We see you, searching for how to stop being bored at work… probably while you’re at your desk. Or maybe you’re an employer, worried about the “boreout phenomenon” and looking for ideas to re-engage your workforce. Either way, you have good cause.
Not only does boreout and other forms of disengagement result in a whopping loss of $438 billion in revenue annually. It can also take a substantial mental health toll on employees. We’re diving into what boreout is, some common misconceptions, and how you can take agency to add some sparkle back to your work life.
What is Boreout?
Boreout is a popular buzzword, first introduced by Peter Werder and Philippe Rothlin in 2007. It refers to when employees experience chronic boredom at work, often due to long hours spent on repetitive tasks that fail to provide sufficient mental challenge. Think of it like a whale swimming in loops of an enclosure. Limited by captivity, it is unable to carry out its true purpose, free on the open sea.
Causes of Boreout
There are several reasons for boreout, ranging from a lack of challenge to a company culture that resists innovation. When broken down, bored-out employees are likely to fall into two main categories: the impulsive and the fearful. The first group is bored because of external factors, and the second by internal ones.
- External Barriers: Impulsive employees feel a need for continual stimulation and challenge. When presented with tedious work, they are easily bored and tend to zone out. Their far-too-easy workload is the external barrier that prevents them from finding meaning.
- Internal Barriers: Even when given the opportunity, fearful employees feel cautious about taking on new challenges. Staying in their comfort zone, they become stuck in the same workplace routines, perhaps not even realizing that they are bored. Their barrier is an internal one.
Symptoms of Boreout
Unlike occasional boredom, workplace boreout is ongoing and can quietly erode confidence and engagement over time. In case you’re wondering whether you’re experiencing “boreout,” here are some of the telltale signs:
- Depression: Feelings of sadness and/or emptiness, due to work tasks feeling meaningless. Bit by bit, this can leave you feeling emotionally flat and unengaged with your work.
- Anxiety: Workers may experience stress and anxiety over being “caught” not working. This can trigger imposter syndrome and lowered confidence in professional abilities.
- Restlessness: Even with a high workload and strict deadlines, the mundane nature of work tasks makes you feel restless. You’re clockwatching (or getting distracted by online articles!).
- Tiredness: Boreout could be surprisingly exhausting. With little challenge or engagement, the brain can slip into “low power mode,” making you feel sluggish and uninspired throughout the day.
Differences Between Boreout and Burnout
Boreout bears a striking resemblance to its workaholic cousin: burnout. On the surface, both can look the same, from slumped shoulders to disengaged conversation. But while many of the symptoms of both boreout and burnout are similar, the triggers for them are quite different. Here’s a breakdown:
| Boreout | Burnout |
|---|---|
| Understimulating | Overstimulating |
| Too little challenge | Too much pressure |
| Slow and monotonous | Fast-paced and intense |
| Low responsibility | Unrealistic demands |
| No creativity | Cognitively taxing |
It’s important to identify correctly, especially if you’re an employer. While the solution for burnout lies in reducing work intensity, preventing boreout is achieved through increasing development opportunities. If you don’t take action, things could get ugly.
Dangers of Boreout
When a teenager complains that they are “dying of boredom,” we call it an exaggeration. How serious could a mildly uncomfortable feeling of disinterest really be? It turns out that, when left unchecked, it can snowball into real problems.
Declining mental health
Boredom is a sign that you’re not finding an activity meaningful. While a degree of tedium can be useful for building self-discipline, a continued lack of meaning at work can contribute to depressive and anxious symptoms. Sure, an employee might say they don’t care, but this could, in actuality, be a defense mechanism against career disappointment.
Loss of confidence
“If you don’t use it, you lose it!” goes the old saying. And it’s true. If you don’t use your brain’s full potential, you risk both failing to grow and losing the skills that you already have. This could result in a knock to your confidence levels and even imposter syndrome. For the 55% of young American workers who go through a quarter-life crisis, stagnation is a commonly cited cause.
Apathy at work
When workplace boredom is left unaddressed in the long term, it can turn into something even worse: apathy. This is when work is so dull that you might as well be spending eight hours a day counting beans. The result is a chronic lack of interest, even in the things that once excited you at an earlier career stage. Unfortunately, this is becoming common, with one supervisor observing, “My guys will do anything I ask of them, and I love my guys, but there’s no enthusiasm.”
