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Do you find yourself watching the clock at work, counting down the hours until you can go home? Or maybe you fantasise about the day you can hand in your notice? ‘Rust-out’ happens when we’re understimulated at work, and it can be detrimental to our mental health… Writing | Fiona Thomas Illustrating | Rosan Magar
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ome say that our addiction to being busy is a 21stcentury epidemic. We feel smug as we announce to friends that we’re slammed at work, taking on extra projects and barely finding time to sleep or even have a lunch break. I hold my hands up. I’m guilty of ‘busy bragging’, and shoving my work-life in people’s faces like an Olympic medal. I’m unashamedly proud of my jam-packed schedule, and yet painfully aware of the mental health implications that can arise from burnout. So much so, that it’s hard for me to imagine that having absolutely nothing to do, day after day, could have the same negative impact on my wellbeing. Surely an empty inbox and zero responsibilities create the path to nirvana? Believe it or not, a lack of mental stimulation at work can be just as harmful as too much. Whatever you do, boredom will get under your skin. Workplace boredom
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even has its own name. It’s known as ‘rust-out’ — a term defined by psychotherapist and Counselling Directory member Paula Coles as: “Work which is uninspiring and fails to stretch the person, so that they become disinterested, apathetic, and alienated.”
MORE THAN JUST BOREDOM
Most people experience boredom at work from time to time, but rust-out relates to chronic boredom that is so serious it can be detrimental to both your mental and physical health – it can even take years off your lifespan. It’s particularly common in young graduates, who often end up working in jobs for which they are overqualified. It can strike again for middle managers who have reached a glass ceiling in their career trajectory, stuck in endless meetings, unchallenged by the role, yet unable to progress. Left to fester, rust-out can lead to depression, sleepiness, cravings for sugary or fatty foods, and an
increase in risk-taking behaviours. According to Paula, this proclivity for thrill-seeking can show up on our phones. “In modern-day workplace boredom, it might be fair to assume that individuals would seek stimulation and connection through social media,” says Paula, “especially Tinder and online gambling apps, which can potentially lead to a person getting into circumstances which might become out of control.” The symptoms of rust-out are felt by the individual first and foremost, but the ramifications can have a ripple effect on companies, too. Employers may observe increased sickness, absenteeism, work errors, and even work-related accidents. One in four employees claim to be unhappy in their current role, and with our sense of fulfilment so closely linked to what we do for a living, it’s no wonder that rust-out can lead to feelings of worthlessness and self-deprecation.
