Bore-Out: When I Stopped Learning, I Lost Interest

Self-development matters a great deal to me. I enjoy learning, stretching myself and discovering that I can do something I could not do before.

When that is missing for too long, I begin to lose interest. The work may still need doing, but it stops giving me the sense that there is something in it for me as well.

That was what I found difficult. I kept trying to recover my enthusiasm while doing things I felt I had already done ten thousand times. Trying to find the pleasure again became tiring in itself.

I could feel myself slipping. I became more contrary. I began asking whether I was still in the right place. And once I had reached that point, all sorts of small irritations seemed to get much larger.

The tea and coffee were part of that mood. Changing them would hardly have given me the development I was missing.

I do not remember having a particularly specific conversation with my manager about the lack of challenge. It was a relatively small company, and there were not many directions in which I could move.

That is part of this story too. Sometimes the space you are looking for is difficult to find within the organisation you are already in.

For me, the opening came when a partner company of my employer approached me and asked whether I would be interested in joining them. I had a conversation with them and eventually took the job.

It was a very big step up. The company was more international, and there was the promise of opportunities to travel, which is a real passion of mine. I could see something ahead that interested me, and I threw myself into the new role.

The pay increase was substantial. Before that move, I had spent roughly five or six years on almost the same salary. That did very little to help my motivation.

I want to include this plainly, because career development is also about what you earn. For a career-conscious woman, that deserves a place in the conversation alongside interesting work and new opportunities.

In my view, changing employers is often the strongest way to make a substantial leap in salary. It certainly made a very significant difference for me. I do not think you should be afraid to explore what another employer might offer, especially if you have spent years waiting for much to change where you are.

You can have a conversation. You can find out what the role involves, what the salary is and whether the opportunity interests you. Looking does not oblige you to accept it.

Leaving people you like can make a move feel difficult. I understand that. But your colleagues do not pay your mortgage.

You are allowed to take your own development and salary seriously, even when there are people at work you would be sad to leave behind.

I am still in touch with quite a few former colleagues. That contact is something you can initiate yourself. Working together does not have to be the only reason you ever speak to one another.

I would not want someone to close off a promising next step solely because they cannot imagine leaving the familiar team. You can value the relationships and still decide that another role offers more of what you need.

My own experience makes me pay attention when someone seems to be losing interest in work they once engaged with.

I try to understand what is happening for that person. Have they become very comfortable with the work? Is there an area they would like to explore? Would going deeper into their existing role interest them more than moving towards a different one?

It is worth taking underchallenge seriously. Comcare's guidance on job demands describes how repetitive or monotonous work can leave people bored, disengaged or feeling that their abilities are underused.

I would rather have a conversation about what is missing than keep watching someone's enthusiasm disappear.

I do try to nudge people beyond their comfort zone, but I look at the individual when deciding what that should mean.

It might be the questions I ask, the level at which I ask someone to work through an issue, or the attention to detail in a report. I am interested in where they are now and how I can help them develop from there.

The same assignment or the same level of challenge will not suit everybody. I want the person to have support as they take the next step, and I keep checking in rather than assuming my first idea was right.

The CIPD's introduction to matching people's skills with their work is useful context for that conversation. For me, the important part is understanding the person well enough to offer development that means something to them.

I check in regularly with my team. I also ask in our annual conversations whether there is something they would like to develop and how I can help.

That could involve an education programme or a course. It could also mean deepening their knowledge within the role they already have. I value coaching as part of managing people, and I want development to be something we can discuss throughout the year.

That is also part of my approach to performance reviews: ongoing conversations about expectations, support and where someone wants to go.

Unaddressed frustration can affect the atmosphere around a person as well. I want to notice it early enough to help the employee and look after the team. People feeling comfortable and engaged in their work matters to me.

If this feels familiar, try to put words to what you are missing. Is it something to learn, more depth, a different direction, better pay or the sense that there is a next step available?

Those are useful things to bring into a conversation about your work. They are also useful things to know when you look at another opportunity.

In my case, the next step was outside the company. It brought a significant salary increase and the prospect of international work that excited me. I went into it wanting to get started.

I am glad I took that possibility seriously. It gave me something much more interesting to think about than whether the office should buy different tea.

What My Burnout Taught Me About Being a Manager is the other side of my working life: the point at which the problem was exhaustion rather than too little challenge.