
The Future of Tech Depends on Healthy Minds
Healthy people build reliable systems.
Mental health is not just a “nice-to-have.” It’s part of operational resilience and long-term success.
The IT industry thrives on problem-solving and innovation. But creativity and focus don’t grow in burnout. They grow in balanced, supported environments where people feel valued and heard.
If businesses want to attract and keep top talent, they need to start treating mental health with the same urgency as uptime. Because when IT professionals are supported, they don’t just stay — they thrive.
