Boredom Widespread in the Workplace
Posted on August 19, 2005
The Washington Post reports on boredom and the working world and finds that boredom is a frequent complaint of both employees and employers alike. The article cites several studies of boredom in the workplace including one from Gallup that found over 55% of U.S. employees are bored at work. Another study from Sirota Consulting LLC of 800,000 employees found that those with too little work to do were mored bored than those with too much.
Although workers may dream of days surfing the Internet with nothing to do, the busiest employees are the happiest, according to a survey by Sirota Consulting LLC. Of more than 800,000 employees at 61 organizations worldwide, those with "too little work" gave an overall job satisfaction rating of 49 out of 100, while those with "too much work" had a rating of 57.The article also includes some good points about how boredom can be a serious problem for someone working with dangerous equipment or on important security jobs."Those who are saying their workload is heavier rather than lighter are more positive," said Jeffrey M. Saltzman, chief executive of Sirota. "When you say you have too much work to do, other things are happening in your head: 'I'm valued by the organization. They're giving me responsibility.' That's better than being in the other place where you say I'm not of value in this place."