Identify bore-out symptoms to take action before it's too late

71% of French people think they have a boring job, or even “very boring” for 33% of them (*survey carried out in February 2022 by the Qapa temporary employment agency, with 4.5 million candidates on the subject of workplace boredom). This observation is striking: far from being a simple temporary whim, boredom at work can become a real challenge for the sanity and collective performance.

The Bore out, this famous Professional vacuum which exhausts without noise, affects many employees and weakens teams. But good news: far from being inevitable, it can be prevented and transformed into positive energy for the collective.

For HR directors, managers and teams, knowing how to identify warning signs is the first step in making missions meaningful, stimulating motivation and creating an environment where everyone feels useful and involved.

“The term Bore Out is used in contrast to that of Burn Out to refer to boredom or the loss of meaning in the exercise of one's work (on this last point, there is even a specific term called Brown Out). In all three cases it is suffering at work that is a question of. The symptomatology can be confused: demotivation, difficulty concentrating, physical pain (back pain, stomach pain), sleep problems, procrastination or forgetfulness, a sign of anxiety or stress, tears, sadness, etc. The signals that should alert a “good enough” manager, etc. The signals that should alert a “good enough” manager are: changes in behavior and mood, isolation or even isolation from the work group, the concern of colleagues and their question., absences due to sick leave. It should be noted that an employee enrolled in a Bore Out spiral does not have the psychological capacity to look for another job and leave the organization, which often seems paradoxical. That's why situations get bogged down. An employee who has low self-esteem will doubt his skills and his professional usefulness: Why am I not being given more work? Why am I not being used more effectively? These questions challenge and stifle self-appreciation.”

‍Clélia Sacadura, Occupational psychologist at Qualisocial

Drinking out in a professional environment: this discreet but powerful evil

The Bore out, it's that little void that slowly sets in at work when you don't have much to do anymore. Not because you lack motivation or are lazy, far from it! But because the job no longer offers challenges, whatWe're going in circles And whatwe can't really use our skills. This void, sometimes invisible, ends up weighing and creating a real Unwell.

Contrary to Burn-out, often linked to stress and overload, Boreout, on the other hand, is the consequence of “too little” : too little stimulating work, too little recognition, too little meaning. It's a bit like being physically present without being really emotionally invested.

And it is not a rare phenomenon: according to the Ignition Program Cabinet Barometer, April 2023, nearly 40% of French employees feel a high level of mental or emotional disengagement at work. Even if not everyone experiences a bore out strictly speaking, it is estimated that around 30% of employees face it at some point in their career.

These figures are not there to frighten, but to remind us that this professional void weakens both the individual and the collective. Acting on boron out means maintaining everyone's energy, boost motivation and create an environment where work is once again stimulating and fulfilling for all.

The causes and symptoms of boron at work: understanding to better act

Boreout does not fall from the sky. It occurs when work is no longer stimulating, when missions become repetitive, mechanical or too few, and when employees do not have the freedom to innovate or take initiatives. Without challenges or opportunities, work loses meaning, and motivation declines. The lack of perspectives and reconnaissance reinforces this void and ends up creating a lasting loss of meaning.

Often, the organization itself plays a key role: rigid management, poorly distributed tasks, insufficient valorization of talent, lack of positive feedback... Even a potentially interesting position can turn into a frustrating routine if these factors persist. Employees may then feel that their skills and energy are not being used to their full value.

These situations leave visible traces in the daily lives of employees. Spotting these signs early is critical for Take action against boron and give meaning to work. Among the most frequent signals:

• Loss of momentum and disengagement: the collaborator seems less involved, procrastinates or withdraws from team exchanges. For example, he may ignore non-mandatory meetings or refuse to take initiative on new projects. Mental fatigue is felt and has a direct impact on the quality of work.
• Physical fatigue and signs related to mild stress: sleep disorders, headaches, muscle tension... so many manifestations of prolonged boredom. Even if they are subtle, they reflect an invisible overload of emotional stress.
• Decrease in performance : tasks completed more slowly, quality of work decreased, errors more frequent. An employee can finish his missions, but with a feeling of emptiness and a lack of involvement in the details.
• Absenteeism and gradual withdrawal: repeated delays, increased absence days, less involvement in collective projects and limited interactions with the team.
• Loss of meaning: feeling that the work does not provide value, difficulty understanding its role or impact in the team and the company.

