{"id":1393,"date":"2019-11-16T17:16:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-16T16:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/blog\/\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T10:40:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T08:40:30","slug":"burn-out-and-bore-out-what-can-you-do-as-an-employer-to-prevent-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/blog\/burn-out-and-bore-out-what-can-you-do-as-an-employer-to-prevent-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Burnout and bore-out: what can you do as an employer to prevent it?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We are all familiar with the phenomenon of\nburnout. Last year, 1 in 6 Dutch people struggled with burnout\nsymptoms such as chronic stress, persistent fatigue and even\ndepression<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tno.nl\/nl\/over-tno\/nieuws\/2019\/1\/arbobalans-2018-psychosociale-arbeidsbelasting-en-burn-out-klachten-blijven-toenemen\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a>. The most common trigger for\nburnout is a structurally excessive workload. Yet there are also employees\nwho do not experience a high workload at all and are even bored, but still\nrecognise themselves in the above symptoms. How can that be?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Definition bore-out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer lies in the lesser-known counterpart of burnout: boreout. In science, boreout is described as <em>\"a negative mental state brought about by insufficient work-related stimuli\"<\/em><sup><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0148296316300029\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2<\/a><\/sup>. Employees with boreout - unlike people with burnout - are structurally under-challenged in their work and therefore experience boredom<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gezondheidsnet.nl\/stress-en-burn-out\/een-bore-out\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a>. This may be because they are overqualified, do a lot of repetitive work, for example, or simply because they have too few tasks to bite into. In addition, bore-out can also occur when an employee does not feel enough <a href=\"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/blog\/the-5-most-important-factors-of-employee-engagement\/\">concerned<\/a> feels at his job or the organisation and does not find satisfaction in his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A bore-out can result in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reduced\nperformance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Declining\nproductivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rising\nabsenteeism<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less\ninvolvement<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early\ndeparture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Consequences for the organisation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although having a burnout or\nbore-out is above all very unpleasant for those affected by it,\nthe organisation also suffers. Zilveren Kruis calculated that a\nburnout costs an organisation an average of \u20ac60,000, if you assume that the\naverage employee with a burnout is sick 242 days a year that that\ncosts an average of \u20ac250 per day<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.nl\/nieuws\/2017\/06\/19\/kosten-van-burn-out-bedragen-60000-euro-11172164-a1563696\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a>. It is therefore of great importance to\nminimise risk factors for burnout or bore-out and to identify any incipient\nsymptoms early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/bore-out.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for bored at work\" class=\"wp-image-6337\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What can you do as an employer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the symptoms of a\nburnout and boreout are the same, they have opposite causes. There\nare therefore completely different measures needed to prevent both. Step 1\nis to identify an increased risk of either burnout or a\nboreout. However, this is easier said than done. There is still a\ntaboo on discussing mental problems. Because the media is increasingly\nincreasing attention to the causes and consequences of burnout, the\nstigma surrounding this problem is fortunately gradually changing. The bore-out, on the other hand, is\na different story. Telling people you are dealing with chronic stress because of your\n<em>high-demanding<\/em> job and long working hours is up to that. Saying that\nyou struggle with depression because you have little to do at work is <em>not\ndone<\/em>. That's nice and quiet, isn't it? After all, you get the same\npaid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because it can be difficult for employees to talk about their burnout or bore-out, the run-up to it is hard to spot. Often, the problem only comes to light when it is too late to do anything about it. As an employer, it is therefore very important to check structurally and organisation-wide whether the workload is balanced. In this way, you can identify excessive work demands or boredom before it actually leads to burn-out or bore-out. Launching an anonymous <a href=\"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/blog\/what-is-employee-research-and-what-is-the-future\/\">employee survey<\/a> can reveal pain points in this area. It is important here to understand that such research does not function as a diagnostic tool. It is purely about uncovering areas for improvement at departmental or team level so that they can be addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Preventing burnout<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If the survey shows that\nemployees experience a high workload, it may indicate an increased risk of\nburnout. Lack of a healthy work-life balance, experiencing\nstress and having too little time to perform the work are\nindications of burnout. Of course, it is not true for every employee that\nthe above factors will automatically lead to burnout. Some people are\nperson is simply less sensitive to pressure than the other. Nevertheless\na tipping point exists for everyone at which working conditions are no longer\nappropriate and will lead to reduced performance and ultimately\nreduced employability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is therefore important to\nfind out why a high workload is experienced in a particular team. Is there\nunderstaffing causing too much work to fall on the shoulders of\nemployees? Are there (long-term) stressful situations at play? Or does\nsomething is going wrong within the planning of projects, as a result of which the workload is not distributed properly?