Why boredom at work is bad for your health

AS the market takes another dip, Scotland’s staff lucky enough to be in gainful employment are faced with another problem – boredom. It seems after years of unpaid overtime and poor work-life balance, the system has shifted in the opposite direction. And rather than celebrate the quieter times, bored staff are turning to unhealthy behaviours, such as eating and smoking.

A recent survey has shown that one in four staff complain of “chronic boredom” – which is a far cry from the usual complaint that companies are working us too long and too hard. Of those in the bored camp, researchers from the University of Central Lancashire found they were more likely to resort to chocolate and coffee pick-me-ups to get them through the day.

This is probably no great surprise to most of us who know all too well that a 3pm chocolate bar or coffee can give us that much-needed boost for those last two hours of monotony. Bored staff are also more likely to have an alcoholic drink at the end of the day.

But while the odd drink, coffee or chocolate might be all par for the course in the workplace, other research suggests that staff could quite literally die of boredom. Researchers from University College London followed more than 7,000 civil servants for more than 25 years and found that those who complained of chronic boredom were 2.5 times more likely to die before their time of heart attack or stroke.

Whether that increased risk is a direct result of all that extra caffeine and sugar remains to be proven. But what the studies show categorically is that a tedious job is genuinely hazardous to your health.

“There is an opposite state to the widely known ‘burn-out’, and that’s ‘rust-out’ – where people are in un-stimulating and undemanding jobs and they get bored,” says corporate psychologist Ben Williams. “Ironically this has very similar effects on their health than if they were over-worked and highly stressed. Their health suffers and from a corporate point of view they ultimately become less productive.”

But can organisations genuinely be expected to provide gainful employment which is also stimulating to their staff? Luckily for workers, the answer is a resounding “yes”, though not necessarily for charitable reasons. Employment consultants suggest companies keep employees boredom free because it’s better for productivity and retention.

“Variety of opportunity is critical,” explains Bruce Cartwright, a partner with PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) in Scotland. His company offers a number of experiences to prevent staff getting bored.

“Whether it’s volunteer mentoring and coaching, an overseas secondment, or a transfer to another team, it’s all about opening people up to new experiences,” explains Cartwright. PwC also offers staff the chance to work shadow or coach a more junior staff member, as part of the drive to keep things stimulating.

PwC say staff learn from their enrichment and deliver more back to the company. “Sometimes you only realise what you know – and can really test your experience and judgment – when you’re working in a new situation,” says Cartwright. “We run a ‘cycles of experience’ programme which encourages people to diversify in a variety of ways. They could look for a similar role in a new team, a more complex role in a new team, opportunities overseas or externally, or broader roles using different skills. Taking on a new role helps people have a better understanding and experience of the business, their skills, and how they are developing.”

For many staff, of course, these well-meaning attempts to keep them motivated will be met with some cynicism. Research suggests that good old-fashioned teamwork and inter-personal relationships are key to keeping employees from falling asleep at their desks.

“The evidence shows that arranging people in groups if they have to do dull and repetitive tasks keeps them motivated,” says Williams. “This allows them to chat about the latest thing on the telly or whatever interests them, which helps alleviate the tedium.”

Corporate researchers Kenexa WorldTrends also found the ability to carry out a number of different tasks every day, as well as the responsibility for an entire piece of work from beginning to end, made a big difference to staff.

“We’ve also found that ‘task significance’, the belief that your job has a big impact on the lives of people outside of the organisation, is important in preventing boredom,” says Rena Rasch, research manager at Kenexa.

No matter how successfully your employer breaks up your working day, however, the evidence suggests that some people are just more prone to boredom than others. So-called “A” types – high achievers who are constantly driven – not only suffer worse with boredom, but in doing so can drag everyone else down.

“Some individuals are what’s known as ‘stress-carriers’ in the workplace,” explains Williams. “They don’t suffer stress themselves but, if they get bored, they carry it to other people. We’ve all met these personality types – they finish other people’s sentences, and get away first at the traffic lights. In a work situation, they try to drag everyone up to their pace, which can be stressful for other workers.”

In general terms, the recession is likely to have spurned a new working legacy of over-skilled people in the wrong roles. There’s only one way for these staff to stay engaged, and that’s a promotion.