'Boreout:' The silent productivity killer currently impacting the workplace

While at work, have you recently felt unchallenged or unmotivated? If so, you may be experiencing a new workplace phenomenon: "boreout." Unlike burnout, which often stems from being overworked, boreout happens when employees feel disengaged and underwhelmed vs. overworked and overtired. And you're not alone: Recent studies have found that 46% of U.S. workers feel bored at least three days of the workweek.

Many factors can spur boreout — from doing the same tasks for too long to not having a clear sense of your career path. This can often spiral into changes that directly affect a company's bottom line, including a gradual decrease in engagement and a lack of interest in growth opportunities. At the end of the day, when employees are disengaged and unproductive, they often decide to seek out new opportunities. When coupled with the fact that research shows that employee disengagement could cost a median-size company between $228 million and $355 million a year, boreout is not something to be ignored — or minimized.

It's also worth noting that these factors are often misinterpreted by managers as an employee underperforming. However, when disengagement is due to underutilization, it actually points to a much more dire leadership issue — and when left unaddressed, it can not only hurt an employee's health, but disrupt their performance and annihilate morale.

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So, how can chief learning officers and HR leaders keep workers engaged and reignite their passion for their job? Here are a few key tactics leaders can implement to combat boreout head-on:

• Create a culture of learning and curiosity: This can be achieved by building a safe space for employees to discuss topics that interest them, share their knowledge and support their colleagues' growth (and feel support in return). This will not only help workers feel more engaged, but could benefit the company in other ways by driving camaraderie, innovation and growth – all of which are vital for companies to stay ahead in rapidly changing industries.
• Provide work-embedded, or just-in-time, learning opportunities: In an age where required skillsets are changing so quickly that colleges can't keep up, employers are increasingly needing to embrace a "just in time," on-the-job learning approach to allow working learners to apply new skill sets to do their job in new ways. The employers who see the most success with this will be those that make education investments that simultaneously enable employees to learn and advance while building the skill sets that are critical for the future success of the business.
• Consider implementing a job shadowing program: Sometimes the fastest way to learn new skills — or determine if a potential new role would be a good fit – is by watching others in action. Consider allowing your employees to explore other departments and opportunities within the organization as a way to help them discover new challenges and stay engaged.
• Consider robust education benefits and career pathways: According to a recent study conducted by EdAssist by Bright Horizons and Opinium, employer-supported learning is having a positive impact on U.S. workers — with 52% feeling more productive, 48% more likely to stay with their company and 44% feeling happier on the job. Therefore, it's critical to not only provide access, but help guide learners on how to use their benefits — while also clearly outlining specific career pathways upskilling and reskilling will open for them.

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Ultimately, addressing boreout is not just about mitigating disengagement, but about fostering a thriving, dynamic workplace where employees feel valued and challenged. By implementing programs that address silent productivity destroyers like boreout head on, you'll be creating a people-first workplace culture that's ripe with growth and engagement.