Tip 2 - Boredom: professional boredom and how to manage malaise

There are several common symptoms of professional boredom that can assist you to identify if your team are work weary.

Whatever the trigger, many of the symptoms listed below are easily identifiable as signs of stress or dissatisfaction and are best tackled before they develop into more serious afflictions such as depression. They can also be signs of idleness too, so you need to exercise common sense!

1. In the current climate, where team members are furloughed or staff are teaching online lessons, they are less likely to have cause to and you are less likely to identify changes to routine. Arriving late for work or leaving early, a lack of urgency to complete projects or goals on time, and not putting as much detail into work as normal are, unsurprisingly, red flags. As are taking frequent sick days.

2. Bored employees can become increasingly negative or sarcastic. This is easier to identify amongst remote workers providing you are in regular contact.

3. Team members that are constantly looking for distraction, or increasingly interested and animated about a hobby or pastime or are spending increased time on social media could be suffering from professional boredom. However, if they are often on the look out to learn new skills it could be that they are simply endeavouring to keep themselves motivated.

4. Staff that really look forward to working with and socialising with their co-workers are more susceptible to professional boredom as they miss the social interaction. These members of the team may need greater support, or if you hear of a member of the team actively looking to increase or introduce ways to socialise during Lockdown, they may be struggling with the lack of team contact.

5. Comments from staff that things must be better in other schools – the “grass is greener on the other side” syndrome – is a significant sign of bored or dissatisfied employees.

6. Employees who are struggling may begin resenting other members of the team who are doing well and who are praised for doing so. This feeling of resentment can also feed their overall negativity about their job.

7. Rushing through projects or only doing the bare minimum in order to get by is a sign that they may be feeling underutilized. It can also be an indicator that they are struggling with their workload in light of a change to their normal working patterns. Converting lessons to suit online learning can be very time consuming and is cited by many teachers we have spoken to as one of the most challenging part of managing their workload.

8. If a member of your team shares that they are depressed about coming to work the evening prior to work or if they call in sick more frequently on Mondays or Fridays, it could indicate boredom problem.

9. Employees that are very capable but lack participation, particularly with teamwork during business hours, are also showing an absence of interest. Those who avoid events outside office hours may have other reasons for doing so, but it is always worth noting the old adage “a team that plays together, stays together”.

10. A really interested member of the team does not get side-tracked by colleagues and remains focussed on the job in hand. If a member of staff is struggling to focus, it could be they feel professionally bored.

There is no question that teams are being exposed to greater levels of strain and anxiety during these uncertain times. Less easy, is knowing what to do about it. However, if you have team members that are showing signs of boredom or are losing interest in their work, there are several things you can do to remedy the situation for the better:

1 Many good leaders spot the signs but fail to do one simple thing: ask the question. By asking your staff if they feel professionally weary, you will get an honest response and the opportunity to learn more about what motivates and interest them. Often whatever the team member feels is lacking, would also benefit the wider team too.

2 Often, it only takes an active approach to broaden an employee’s mind or skillset to get them motivated again. Identify a project that is important to you and touch on some of the skills required that the employee possesses. It could be that it is enough to rekindle their interest and reengage them.

3 Randomly requesting an employee’s attention to discuss important matters or their opinion of a problem you are working is another way of sparking their interest. By creating a spur of the moment situation, you can sometimes see an instant “return to their old self” and with every contact, you will get a better opportunity to assess who they are coping.

4 One of the leadership actions that falls by the wayside when teams are stretched and busy, are appraisals. How often do you make time to talk to your team about things other than work? Throughout the pandemic, how often have you reviewed your team and given them feedback on their achievements? Do you know what they dream of doing while at work? Simply asking the question could give you valuable insight into to how they are feeling.

5 In any team, there are always doubters and naysayers. You don’t have to answer every whine or sarcastic comment, but addressing negative behaviour quickly, communicates your expectations of positive behaviour in the workplace. It demonstrates to your team that you are aware of what is being said and that you care.

In most cases, your staff are unlikely to call you to say, ‘I’m bored – HELP!’. They won’t want to come across as negative, lazy or disruptive. Many will feel you have enough on your plate to deal with and some, doubtless, will put their lack of enthusiasm down to circumstance and solider on. Previously, those who found the going too tough, would simply look for something new. However, there is perhaps less opportunity to make a move during these exceptional circumstances and that is why it’s so important to look out for the warning signs…

According to research, the brains of people who are prone to boredom react differently, compared to those who don't; those who experience boredom more often tend to have more anxiety and are more prone to depression. There are very effective coping mechanisms to help avoid negative responses but the sooner the problem is identified, the more likely to you are be able to affect a change and prevent more serious illness taking hold.

Headspace Academics; fresh thinking, grown from experience. Helping school leaders find future proofing solutions to their school’s long-term security.