Retention challenges
If employees feel worthless about their work, then they won’t want to be there. They might even begin searching for a new job at their current job, just for something interesting to do. Yup. Believe it or not, an eye-popping 92% of employees use their working hours to do so, with 23% actually applying to other jobs from their work cubicle. It’s no wonder that so many businesses struggle with employee turnover.
Financial loss
The average business loses $36,723 per year on rehiring and lost productivity costs. It’s a no-brainer that a company will lose money when they pay bored employees who are not actually contributing. But this isn’t only an employer issue. By failing to reach their full potential (or not being allowed to do so), workers themselves could lose out on potential promotions and pay raises.
How to Stop Being Bored at Work
A cardboard box is a boring object. That is, unless you’re a kid, in which case it’s a store, a castle, or even a space rocket!
As adults, we often forget how to turn the uninteresting into something fun and useful. Forbes magazine agrees, reminding us that boring downtime is essential for innovation. Let’s explore how you can use it to your advantage.
Take on creative projects
A key part of keeping work interesting is to incorporate a bit of “play.” Yes, of course, there will always be a serious side to every job. We’re not telling you to throw paint at the wall. But if your work has become drab and routine, it might be time to take on a creative project or two.
If you work in accounting, for example, you could consider ways to present financial data more creatively. And when you get an idea, share it! You might be doing yourself a favor, given that creative thinking is ranked in the top five sought-after skills by employers.
Develop new skills
Think of excess time and unused brain power as a gift, rather than a curse. Identify areas for professional development and approach management with a specific development plan of how you would like to expand the value you provide to the company. This could look like doing a training course to develop management skills, upskilling your AI know-how, or even something as simple as learning a new Excel spreadsheet function!
Find networking opportunities
Boredom doesn’t only result in disconnection from our own sense of purpose, but can also cause feelings of disconnection from others. You can mitigate this by focusing on building relationships; after all, having work friends is a strong indicator of job satisfaction, with 83% of professionals saying it increases their engagement. When you focus on internal networking, you can make the everyday more enjoyable, while increasing the likelihood of hearing about development opportunities.
Take on responsibility
Don’t be daunted. As you develop your professional skills, you will naturally feel a pull towards taking on greater responsibility. It’s a powerful way to increase your sense of purpose at work. When you feel like your team members are depending on you or you have a positive influence on a mentee, it’s hard not to feel like what you’re doing is making a difference.
Overcome your fears
If you’re feeling bored because you’re nervous about taking on more responsibility, focus first on overcoming your fears. Some of this may involve seeking out encouragement if you have experienced a confidence setback. Ultimately, though, the best way to overcome your fears is to embrace them. Afraid of public speaking? Volunteer for the presentation opportunity. Anxious about feedback? Ask for a critique from someone you respect. And, most importantly, give yourself permission to do it imperfectly.
Invest in mentoring
In the Star Wars franchise, Luke Skywalker is bored out of his mind, literally stuck on a desert planet, and working on a farm. It’s only when he is propelled into his “hero’s journey” and receives mentoring from Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi that he can reach his full potential and fulfill his destiny.
Without input from those who are older and wiser than himself, he may never have moved past his initial restlessness and desire for adventure. This is an important lesson in the value of seeking out mentors to help resource you in your development.
Avoid Boreout Without The Burnout
We hope that by now, you’re full of new ideas and feeling motivated to implement actions that will help you feel less bored at work. But perhaps you’re reading this and thinking that:
a.) It sounds like a lot of work that may go unappreciated, and
b.) You have implemented this advice in the past, only to burn out!
If that’s you, then this is your reminder to focus on consistent effort over the long term, rather than short bursts of intense energy that leave you more tired than before.
Think small, enjoyable changes you can make today, like asking your colleague about their weekend, rather than a big, overwhelming one like moving departments. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to seek support when you need it!
Keep Boreout at Bay With Mentoring
It’s time to stop counting beans and start cooking with them! The right mentor can help you to leap out of work boredom, regardless of whether you’re bored at work because your work is too easy or you’re afraid to take the next step. Amongst other things, they can help you develop professionally, connect you with new people, and guide you to reach your goals.
For mentoring to be really effective, the match needs to make sense. That’s where MentorcliQ’s mentoring software comes in, with smart matching that helps organizations pair up mentors and mentees who will complement each other.
Book a demo today and see how mentoring software can take your workplace from boring to buzzing.
