These days, we talk a lot about burnout, the 21st century’s syndrome. However, we also sometimes hear about the reverse syndrome “bore-out”. While I got intrigued by this topic, I actually read that the syndrome was given its name by two Swiss business consultants in 2007. They suggested that this psychological syndrome was caused by under-stimulation and boredom at work and incorporates three key dimensions: boredom, lack of challenge and lack of interest.
How can one experience bore-out at the workplace? Aren’t we expected to be overwhelmed and complete an excessive number of tasks? One way bore-out can occur is when a manager or team members consistently assign boring or repetitive tasks to a single employee over an extended period. It may also arise during low seasons when workload decreases and daily activities become monotonous. In some other cases, jobholders accomplish their tasks too quickly, leading to boredom and job dissatisfaction. Regardless of the reason or situation, the main challenge of bore-out is that employees may be too afraid to raise the issue with their manager or HR. “If their superiors notice their reduced productivity, will they get fired? To keep their financial stability, shouldn’t they pretend to be working hard for the organisation?”
Unfortunately, this syndrome causes similar symptoms to burnout such as depression, insomnia, disengagement, exhaustion and irritability. Individuals under bore-out feel they are not fulfilling their own potential (skills, knowledge, abilities) and describe it as a crisis of meaning and growth. One can even experience physical symptoms such as chronic fatigue, tension, headaches, sleep issues, and a weakened immune system. It can even increase the risk of accidents because of lack of attention and motivation.
Turning to friends, family or therapists can be extremely beneficial in these circumstances.
What can HR do to prevent such unfortunate situations? Some ideas to prevent bore-out include sending out an anonymous survey to let employees raise this situation without discriminating against them. HR should also raise awareness of this issue and build trusting relationships with employees, so they feel comfortable discussing their situation and working together to find solutions.
What can managers do? Managers should spread work equally among team members and give them a mix of interesting and repetitive projects and tasks. They should absolutely avoid assigning all the monotonous tasks to a single person. Emotional intelligence is also key here to understand what kind of tasks makes individuals thrive and experience feelings of fulfillment and creativity. A true leader will help their staff build their career path and offer opportunities to learn and grow.
What can I do to stop my bore-out situation? Have the courage and prepare a conversion with your supervisor (if possible), especially if you both have a great professional relationship. You could also think about concrete suggestions to make your work more interesting and fulfilling by setting ambitious goals. Other solutions could involve doing volunteering work or starting a new part-time training to be busy and gain new skills. Additionally, daydreaming, seeking new opportunities, or withdrawing from the boring situation can be beneficial. For example, if you believe there is little chance of being assigned more interesting tasks in your current role, it may be worth exploring other job opportunities. Visualization can be used as a motivational tool to help you focus on finding a role that is more meaningful and fulfilling.
According to HR morning, the recent rise of AI contributes to an increase in bore-out.
Have you ever experienced bore-out at your workplace? If yes, what coping strategies did you use to resolve this situation?
References
de Choudens, C., & Priolo, D. (2016). From boredom to bore-out: A literature review. Journal de Thérapie Comportementale et Cognitive, 26(3), 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcc.2016.03.002
HRMorning. (n.d.). Boreout: What it is, causes, symptoms, and how to prevent it. https://www.hrmorning.com/articles/boreout/
Smith, R. P. (1981). Boredom: A review. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 23(3), 329–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872088102300308