Dubai: In today’s fast-paced, demanding world, many of us understand the feeling of being ‘burnt-out’ and working too much. But rarely do we hear the expression ‘bore-out’ — a state of being bored at work, underutilised, not growing professionally and having few, or no chances, to develop skills.
In the Gulf especially, people may end up in jobs through benevolent patronage, or take on a less challenging job in an effort to stay in the region. Others perhaps remain in a job by chance, because it was available, or because they have a partner or family settled in the area.
For others fortunate enough to choose their professions, bore-out can still occur as a result of having maximised one’s growth opportunities.
A bored-out person is competent, but for a variety of reasons, has little to do in the workspace. Or finds it is no longer challenging. Research shows that being bored has just as many repercussions as feeling overwhelmed.
It is stressful trying to pass the day and, over time, the experience of stagnation and feeling stifled can lead to depression, apathy, and a higher number of sick leaves. Ultimately, it means work not being done at all as a sign of frustration. Feeling bored reduces motivation and the person, who also feels ashamed and partly responsible, as they feel that they can’t tell anyone for fear they will be judged as lazy, or their position made redundant.
The first way to avoid this is to always try and choose a job slightly above your skill level. Otherwise there’s no mechanism for growth. We can all take responsibility for making our job more satisfying ... so here are some questions to ask yourself if you are nearing the ‘bored zone’:
* When do I feel most alive at work?
The key is to identify when your job is challenging, engaging and when you feel competent and well-utilised, even if it is just for an hour. Think about how you can do more of that activity by proposing solutions to your boss.
Can you take on new or additional responsibilities, or volunteer for new projects even if you weren’t asked? Is there someone who needs a hand in another department? It might just be an oversight that you weren’t asked to do more — sometimes we assume others might not be interested or have the time.
* Am I boring myself by doing the same things in the same way and with the same mindset?
Because of adaptation, the process by which we become used to both good and bad situations also occurs in work settings. People have to get creative about how things are done, in what order, with what speed, and with whom. Considering your own context, try and change the way you do a task, or team up with new people to make the tasks seem new again.
Resurrect previous goals and reorient yourself towards growth again so that work is a good place to be.
* Am I really in the right job?
When working with university students, there are many signing up for degrees they despise, or in which they have little interest, solely because others may have insisted on it. Equally, we tend to see people joining organisations and selecting the next career move based on the company brand, salary or role reputation, rather than it being what they want to do.
While financially securing your future is a good move, you can also do this by working in fields you enjoy.
* How can I approach my manager with my “boring” problem?
Take a positive, proactive approach and suggest something that could benefit both you and your firm. You will gain a lot of respect by doing this and inevitably land an interesting project, which can help you grow and be happier at work.
There is at least some sympathy for the overworked, but not for the underworked. In due course, the underworked person becomes deskilled and loses confidence in their abilities.
Asking yourself these simple questions cannot only greatly increase motivation, but proactively finding new tasks and showing yourself to be valuable in the workplace can lead to a much happier and efficient environment.
— Louise Lambert is a Canadian-registered psychologist, Canadian University Dubai, while and Alex Davda is a business psychologist and Client Director, Ashridge Business School.
