The emotion whose name we dare not speak


The emotion whose name we dare not speak

Saying we're bored at work can lead to unintended consequences, but managers can help staff.

Photograph by: Yuri Arcurs , Fotolia.com

Summer's over. You are back into the swing of things.

But you find yourself bored at work. You are yawning, but it's not because you're tired.

Being bored by your job is not some-thing people admit to or even talk about. But it is quite common. Boredom is the second most suppressed emotion in the workplace after anger. The reason staff don't talk about work-place boredom is they fear for their job if they don't seem to be excited by the prospect of another day.

Others don't want to be accused of not having enough to do and being piled high with even more boring tasks.

However, there is a common misconception regarding boredom.

Boredom is not about not having enough to do. It's about not having enough to do that is interesting or challenging.

And boredom takes a toll. Workers quit jobs they find boring or are prone to injury when they don't concentrate on a boring, repetitive, yet dangerous task. Bored workers tend to be absent more or engage in unhealthy eating or drinking to deal with the listlessness.

When staff suffer from a lack of intellectual stimulation, they tend to experience low morale and presenteeism - standing around looking like they are working but not getting much done.

But how did work get to be so boring?

Boring routines are more common when there are cutbacks. Workers are asked to do more with less, which can mean doing more uninteresting tasks that others once shared before the cutbacks.

Boredom also comes hand in hand with a lot of meetings. Workers subjected to endless meetings without an agenda, or resolutions and next steps, tend to be bored.

At times, boredom masks anxiety. For example, a worker who was afraid of public speaking noticed that when he had to prepare a presentation, he tended to feel bored. He would put it off until the last minute, citing boredom when on closer inspection he recognized his fear.

Procrastinators cite boredom as a reason for putting off tasks as well. Sometimes, this can be an excuse for not getting down to the job or a way of avoiding having to look at one's perfectionist tendencies.

Another reason people get bored at work is their personalities. Some are just prone to boredom. Many entry-level positions are boring, but a worker who moves up the ladder may find herself in a more challenging job and happily rise to the occasion. So, hanging on to people who are prone to boredom because they like a challenge is important.

Both managers and staff can play a role in keeping work interesting.

Managers can recognize this taboo topic is a common part of working life. Adjusting the assignments given to staff can help. Watch out for situations in which one person gets saddled with all the boring jobs and find ways to keep staff engaged by ensuring an equal distribution of interesting tasks. Providing staff with learning opportunities and access to new ideas is key.

Also, workers can ask for more complex assignments from supervisors.

If staff can structure some of the work themselves, this helps. And keep meetings on task and ensure there is an agenda and follow through.

Cross training employees so they get exposure to different jobs helps, and it expands the workforce skill set.

Be empathetic, imagine what it would be like to do the job you assign your supervisee, would it be some-thing you would find boring?

Working together with staff to find ways to do boring tasks more efficiently and assigning more interesting jobs is one way to keep everyone interested.


Bored worker


Photograph by: Yuri Arcurs, Fotolia.com


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