Unfortunately less known than its counterpart
The bore out syndrome was first described in literature in 2007. It is a theory about dissatisfaction with one’s own job as a result of boredom. It occurs when the pleasure at work is lost due to permanent lack of challenge. The burnout syndrome due to overload is much better known than the bore out syndrome due to underload. I therefore suspect that the number of unreported cases is high. The reason for the lack of perception could the difficulty to imagine underchallenge as a burden. We can illustrate the two terms by means of a rubber band. Here a tensioned but sufficiently flexible band stands for the healthy state. The person is appropriately challenged. An overstretched band symbolizes overload with limited adaptability the risk of the band tearing. If the ligament has no tension and is sagging, we have the picture of sub-challenge.
How do I avoid a bore out syndrome?
The underchallenge of people can be both quantitative and qualitative. In the second case they do not get enough challenging work, so they are overqualified for a job. People mentally deteriorate rapidly when they are not challenged. As a result, people lose confidence in themselves. They get stressed even in simple tasks and feel overstrained. The best remedy against bore out is to provide enough challenges. If this temporarily not possible in the job, you can also challenge yourself in your private life. However, if the situation does not improve, a change of job is the order of the day. Both job seekers and companies can also avoid a bore out when applying/recruiting. Both sides must check whether the position and the environment match the applicant’s skills and needs. The applicants can find out in a personal and professional assessment what their needs are.