Tip 2 - Boredom: professional boredom and how to recognise the work weary

Boredom (n): The feeling of being bored or uninterested in what you are doing.

The word boredom originates from a "boring tool", a type of drill that works slowly and repetitively; around 1768, bore, meaning "be tiresome" became a popular slang term, and boredom followed.

For some Lockdown is business as usual: work continues and only their social life is impacted. For others, their workload has increased, there is less support and fewer hands to help. Many have the added joy of balancing work and childcare – for them, life couldn’t be busier. However, many of us feel that Lockdown has stripped us of our freedom and, at times, sanity. Once jam-packed social schedules are no more, future plans are uncertain, many are furloughed and are at a loss for things to do… welcome to the world of weariness and boredom.

It is said that children are left to their own devices are compelled to be more creative and imaginative in finding ways to amuse themselves. Children learn to take initiative and think of ways to occupy themselves when they are not dictated to. So, at what age do we lose the ability to use our time creatively? Studies show boredom levels escalate through childhood, peak in early adulthood, and then decline, reducing dramatically in our 50s. But though boredom may be less prominent in middle life, it is still present – evidence suggests it comes creeping back in our 60s, especially among women.

Add to our natural boredom threshold a coronavirus pandemic, described as a “boom time for boredom” and most of us find ourselves poorly equipped to cope with being shut in our homes indefinitely. But it isn’t just not having enough to do that can cause us to feel jaded. Managing our jobs in a way that is less appealing than usual, or solo working when you are a team player, can also leave you feeling weary. Tutors teaching lessons without the buzz of classroom contact, team leaders detached from the team who are their raison d’etra, creatives who get their kicks from meeting their clients face to face… when an aspect of the job that gives us the most pleasure is removed, what is left is a chore, and that too can lead to boredom.

Research has revealed boredom to be widely misunderstood, perhaps even unfairly maligned. Boredom evolved to help us. It signals that we are unengaged, in need of an activity to satisfy us.

Professional boredom is an increasing issue in the workplace. Identifying it is more difficult when staff are working remotely or are undertaking a role that differs from their usual routine, and very few members of the team are likely to admit to feeling professionally bored, despite it being one of the top reasons employees exit the workplace. So, how can you tell if your team are work weary? Read Part II of our blog – professional boredom, how to manage malaise – for tips on how to recognise and manage professional boredom in the workplace.

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