Is workplace boredom 'the new stress?'

[Hilch]

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/05/02/bu...ess/index.html

Boredom is an unlikely new frontier in workplace research. Commonly associated with goofing off, taking absurdly long lunch-breaks, and playing internet games on the sly, new studies suggest it's something that affects high-performing employees as well as those in menial jobs.

In addition, Mann feels that, as a society, we're becoming less inclined to tolerate boredom. She says: "People have more of an expectation to be fulfilled by everything they do. Compare our grandparents' generation: there wasn't any desire to have self-actualization and to reach their potential. They didn't go down the coal mines in order to be fulfilled.

"That attitude has changed. Now, we get people quite commonly quitting higher paid jobs for jobs that are lower paid but more satisfying."

The last quote really hit home for me as I quit a job where I was making about 1.5x more than I am now but I couldn't handle sitting around for hours on end waiting for calls. I ended up staying in a very similar industry but it included more work and thought it would keep me busy. Now that I've gotten use to my new job I'm starting to find the same problem.

I'm very organized and am good at finding a routine so what takes someone 20-30 minutes in my office only takes me 5-10 minutes. I always finish in the top 3 in sales and work done but still am bored day-to-day. I have thought about moving on from this job, maybe even going back to the job I quit, but I often wonder if that will solve anything besides giving me 6 months of non-boredom only to find that groove again. I just feel it's not worth jumping around for a number of reasons like senority, vacation, pensions, etc. but at the same time that stuff is only worth so much.

As much as I love surfing around the net in my down time I would much rather be working and letting the day fly by. Even as I type this I'm looking around for things to do after I post but it would be pretty minimal work and I'll be done in 20 minutes looking for other stuff to do. And trust me I have asked my boss for more duties and work but there really isn't much else to do unless I start taking other peoples work which would not go over well.

Anyone else feel they are not challenged at work? What have others done to pass the time (besides CP )?

[Ozy_Flame]

Change industries. There's plenty of work to be done elsewhere. I find as a consultant, if your'e not vehemently working on a project with gate due dates and go-lives, you're learning up on the technology and best practices to take to the next client. Never a dull moment.

That said, I wouldn't take a higher-paying job and be a PM or something; the difference in pay is not worth the extra stress, and I'd rather switch off when I get home and not worry about a thing. That's really living.

[afc wimbledon]

As I tell my foster kids, 'your not supposed to like work, that is why they have to pay you to show up'.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

As I tell my foster kids, 'your not supposed to like work, that is why they have to pay you to show up'.

Well that sounds like great advice for living a crap life

[Russic]

I once had my entire team quit around me leaving me as the only member of an entire marketing department. With nobody to really check in on me, I had very little responsibility and even less work to do. My friends who were stressed with workload told me how lucky I was, but in truth it was one of the worst working experiences of my entire life. I've never been so burned out before in my life. Not feeling anything towards your work is a terrible thing.

[Sr. Mints]

It's like they say: "I pity the clock watchers."

I could never do a job where I wasn't doing something for a large part of the day. Perhaps that's why I'm so ####ing burned out.

[rohara66]

Is there any way that you could, sort of, just zonk me out so that, like, I don't know that I'm at work... in here? Could I come home and think that I've been fishing all day, or something?

[CaptainCrunch]

Sales is like war, hours of spirit crushing boredom followed by minute of pant wetting terror.

The wort part for me is the summer.

Right now I'm working on a bunch of deals but I'm in between any kind of activity on most of them.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by fotze

Two potential jokes here:

1. Brent Sutter, is that you?

2. I wonder why? You a dickhead?

I work with him now and can answer both those questions for him:

1. No.

2. Yes.

[Dion]

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Steve Jobs

[Hilch]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

As I tell my foster kids, 'your not supposed to like work, that is why they have to pay you to show up'.

I'm not too sure if you read the article or not but it isn't about liking what you do. It's not that I don't like my job, company, work place or co-workers it has more to do with staying involved in my job. If a company wants to pay me for surfing the net half the day good for them but that's not what I'm looking for from a job.

Personally I would much prefer being busy from clock in to clock out because it makes my day go by faster and I feel like I'm earning my wages. As it stands right now I'm working at about 50-60% of my full effort and still sitting near the top for job performance. While others complain about being over worked with the same work load, if not less than me.

Maybe it's a company problem where they look at their employees as a group vs individuals. I had the same problem in school where I didn't feel challenged so I would get into trouble waiting for the rest. Luckily I have CP so I don't cause much trouble at work.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Dion

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Steve Jobs

Yes, Steve, everyone should keep looking and find their dream job. I can't wait to find who has found their place in life working Taco Tuesdays for $9/hour, and the man who takes great pride wiping the piss off the floor from around the urinals at work.

Most jobs are crappy, but we need people to do them.

[macker]

Do something you love and you will never work a day in your life

[GP_Matt]

Rather than find a job you love, I think the key is to find a job that pays well and learn to love it.

[CaptainCrunch]

If every one followed the whole philsophy of finding a job that you loved there would be a whole lot of pro athletes, porn stars and home care specialists for Fotze's mamma.

There would also be a lot more woman barefoot and preggers in the kitchen

AMIRITE Fellas

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by fotze

Most people I hear who "love" their jobs, I kinda think they are full of crap.

Ya, mutual funds, real interesting stuff.

Ya, agonizing over what font to use in the Glaxosmithkline ad is really pushing your creative limits.

I think saying you love your job is an admirable coping mechnism though.

Its like people you ask how work is going and they say "busy" and it's always "busy" and you wonder how the hell they are so busy when your several thousand person company is drilling a grand total of 3 wells at the moment...

I love the looks on those peoples faces when they finish telling me about how busy they are and then ask me how it's going and I inform them I don't have much to do right now so it's mostly coffee breaks and internet.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Dion

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs always seemed like he'd be a total dick to work for. A total ego-maniac that you could never satisfy. I could see him prone to unprofessional outbursts.

His attitude to me is one of never being satisfied and always being unhappy with what you've done. It's the kind of attitude that will take you far in the business and consumer world. However, I wouldn't describe the man as seeming overly happy or satisfied with anything.

Apparently, I'm not far off the mark:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...vity-of-anger/

I suppose, that "love what you do" can have different meanings. It could mean actually be happy. Or it could mean being totally miserable, dreading work, and putting up with a tryrant of a boss in pursuit of some downstream success/goal.

I think in Jobs case it was the latter.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by valo403

Well that sounds like great advice for living a crap life

Most of my guys will have a crap life, but better a crap life on a minimum wage job than in the pen or on the street.
When you are trying to help a kid with FAS, addiction, anger management issues and an IQ or around 80 telling him he can get a job as rocket scientist is just cruel.

[4X4]

Re: the OP

I hate not being busy at work. In the glamorous world of home building, there is nothing worse than not having enough projects on the go. I would rather have too much work to do than not enough.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by macker

Do something you love and you will never work a day in your life

Alternatively; "Do what you love and starve".