"Bored" a Bigger Burden than "Busy" February 21, 2008
Conventional wisdom suggests an overworked employee is one who's probably polishing his resume … and, well, that's quite likely the case. But according to a new survey, overtaxed workers may not be the ones most at risk of becoming disgruntled in your organization.
In fact, research conducted by Sirota Survey Intelligence suggests bored employees are a bigger threat to company morale than excessively busy ones. According to the study, which looked at over one million employees, those who are bored (reporting "too little work") are often doing jobs for which they are ill-suited or those that are poorly designed. As a result, they have by far lower job satisfaction, sense of accomplishment and pride in their employers compared to all other workers.
"Feeling overworked—a condition that could lead to job burnout—is far more prevalent than feeling bored, yet both have harmful effects on employees and their companies," says Douglas Klein, president of Sirota. "Interestingly, being bored has far more serious consequences for an organization than being overworked."
The proof is in the pudding: According to the Sirota survey, 81% of employees with "about the right amount of work" are satisfied with their jobs, compared to just 50% of those with "too little work." And 71% of the former group say their jobs are challenging, compared to just 22% of the latter.
Perhaps most worrying of all, 76% of workers with "about the right amount of work" are proud of their employer, compared to just 51% of those with "too little work."
"The complaints of both overworked and bored employees should be taken seriously," Klein cautions. "Complaints about being overworked can be an indication of poor quality or work processes, and it can be difficult in certain circumstances to retain employees who feel they are overworked and out of balance with their work life."
"But bored employees have an even greater negative impact on an organization," he concludes, "lowering morale and productivity, and draining resources."
For more information about this study and other research by Sirota Study Intelligence, please visit www.sirota.com.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
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