A ‘bore out’ is the boredom of performing the same tasks for an extended period, especially in office jobs that require long hours staring at a computer screen. In 2007, Peter Werder and Philippe Rothlin coined the term ‘Boredom Bore out Syndrome’ in their book, ‘Diagnose Bore out.’ The term was based on an existing phenomenon, burnout.
Bore out can lead to emotional and physical distress. In addition, employees experiencing it will often try to mask their inactivity, which can cause physical problems such as dizziness and nausea.
The recent phenomenon of employee bore out – brilliantly talented employees who seem to lack motivation for their job – is more common than you might think. There are some telltale signs of this, such as long periods away from the office, a change in appearance, and general disinterest in their work. And although there are several ways to combat bore out effects and help ensure your company’s top talent stays that way, they need to be addressed early on, and continual follow-ups are necessary.
Employees struck by bore out usually plan strategies for avoiding work and show that they are pretty busy doing the work. So that they won’t get extra work from management. Employees also take more time for small tasks, which is unnecessary, and come early and leave late to give a good impression of commitment. Ironically, it diverts attention away from their lack of positive employee engagement with a given job and makes it appear that these employees are doing a lot of work.
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