The CIO is on the verge of burnout

The daily grind of working in an unhealthy workplace can take its toll on many levels, including mental health. The situation is more widespread than you might think: According to a report by Deloitte, approximately one in three people, both in the workforce and in the C-suite, regularly deal with problems of this kind.  

The percentage varies depending on the situation: for example, 43% of the workers surveyed say they are exhausted; 36% of managers say the same. When stress is mentioned, the ratio is 42% to 41%. Those who say they are overwhelmed, however: 35% of employees compared to 40% of managers. Managers are also more likely to feel lonely (30% vs. 24%) and depressed (26% vs. 23%).

Such contexts are ripe for burnout. And it’s coming for the CIO. Already an epidemic-in-making for IT staff, 15% of IT leaders who responded to the 2025 State of the CIO Survey from Foundry/CIO.com said they were burned out, with 33% more agreeing that they experience some burnout in their current IT leadership role.

How to identify burnout 

Rebeca Calvo, a general health psychologist, clinical neuropsychologist, and expert in emotional intelligence in the field of business, clarifies, “Burnout is a syndrome. This means that it is not a disorder, like depression, but rather there are a series of characteristics or symptoms that occur at the same time.”  

There are three main characteristics or symptoms, she says.

“On the one hand, the classic feeling of being exhausted,” she says. Added to this is a certain “cynicism or depersonalization, where the person distances themselves from work and enters into that loop of ‘I don’t care anymore,’” she adds. The third facet of burnout “has more to do with how effective or productive I perceive myself to be.”  

Calvo, who is also co-founder of Mentiness, a platform specializing in mental health for organizations, points out that, in the case of the management class, there are certain added factors that impact these three areas. 

“There is a very high workload, not only because of the intensity in the number of hours, but because they already have a range of responsibility, which implies that you don’t just have to do your tasks and go home, but you also have to coordinate a team or make decisions,” she says.  

Adrián Gómez, national director of Randstad Digital, delves deeper into this aspect.

“While at other levels burnout is related to operational workload or repetitive tasks, CIOs must make critical decisions in environments of high uncertainty and constant change,” he says. “They must balance daily operations with a long-term vision, ensuring innovation and competitiveness, while managing risks such as cybersecurity in collaboration with the CISO.”  

This level of responsibility implies a greater risk of being overloaded compared to other people who have more defined or limited tasks. This is evident in a report on trends in work environments  by Microsoft, where it was estimated that 48% of staff and 53% of senior managers said they were already suffering from burnout. It is also more common among women than among men, according to a report by McKinsey.  

[ See also: 7 signs you’re suffering from burnout — and what to do about it ]

Factors specific to IT leadership workloads

Among some senior managers, such as those in technology, there can also be what is known as role conflict, explains Calvo.

“This means that you, technically, have a role with its responsibilities, but suddenly you find yourself putting out fires in another role that, perhaps, is not so much yours. This can generate a certain amount of friction,” she explains, because it goes beyond the tasks of the position. “This has a very clear impact on this syndrome, because in the end it diminishes your perception of how productive you can be and makes you feel that burning sensation even more.”  

Calvo cites a third factor within the IT context: “From a management level, there is a lot of constant pressure to innovate.” Even with the positive effects of this push for competitiveness, “it increases the workload of people who have this role of responsibility, because they have to be constantly updating themselves and learning things in a frenetic market, which constantly tests their skills,” she says. 

Gómez adds to this the lack of resources. “These professionals must manage the security of the systems, lead the digital transformation, adapt to technological changes, and meet strategic expectations of management. The lack of qualified talent and tight budgets make it even more difficult to manage these responsibilities, generating exhaustion and chronic stress,” he says. “In addition, their role requires almost 24/7 availability to manage crises, such as cyberattacks, and the lack of recognition when everything is going well increases the feeling of exhaustion.” 

Personality factors also come to play in this “frenetic, highly unstable, changing and demanding context,” Calvo says — perfectionism and self-demand in particular. IT leaders can find themselves believing that not everything is going to be worth it, excellence is going to be sought that is often impossible to achieve, and, in the end, there will be a perception of low productivity.

Another risk factor, Calvo says, is the interdependence of the IT area. “They tend to be departments that have a lot of responsibility in terms of what is done, because it links the entire technology part, but they do not make the final decisions, but rather depend on other departments to make said decisions.”

This can become frustrating, for example, when part of the work done by another area of ​​the company is thrown out, she says. 

How to deal with burnout 

This is undoubtedly the million-dollar question. Once the symptoms have been identified and seen how they can be conditioned among senior IT management, what can be done?

Gómez provides several keys, such as “establishing limits, delegating responsibilities, and prioritizing strategic tasks. Promoting a sustainable work culture, where disconnection times are respected.”

To this he adds “seeking support in professional networks or mentors, and practicing self-care habits such as exercise and rest.” 

“In more serious cases, seeking the help of a coach or mental health professional can be crucial to regain balance and improve stress management,” he says. 

For Calvo, what action to take is case dependent.

“Burnout, like other difficulties linked to well-being, will require a multi-level approach where we analyze different aspects of the company, not just individual ones,” she says. “You don’t need a tool that tells you if your team is stressed, you need one that tells you why and how the culture in the company is related to this discomfort, how it is related to communication or feedback from your colleagues or your superiors, (…) the working conditions in terms of schedules and how it allows you to balance work and family life.”  

A first step would therefore be to measure all these aspects with the appropriate instruments. “Once we have measured it, we can start to make more personalized interventions.” These would include everything from psychological support from professionals to other measures. 

“Perhaps what we have to do is redefine the jobs ,” she says, including everything from training managers to work better with a team and avoid overload, to studying leadership in the company.

This is necessary to prevent burnout from causing greater damage both to the company and, above all, to the person who suffers from it.