\ndistributed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An employee survey provides insight\ninto employee sentiment on various topics.\nThe next step is to explore this in more depth, through\na meeting or one-to-one conversations, for example. This may reveal\nthat there is a need for a new vacancy, that someone needs to be appointed\nto manage the schedules or that there are conflicts that need to be resolved.\nneed to be resolved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Preventing bore-out<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Preventing a bore-out is a completely different story. The first step has already been taken: in fact, by reading this article, you know about the existence of bore-out. You also know what can cause it and what consequences it can have. The next step, as with burnout, is to investigate <a href=\"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/blog\/what-is-employee-satisfaction-and-what-is-its-impact\/\">employee satisfaction<\/a>. Points to look out for when identifying risk factors for boreout include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Is\nIs enough use being made of the employee's capabilities?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does\nthe employee feels involved in his work and in the organisation?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does\nthe employee enjoy their work in terms of content?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If in a particular department or\nparticular team it appears that there is a lot of room for improvement in the above areas\nthere is an increased risk of bore-out. In-depth follow-up\nresearch or during interviews, it is then possible to find out where this comes from\norigin. For example, is it possible to allow high-performing employees to\nadvance to another position? Is there overstaffing, resulting in\ntoo little work for everyone? Or can there be more variety in\nworking days by having different teams working together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Individual approach<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The approach described above\nis successful for identifying risk factors of burnout or bore-out\nwithin teams or departments. This allows large-scale assessment of whether changes\nin workload are needed. Of course, it could also be the case that within a\ndepartment is fine on average, but that there are one or a few employees\nare taking on too much or too little. In that case, the\ndescribed may not be the most effective approach. An individual\napproach is needed, with the key role in signalling lying with the\nmanager. It is important to keep an eye on the well-being of employees.\nmonitor. Only then can you spot incipient burnout or bore-out at the individual level.\nnotice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is good to structurally evaluate the workload within different parts of the organisation. Too high or too low a workload can cost both employee and employer dearly. Of course, everyone is stressed sometimes and experiences boredom. The trick is to identify in time when stress or boredom become structural and affect the employee's well-being and performance. If this is signalled in time, there is enough time and space to ensure that it does not lead to burn-out or bore-out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>TNO\n(2019). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tno.nl\/nl\/over-tno\/nieuws\/2019\/1\/arbobalans-2018-psychosociale-arbeidsbelasting-en-burn-out-klachten-blijven-toenemen\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Occupational Health and Safety Review 2018: Psychological\nWorkload and burnout complaints continue to rise<\/a> www.TNO.nl <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stock,\nR. M. (2016). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0148296316300029\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Understanding\nthe relationship between frontline employee boreout and customer orientation.<\/a>\nJournal of Business Research, 69(10), 4259-4268.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The\nRider, Eveline (2016). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gezondheidsnet.nl\/stress-en-burn-out\/een-bore-out\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A bore-out: boredom at work.<\/a> Health Net. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wester,\nJeroen (2017). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.nl\/nieuws\/2017\/06\/19\/kosten-van-burn-out-bedragen-60000-euro-11172164-a1563696\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NRC Checks: 'Cost of burnout\namount to \u20ac60,000'.<\/a>\nNRC.<\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We kennen allemaal wel het fenomeen burn-out. Afgelopen jaar kampten 1 op de 6 Nederlanders met burn-out verschijnselen zoals chronische stress, aanhoudende vermoeidheid en zelfs depressie1. De meest voorkomende aanleiding voor een burn-out is een structureel te hoge werkdruk. Toch zijn er ook medewerkers die helemaal geen hoge werkdruk ervaren en zich zelfs vervelen, maar<a class=\"excerpt-read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/blog\/burn-out-and-bore-out-what-can-you-do-as-an-employer-to-prevent-it\/\" title=\"Lees meerBurn-out en bore-out: Wat kun je als werkgever doen om het te voorkomen?\">... Read more \"<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[89,90,30,91],"class_list":["post-1393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-overige","tag-bore-out","tag-burn-out","tag-kosten","tag-preventie"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1393"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4719,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1393\/revisions\/4719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/netprove.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}