Boredom at work? What you can do about it
Swiss people are bored at work. This is shown by a labor market study by Robert Half. According to the study, managers see poorly organized meetings and a lack of challenge as the main reasons for boredom.
74 % of Swiss managers believe their employees are bored during working hours. This is the finding of the latest labor market study by Robert Half, a recruiter specializing in professional and managerial staff. According to the study, only 26 % of supervisors think that their employees never find their working day monotonous.
Why employees are bored
"Boredom on the job has a demotivating effect and thus has a negative impact on productivity and the company's bottom line," says Yeng Chow, senior manager at Robert Half in Zurich. "Managers should place a high priority on ending monotony. Especially since a lot can already be achieved with simple measures." That's because more than one-third of managers surveyed cited too many and inefficient meetings (34 %) as the main reasons for workplace boredom, followed by underwhelm in daily tasks (32 %). In third place among the causes of boredom, a quarter (25 %) of managers see little variety.
| Robert Half surveyed 200 managers: Which of the following do you think are the main causes of employee boredom?
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| Too many or poorly organized meetings | 34 % |
| They do not feel challenged by their tasks | 32 % |
| Lack of diversity/variety within the function | 25 % |
| The work itself is not interesting | 21 % |
| They do not enjoy interacting with their colleagues | 20 % |
| There is not enough to do | 20 % |
| You suffer from rigid guidelines and processes | 19 % |
| They do not understand the importance of their contribution to the profitability of the company | 16 % |
| Poor/inefficient management | 13 % |
(Source: Robert Half, Labor Market Study 2017, Respondents: 200 managers in Switzerland).
Measures against boredom
Supervisors should address the problem immediately and seek dialogue with the bored employee. But employees should also take action, Chow advises, and lists three concrete measures to counter acute and permanent boredom.
- Everyone should ask themselves: Why am I bored? Why don't I find my work interesting? Is it because I am underchallenged or are there other reasons? What am I missing to bring about a noticeable improvement?
- Bored employees should talk to their supervisors and express their desire for change. Concrete suggestions for targeted further training, a new challenge or another activity within the company are the quickest way to solve the problem.
- If there are no opportunities to diversify the work or to take on new challenges internally, a job change should be considered. Employees should not be opposed to a job change on principle, but - if necessary - consider it as an equal solution.
Professional job counseling and placement can provide support. "Employees want meaningful work with responsibility and creative freedom that fits their qualifications and personality," says Chow. These are some of the factors for happiness in the workplace, according to another study by Robert Half. Says Yeng Chow, "A career change can not only end boredom, but also bring other benefits beyond that. Employees and companies benefit from high job satisfaction."
