Forget Burnout, Your Team Might Be 'Boredout.' Here's What to Do

BY SARAH LYNCH, STAFF REPORTER@SARAHDLYNCH

Sure, you might be more concerned with battling burnout--which is on the rise globally--but your team might be suffering from something else that's surprisingly insidious: boredome. Indeed, employee "boreout," defined as "chronic boredom and demotivation in the workplace" in the 2007 book Diagnose Boreout, is rising as a concern.

Whether employees don't have enough to do or are unfulfilled in the work they're doing, their boredom could be lowering morale and costing the company. Low engagement, overall, costs the global economy 9 percent of GDP, according to Gallup's 2023 State of the Global Workplace report. 

But employers can take strategic steps to stifle boredom and boost employee engagement, says human resources researcher and consultant Josh Bersin.  

First, leaders can create a "clear, inspiring vision," Bersin says--one that clearly communicates the company's goals, value, customer, and plans down the line. "That actually sticks," he says. "People get it, and that also gives them the clarity to bring more energy to work and to apply it toward that mission."  

Here, though, leaders need to ensure that the message reaches all workers, whether in-person or remote. Earlier this year, a report from Gallup found that just 28 percent of exclusively remote workers felt connected to their organization's mission and purpose, which was the lowest percentage since 2011.  

Indeed, identifying a lack of engagement in a remote worker might be more challenging, Bersin says, but it can be fixable: "I think it's worthwhile going out and having a cup of coffee and spending some time [with an employee], because they'll probably tell you things that they didn't tell you over video."  

Leaders also need to understand the impact that an individual manager can have on how an employee feels at work, Bersin adds. In fact, Gallup found that the manager alone is responsible for 70 percent of the variance in team engagement.  

"Hold your leaders accountable for listening to people, taking care of them, getting to know what their issues are, moving them around, giving them developmental opportunities," Bersin says. He remembers an instance in his own career when he felt bored while working at IBM, and his manager intervened and gave him a new and more challenging role. That kept him on board.  

Lastly, to prevent "boreout" from infiltrating the company culture, business leaders need to truly believe their team is capable of doing more, Bersin says: "If you believe that, then the company is going to always be inspiring to individuals because they're going to find it as a place to grow." 

Photo Credit: Getty Images.