Chronic workplace boredom is a growing problem that is rarely taken seriously. It can affect anyone, from high-earners to support staff and often goes without notice.
As an example, most businesses will have a need to hold meetings and whilst they are likely to be integral, they can often be counter-productive if employees are stifling yawns or not paying attention due to boredom.
It is therefore down to management to keep otherwise capable employees motivated and interested in their roles (and not just in meetings). Whilst this can come as a challenge (as workplace boredom can often be perceived as a reflection of management or leadership failings) ignoring the problem can be much more problematic in that it can detract from a culture of success and cause damage to the business.
So here are three easy tips designed to assist with workplace boredom and to transform the productivity of your workforce.
- Re-introduce passion.
Workplace boredom typically happens when people lose their passion for their work, become trapped in numbing non-productive routines, or lack sufficient challenge; it rarely has anything to do with not having anything to do. Many employees fear having to admit they’re bored to their boss. The word boredom is usually equated with lacking things to do. Therefore, a common solution is to delegate more duties. The mindset for many managers is to keep employees so busy that they don’t have time to feel bored. This can be detrimental to the employee, as it discourages them from producing their best work, and detrimental to the company, as it robs it from benefiting from the employee’s full input. The solution is to provide opportunities that are self-motivating and intellectually challenging. - Motivate your staff.
Some of the most common ways of achieving a fully motivated workforce are: improving working environments, creating ‘special’ days that are fun or entertaining, offering more training opportunities and, most importantly, providing more recognition. If employees are regularly being reminded of how important their role is and that they are a valuable member of the team, they are more likely to feel motivated in their work and continue to fully contribute to the business.
Creating a workplace culture that encourages intrinsic motivation and requires intellectual challenge will always produce the best results for the employee, manager, and the business. By applying these simple steps, your company will be well on its way to eliminating workplace boredom and its damaging effects. - Reinvent meetings.
It is important to streamline meetings with a view to making them less frequent, shorter and much more focused. By narrowing the issues discussed in meetings, clearer and more achievable goals can be set and employees will feel less overwhelmed and more motivated. Having fewer participants involved and discouraging telephone meetings in preference of face to face meetings can result in employees being more engaged and interactive with each other.
