Boreout in Early Career Researchers: Recognising and Addressing the Hidden Workplace Challenge

Boreout is a workplace issue characterised by low engagement, lack of meaning, and limited growth opportunities (Rothlin & Werder, 2008), and can affect anyone in the workforce, including early career researchers. This blog explores how boreout can impact mental health professionals, especially those new to academia, and provides practical strategies for preventing it. Understanding boreout is essential for mental health practitioners and researchers to maintain both personal well-being and career fulfilment.

What is Boreout?

While burnout has been recognised as a significant workplace issue for decades, boreout remains less understood. The term “boreout” was first introduced by Rothlin & Werder (2008) as a psychological state marked by low arousal and dissatisfaction due to a lack of stimulating work. Early career researchers may be especially vulnerable due to the often solitary, repetitive nature of research work, and the general lack of clear pathways for career advancement. According to Gallup’s 2021 State of the Global Workplace report, 80% of employees are not engaged at work, resulting in $8.1 trillion per year of lost productivity (Gallup, Inc., 2021).

Research has highlighted boreout as a significant mental health concern in workplaces, affecting productivity, motivation, and well-being (van Hooff & van Hooft, 2014). This is an important issue for mental health professionals to consider since the mental strain of boreout can lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety, ultimately impacting both personal and professional lives (Ozsungur, 2020).

Boreout in Early Career Researchers

Early career researchers often enter the field of mental health with a passion for contributing to meaningful change. However, they may encounter challenges that can lead to boreout. Stock (2015) suggested three main forms in which boreout can manifest:

1. Crisis of Meaning: Boreout often arises when individuals feel their work does not have a direct impact. Academic research can sometimes feel disconnected from real-world outcomes, especially when projects continue for years with little visible progress.
2. Job Boredom: Unlike clinical work, which involves direct contact with patients, research can sometimes involve long periods of data entry, literature reviews, or grant applications, leading to job boredom. Van Hooff & van Hooft (2014) discuss how boredom at work often stems from repetitive tasks, which can result in counterproductive work behaviours and reduced mental well-being.
3. Crisis of Growth: Early career researchers may find themselves in environments where growth opportunities are limited. When clear career advancement pathways are lacking, it can lead to frustration and a sense of stagnation, which may ultimately intensify the feelings of boreout (Stock, 2015).

Harju and Hakanen (2014) examined job boredom in 87 Finnish workplaces, finding that the lack of challenging and meaningful work can lead to disengagement. Their study highlighted that the experience of boreout increases the rates of job turnover and the desire to retire early, as well as an increase in self-rated ill-health and symptoms of stress. These findings pave the way for further research into boreout specifically among early career researchers, who face unique challenges like securing project funding, navigating the job insecurity of short-term contracts, striving to publish in high-impact journals, and balancing the demands of work with personal well-being. Although specific resources for addressing boreout in early career researchers are currently limited, general strategies may still be beneficial.

“Research has highlighted boreout as a significant mental health concern in workplaces, affecting productivity, motivation, and well-being.”

Addressing Boreout in Early Career Researchers

Addressing boreout involves a multifaceted approach that includes both personal strategies and institutional changes. Here are some suggestions for mental health professionals and early career researchers:

1. Personal Strategies: Researchers can fight boreout by diversifying their tasks and seeking meaning in their day-to-day work. This may include pursuing collaborative projects, setting smaller, achievable goals, and actively engaging in professional development opportunities.
2. Workplace Interventions: Institutions should consider creating more supportive and dynamic work environments for researchers. Some institutions, for example, offer health and wellness programs like yoga, sport, or crafts classes, which not only promote wellbeing but also foster connections within the work community. In terms of working interventions, this could involve offering cross-disciplinary projects, mentorship programs, and clear pathways for career progression. Promoting job crafting (i.e., where individuals modify their jobs to better align with their interests) has also been shown to reduce boreout (Harju and Hakanen, 2016).
3. Implications for Mental Health Practice: Mental health professionals, especially those involved in academic settings, should be aware of boreout as a mental health concern. Incorporating mental health support, such as counselling services and support groups, could provide researchers with the tools they need to manage stress and prevent boreout.

Conclusions: The Need for Awareness and Action

Boreout is a serious mental health concern affecting early career researchers, with impacts on both wellbeing and productivity. Institutions can help mitigate this by fostering environments that encourage engagement, growth, and a strong sense of purpose. Although establishing this sense of purpose can be challenging, for both the institution and researcher, it is essential for long-term wellbeing. As researchers advance through their careers, institutions should explore ways in which to help them maintain and nurture their sense of purpose. By supporting both personal and professional development, we can create a healthier, more fulfilling environment for all within the research community.

NB this blog has been peer-reviewed

References

• Gallup, Inc. (2021). State of the global workplace: 2021 report. Gallup, Inc. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
• Harju, L., Hakanen, J., & Schaufeli, W. (2014). Job boredom and its correlates in 87 Finnish organizations.
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(9). https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000248
• Harju, L., Hakanen, J., & Schaufeli, W. (2016). Can job crafting reduce job boredom and increase work
  engagement? A three-year cross-lagged panel study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 95-96, 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.07.001
• Ozsungur, F. (2020). The effects of boreout on stress, depression, and anxiety in the workplace. Business &
  Management Studies: An International Journal, 8(2), 1391-1423. https://doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v8i2.1460
• Rothlin, P., % Werder, P. R. (2008). Boreout!: Overcoming Workplace Demotivation. Kogan Page. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wjYlNQAACAAJ
• Stock, R. M. (2015). Is Boreout a Threat to Frontline Employee’s Innovative Work Behavior? Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(4), 574-592.
• van Hooff, M.L., & van Hooft, E. A. (2014). Boredom at work: proximal and distal consequences of affective work-related boredom. J Occup Health Psychol, 19(3), 348-359. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036821

Author

Eliza joined the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King’s College London in early 2024 as a Research Assistant on the Landscaping International Longitudinal Datasets project. The project aims to identify and review longitudinal datasets worldwide and bring attention to areas that could be enriched. Eliza obtained a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Deakin University, Melbourne, during which she completed a thesis focusing on the impacts of childhood trauma on mental health. Eliza has also contributed to research at Deakin exploring the effects of screen time on the psychosocial development of young children, as well as on the mental health of Australian Defence Force personnel and veterans.