I spotted a very interesting article on CNN.com the other day: "Is Workplace Boredom the 'New Stress'?"
The article doesn't really have a cure for boredom, but it's nice to learn we're not alone out there.
Why Are We Bored?
CNN claims that one reason we are bored is that we are in a "culture of meetings" that are obviously very boring. There are so many automated tasks these days that people are frustrated by meetings. I have to say that I agree with this 100%. It's not like my schedule is packed with meetings, but I absolutely dread the few meetings I have everyday. It seems like the real work is accomplished in five or ten minutes, but the meeting always drags on for half an hour or an hour. And I don't know about you, but I always have one of those people that just won't let the meeting die. They will bring up old or irrelevant topics to fill the time. I try to avoid those people like the plague.
The article also postulates that we are becoming less likely to accept boredom. People expect personal fulfillment in their careers now, and boredom is a sign that your career fulfillment is stalled. From talks with older folks, I think this is also true. My mom and dad are always telling me that work is work, and no one really enjoys it, they just do it to get a paycheck. The optimist in me thinks that they are wrong, but when I really get down in the dumps about being bored, I sometimes think they might be right.
What Are the Symptoms of Boredom?
One of the most interesting pieces of the article are the six ways that employees express their boredom: sabotage, purposely messing up assignments, horseplay, theft, withdrawal, and abusing others.
Personally, I don't mess up assignments, steal or participate in horseplay. But i see a lot of myself in the other 'symptoms'. Although I don't expressly sabotage anything, I definitely tend to 'sway' meetings by voicing an opinion for an outcome that will result in the least boring work for me. I have no idea if these outcomes help or hurt the business, but they help keep me sane. I also don't purposely abuse others, but when I am super bored, I do notice that my tone becomes a bit ruder and I am not as helpful as I normally am. I suppose this is a form of verbal abuse.
But the symptom that I show the most, by far, is withdrawal. I am not really engaged with my colleagues because I am just so bored of everything involved in the office. I often leave in the middle of the day to go to the gym for hours, and sometimes I just don't even make it into work. I skip meetings that I deem too boring or unnecessary to participate in. Not anything I'm proud of, but it happens.
A Solution?
So what's the solution to office boredom? CNN theorizes that it needs to become an acceptable emotion to discuss and deal with in the workplace. There are hundreds of options to relieve stress, but no where to go for boredom. I think this is the first step needed to help fight office boredom. Make it an acceptable topic, and you can better understand the triggers of boredom and make your employees happier. Everyone knows that a happier worker is a more productive worker, so this is really in the best interest of all businesses.
What do you think? Do you show any symptoms of boredom? And how can companies reduce boredom?
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