“I’m completely bored!” When was the last time you thought or suspected someone on your team of doing something like that? Boredom has an impact on employee retention, job happiness, and work quality. Kevin Eikenberry, a leadership specialist, offers five suggestions for overcoming workplace boredom (and beyond).
Parents frequently hear, “I’m bored,” especially when summer vacation from school approaches the four-week mark. Kids who couldn’t wait to get out of school are now bored with the activity they had been looking forward to for months.
However, boredom affects people of all ages.
An explanation
“The state of being bored: tedium; ennui,” according to Dictionary.com. The synonyms and antonyms (dullness, doldrums, fatigue) are maybe just as illuminating (excitement, diversion, amusement).
Boredom is frequently defined as a bored, jaded, or unengaged emotion. Boredom has several components, including:
• Exhaustion • Dissatisfaction • Anxiety • Irritability
Clearly, if we or others are bored at work (studies shows that if you aren’t bored, someone you work with is), it will affect retention, job happiness, work quality, and overall productivity.
Solutions
Consider these suggestions as a starting point; there are many more, especially if you consider boredom outside of work. However, doing even one of these actions can have a major, and possibly permanent, impact on boredom and its consequences. Consider how you can use the specific principles mentioned as a leader to assist others apply those ideas.
- Search for significance. You are less likely to be disengaged or bored if you understand how your work affects others (internal and external clients, your team, and possibly society at large). Look for ways to comprehend the significance of your work as an individual. As a leader, make sure your team, department, and organization’s goals are all connected. Aid in the identification of clients. Give folks meaningful work to do. Boredom will be considerably lessened, if not eliminated, when people realize how their actions positively affect others.
- Be enthralled by something. Boredom is less common in active minds. Our minds will keep moving while we are actively curious. As a manager, you should be able to make cheval cheval.
- Be inquisitive. Boredom is less likely in active minds. Our minds will keep going if we are actively curious! Giving workers considerable leeway in their job obligations and expectations can inspire inquiry and innovation as a leader. Give people the time and resources they need to work on specific projects that they care about and that match their natural abilities.
- Make it stand out. Boredom can set in when duties appear monotonous, commonplace, or routine. By altering your routine or trying something new, you can make your work more memorable. Experiment with your art in a fresh setting or from a different angle. Allow some flexibility in this area as a leader if feasible. Encourage your employees to break a new record, collaborate with new people, or otherwise spice up their work or work environment.
- Do something. Boredom is frequently accompanied with tiredness or apathy. Taking action is the best remedy for the blues! Begin a new aim, progress toward an existing goal, or learn something new. Boredom will fade as you take action on anything. Boredom will fade as leaders supply or assist individuals in setting relevant and challenging goals. If members of your team can do their tasks in less than the allotted time, reward them with something extra that is significant to both them and your organization’s goals. This might be a fun project, a learning opportunity, or mentoring a new coworker; anything goes as long as the person is enthusiastic about it.
Pay attention to the people around you. When your attention is diverted from oneself, boredom rarely sets in. Consider how you can help others. Volunteering or doing something for a neighbor, friend, or family member could be an example of this in your daily life. It could be as simple as volunteering for a project at work. Encourage others to help others as a leader. Recognize that by assisting others in finding more significance in their work, you are also assisting them in shifting their attention away from yourself.
Even if you don’t suffer from boredom on a regular basis, incorporating more of these ideas into your work will improve your mood.
Even if you don’t encounter boredom frequently, including more of these solutions into your work will enhance your mood and productivity. Consider the following leadership suggestions as ways to assist others, regardless of your role or relationship with them.
Boredom can have a significant impact on job satisfaction, energy, and productivity. Reduce boredom by proactively addressing its causes: make work more meaningful, be curious, make work memorable, act, and put others’ needs first.
