I’m uncovering a surprising amount of boreout in my pulse checks.
Burnout doesn’t just come from overwork and overwhelm. Sometimes the very opposite can be the cause of disengagement at work. Let’s talk about boreout, the damage it can cause, and what we can all do to keep it at bay.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping teams and organizations optimize their working experience. You know, it was actually my own not-so-hot working experience that initially inspired me to start the business I run today.
I’d been in my last full-time job for a while when I decided to call it quits. I remember when I started telling colleagues I was leaving and I didn’t have a plan around what was next, the default assumption was that I’d hit a wall of overwork and overwhelm.
“You must be fried. You must be exhausted. You must be ready for some time to breathe!” were things I remember people saying. “You must be so burned out.”
And they were right. But only on that last point. I was burned out. But, due to an excess of breathing room. I was in a season of underwhelm. And I was experiencing a specific brand of burnout not well-recognized then, but that today many would call “boreout.”
These days, as I’m working with companies to amplify their employee experience, I’m uncovering a surprising amount of boreout in my pulse checks.
So today, let’s talk about what it is and how we fend it off.
According to Lotta Harju, an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior at EM Lyon Business School in France, “Boreout is chronic boredom… A number of factors can cause chronic boredom, including working in a demoralising physical environment, or feeling under-challenged over a prolonged period. But the fundamental experience of boreout is meaninglessness—the experience that the work doesn’t really have any purpose, that there’s no point”.
Ugh—how miserable does that sound? And can you imagine doing your most amazing work under those circumstances?
Well, here’s how I advise client organizations.
Leaders.
Here are some things to put on your plates.
· Ask what excites and inspires people. People aren’t just showing up for a paycheck. We want to do great things. And further, did you know that 94% of employees, according to a LI Learning survey would stay longer with a leader who invests in their development? So start by knowing what your team members want to develop!
· Delegate developmentally. Some leaders are afraid of delegation. They avoid it like the Plague. Others embrace it—but often see delegation as a means of getting low-value work off their plates. But delegation can—and should—be so much richer than this. Delegate projects, tasks, and opportunities to people—people who are ready and hungry for the challenge—for purposes of their owning and learning and experiencing joy. Don’t just dump and run.
· Prioritize engagement over efficiency. Listen, we’re all busy. We’re all trying to grind out as much as we can. But sometimes that grind is the thing that’s subversively holding us back. So be intentional in choosing moments when you can afford to involve the whole team in a conversation you might otherwise just have had with yourself. Or invite another team to join yours in a more inclusive meeting or conversation. Sometimes taking a meandering route to the finish line—even if it lengthens the journey a bit—is just the thing to fend off that boreout and keep the excitement high.
· Give leadership responsibilities. But think broadly about leadership. Some people want—and are even ready—to lead other people. And should be given the chance to do so. Others may just need to lead a project. Or even a meeting. Finding creative ways to give your team members a feeling of ownership over an important outcome—even if your coaching and support are required along the way—is an incredible antidote to boreout.
· Ask for ideas. Even when you don’t think you need them. This isn’t meant to be patronizing. Don’t ask for input on a plan that’s fully baked. But do include your team in ideating on a thing whose outcome or endpoint is open. Maybe they’ll give you something you never considered. Other times their ideas mirror yours—but they’ve been asked and heard, and will feel so much more invested in the plan.
Individuals.
You’ve got a job to do here as well. I left my last full-time job feeling like a victim. But upon reflection, my experience wasn’t driven entirely by my leader. I failed to advocate for myself. And I want to help you avoid doing the same.
· Ask for things that seem interesting. And these do not all have to be things designed to “move you forward” or get you promoted. Just ask for things that sound fun—that might help you reignite a spark. Ask to play a role in designing an upcoming offsite. Or offer to curate a list of podcasts (know any good ones?) that you think your colleagues might enjoy. Sit in on a client pitch even if your job is miles away from that—just because you’re curious what they’re like. “Interesting” is in the eye of the beholder. Don’t judge your choices. Just chase them.
· Break out of ruts. I’m a total creature of habit. I like routine, habit, predictability. Until it starts suffocating me. There’s nothing wrong with routine. But when you’re finding yourself starring in Groundhog Day, you gotta try something new. Start small. Can you shake up the format of a weekly meeting? Grab lunch with someone new? Can you dabble in AI to get your next project started? Sometimes a little bit of “new” can go a long way in shaking off the doldrums. Just try something different and see how it feels. You can always revert back as needed!
· Be a mentor. Or a coach or advisor or ally. But take on some responsibility for someone else’s experience. Weird one, right? I mean… if you’re starting to disengage—your own interest is waning—why would you want to play any role in someone else’s? But it works. Stepping into a mentor or coaching role often gives you a front-row seat to someone who is highly motivated; excited to learn and grow. And that energy can be—and I mean this in the best possible way—totally infectious. So much so that it may reignite yours.
· Be of service. There’s this amazing organization called Catch-a-Fire.org. There may be others like it, but this is the one that’s captured me. It’s a platform where non-profit organizations post projects, and professionals with matching skills can take on those projects—pro bono. When my battery is running low, this is my fix. It reconnects me to a sense of purpose—reminds me of how valuable my skills and knowledge are. And it’s putting goodness into the world. Try it out—the worst thing that happens is you do good and feel grumpier. I can live with that.
So… anything in here strike your fancy? And to be clear, active boredom is a prerequisite for zero of these strategies. Even if you’re swimming in excitement, you have my permission to use one—or all—of these anyway! Just be sure to let me know how it goes.
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to dial up its Employee Experience or deliver some leadership development that activates change. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.