On 30th October, Kogan Page published Philippe Rothlin’s and Peter R. Werder’s book ‘Boreout! Overcoming Workplace Boredom’ (£14.99). ‘Boreout’, say the authors, is an increasingly important phenomenon which happens when employees feel disengaged with their work and become cut off from their company. Common causes of boreout are said to be feeling ‘understretched’ and dissatisfied with your job; a lack of commitment, and being bored, so you retreat into your own world and start planning your next holiday or the weekend shopping trip. Symptoms are said to include constant tiredness, irritability, listlessness and introversion.

 

Comment: Here is an example of a book whose time had gone as it was being published. Boreout is a luxury in which workers can indulge only during the good times, when jobs are relatively plentiful and fairly easy to come by. In the current – and continuing – employment climate around the developed world, those who feel understretched and bored with their job are likely to have plenty of time to think about it – while being unemployed. At least they won’t have to waste what little remaining money they have on buying the book.