These signs translate a gradual disengagement, which can weaken both the individual and the team. For HR and managers, detecting them early is a real opportunity: reorganizing missions, stimulating autonomy, valuing skills and giving meaning to work.

Why taking action to prevent boron out is vital... for the company as well as for employees

Boreout is not limited to individual feelings : its effects resonate across the company. When employees feel understimulated or disconnected from their work, this results in lower productivity, more frequent mistakes, and increasing absenteeism. But the impact goes far beyond that: the disengagement of an employee can create a domino effect, affecting the energy, motivation and creativity of the entire team, and gradually eroding the social climate. According to the April 2023 Ignition Program barometer, nearly 40% of French employees experience high stress or mental disengagement, which illustrates the scale of the phenomenon and the real cost for businesses.

Fortunately, taking preventive measures turns this risk into a real opportunity. En reorganizing missions so that they are more varied, in stimulating autonomy And in valuing skills, organizations can give meaning to work and reinvigorate the energy of employees. In doing so, they not only strengthen team cohesion, but also collective commitment, creativity and performance. Preventing boron out then becomes a strategic lever: it protects the well-being of employees while promoting a stimulating and fulfilling work environment, where everyone regains their motivation and their pleasure in contributing.

“A manager can take care of the following:
- A clear distribution of tasks and areas of responsibility: Knowing clearly your role in the organization, the tasks to be accomplished, the limits of autonomy to carry them out promotes a clear space for expression for the employee and increases the feeling of having a useful and recognized place within the organization and increases the feeling of having a useful and recognized place within the organization
- Missions adapted to the skills and career prospects: A match between the needs of the organization and the personal motivations, expertise, talent areas, and even the training of each employee reduces the risk of Bore Out. “Making anyone do anything and everything” does not allow for development at work.
- Monitoring the workload and its balanced distribution within a team: Maintaining a precise level of knowledge about the workload of everyone within a team makes it possible to regulate and adjust the quantity of work between its members, it also makes it possible to value achievements and to recognize the work done.
- Managerial proximity and genuine interest in the work carried out: The regular organization of team meetings on the one hand and individual exchange points on the other hand are essential moments to prevent a Bore Out situation from going unnoticed. It would be a shame to wait for the annual interview to discover that your employee is bored.”

‍Clélia Sacadura, Occupational psychologist at Qualisocial

Bore out: concrete solutions to prevent and overcome workplace boredom

Acting against boron out means above all creating an environment where employees feel stimulated, useful and recognized. The starting point is often to set up participatory and benevolent management, which values autonomy and encourages initiative. Reorganizing tasks to make them more varied and giving meaning to each mission allows you to break the monotony and stimulate motivation.

Early detection is also essential. Simple tools, like regular self-diagnostics, of individual interviews Or collective feedback, help quickly identify signs of disengagement before they become problems. In addition, there are personalized training and support, which restore dynamism and support the development of skills. Finally, the creation of open spaces for speech makes it possible to remove taboos, to improve the dialogue around boron out and to strengthen team cohesion.

Among the concrete actions to be implemented:

• Promote autonomy and initiative in daily missions;
• Reorganize tasks for greater diversity and meaning;
• Implement early detection tools: self-diagnoses, regular interviews, collective feedback;
• Train and support employees to reinvigorate their motivation and skills;
• Create open speaking spaces to discuss boron out freely and strengthen team cohesion.

What concrete benefits does an organization derive from adapted psychological support?

“An employee who is demotivated beyond affecting his own health will have a negative impact on the atmosphere and the collective work dynamic. In addition, an employer is responsible for maintaining the health and safety of its employees, as well as for providing them with work and integrating them into the overall functioning of the organization.”

Clélia Sacadura, Occupational psychologist at Qualisocial

Boreout is neither inevitable nor an isolated individual problem. : it is a valuable signal for the company, an indicator that certain missions, practices or organizations can be reevaluated. By detecting the causes, identifying the signs and implementing concrete solutions, HR and managers transform this risk into an opportunity for performance and well-being. Preventing boron out means giving meaning to work, stimulating collective energy and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, contribute fully and regain motivation on a daily basis.