Diagnosis boreout
Diagnosis Boreout is a book published in March 2007 in which the authors Philippe Rothlin and Peter R. Werder present a theory on the subject of dissatisfaction with one's own job as a result of boredom under the newly created name Boreout . The book was nominated for two German business book prizes at the Frankfurt Book Fair . The theory is based on studies by Dan Malachowski, The Gallup Organization and Kelly Services. One critic calls the theory a hoax , the aim of which is to present something completely normal as a pathological phenomenon.
Background of the problem described
In the case of long-term incorrect stress, as is well known, the pleasure-oriented feeling of being completely absorbed in an activity (also known as flow ) is usually lost. Derived from the Yerkes-Dodson law , this can be due not only to overwork, which can lead to burnout syndrome , but also to underwork (for example as a result of an unsuitable career choice or an unsuitable work environment ). Possible consequences of under-challenged are - similar to those of excessive demands - tiredness , listlessness , irritability and frustration , up to and including signs of pathological depression .
Attributions to the boreout
The so-called boreout is described by the authors, as a counterpart to burnout, with the following assignments:
It consists of the elements of being under-challenged, disinterested and bored. There are also behavioral strategies to help in the work of acting busy, although this is not the case. People who have a boreout are dissatisfied with their situation in the workplace. Paradoxically , instead of analyzing their situation and taking steps to improve , they prolong this state of dissatisfaction with the strategies mentioned . The boreout is not the same as laziness . Anyone who has a boreout who wants to work is looking for challenge and recognition . Rather, a person affected by the boreout is made lazy, for example because his superior does not assign him any or only boring tasks . Burnout and boreout can occur at the same time within a working group , because if part of the group demands all the work for itself and is overwhelmed by it, the other group members feel under-challenged.
Basic elements
Insufficient challenge
On the one hand, an employee can be quantitatively under-challenged: He does not get enough work. On the other hand, he can be qualitatively under-challenged: In this case, he does not get enough exciting and challenging work (for example, if he is only allowed to do the simplest things, i.e. is overqualified for his position). In other words, being under-challenged describes the feeling of being able to do more than is required of one.
Disinterest
If there is no interest, the lack of identification either with the company or with the industry in which one is active is in the foreground. You lose interest in what you do. The tasks and problems of the company become completely irrelevant for the employee, they are indifferent to him.
boredom
Boredom is about listlessness and a state of perplexity , up to and including desperation because you don't know what to do, because there is nothing to do.
Boreout strategies
The boreout strategies described in the book should help to appear busy and busy at work, because while someone who suffers from burnout actually experiences stressful stress , under-challenged employees only fake it. The strategies have the following goals:
- to keep extra work at bay
- to have free time for yourself at work
- not to lose the job.
Boreout paradox
Those who have a boreout are dissatisfied with their situation in the workplace because they cannot achieve enough and receive no recognition. Paradoxically, he keeps this state of dissatisfaction with strategies alive, as over time he loses the energy to change the situation.
Furthermore, Boreout can lead to the fact that the employee concerned, due to his listlessness and lack of interest, does not perform the simple tasks (which often lead to insufficient demand and thus the problem) that he gets to do to a satisfactory degree. Therefore, for example, supervisors conclude that an employee who is already deficient in performing simple tasks may not be able to handle more complex tasks either. According to experts, this affects precisely those employees who are particularly willing to perform when it comes to higher-level tasks.
literature
- Ralf Brinkmann, Kurt Stapf: Internal resignation. When the job becomes a facade , Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 978-3-406-52815-6 .
- Philippe Rothlin, Peter R. Werder: Diagnosis Boreout, why insufficient demand makes you sick at work , Redline, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-636-01462-7 .
- Philippe Rothlin, Peter R. Werder: The Boreout Trap: How Companies Avoid Boredom and Idle Time. Redline, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-636-01593-8 .
Web links
- Diagnosis Boreout - Opposite of Burnout - Web presence of the book, created by the authors in 2006
- Jan Vollmer: When I'm superfluous. In: Handelszeitung . January 10, 2014.
- Kurt-Martin Mayer: New goals, new luck. In: Focus Online . March 5, 2012.
Individual evidence
- ^ H. Mason Kiefer (2003) Stressed Out? Not US Workers.
- ^ UK Employees Face High Levels of Stress in the Workplace . In: Press release from the Kelly Services employment agency . September 11, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
- ^ Diagnosis: disinterest . In: Column by Prof. Dr. Beda M. Stadler . November 20, 2007. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
- ↑ Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (2000): The flow experience. Be absorbed in doing beyond fear and boredom. 8., unv. Ed. (Übers., Beyond Boredom and Anxiety - The Experience of Play in Work and Games, 1975), Stuttgart: Klett, ISBN 3-608-95338-8 ( Book Description )
- ↑ Stern.de: Boreout instead of burnout: When boredom makes you sick
