Staff off their trollies with boring tasks

Supermarket workers claim that boredom causes most mistakes and can often lead them to drink at the end of their shift.

The repetitive and routine nature of their work often causes them to lose concentration and daydream, research by an occupational psychologist found.

Dr Sandi Mann, of the University of Central Lancashire, suggested that employers should consider screening job applicants to see if they were prone to boredom before offering them jobs which involved a high level of routine.

In a survey of more than 100 employees of a leading supermarket chain, including drivers and check-out staff, one in four said that they were likely to turn to drink to relieve boredom, while almost half said being bored caused them to become stressed.

"It looks as though boredom is the new stress," said Dr Mann, adding that some people had a "boredom-prone" personality and were more likely to experience chronic boredom in the workplace.