When you look at the bigger picture, your employees spend a significant amount of their time at work; and while this is part and parcel of everyday life, ensuring that they feel fulfilled by getting the most out of their day should be a priority. Work should be a place that stimulates the mind intellectually and professionally. From an employee’s perspective, if their working routine becomes monotonous and the tasks they’re given mundane, then they will begin to lose interest in their job, resulting is a less productive, unmotivated and dissatisfied member of staff.
This is an extremely dangerous combination for you, as an employer, as consequently it could lead to a higher staff turnover, thus increasing recruitment costs and potentially decreasing your levels of growth. Identifying employees who are feeling bored at work, before the boredom reaches critical levels is important. Not only will it provide you with the opportunity to find new challenges and goals for your employees, but it will also help you shed light on ways to prevent other employees from following a similar path.
Discovering methods to help employees feel more challenged at work does not have to be a one-sided task. As an employer, you should encourage your employees to set a plan of what they want to achieve, where they want to be and the best route they can take to get there. Obviously, your ability to accommodate their requests will affect how their plan takes shape, but if you work together through open communication then you can help set realistic goals and expectations. Having something to work towards will help your employees enjoy their work, keeping their mind engaged and leaving them feeling that they have achieved something worthwhile.
Another way to prevent employees from getting bored in their role is to get them involved with new projects. It is easy to fall into the habit of giving your employees the same tasks to perform continuously, however providing employees with a chance to experience new sides of the business will reinvigorate their mind-set and encourage them to learn new skills, whilst adding value to the organisation. It may also be beneficial to encourage your employees to help out other departments within your company. If a team requires a fresh set of eyes to assess a particular query, then enabling another employee to take on that challenge will not only help the workplace run more efficiently, but give employees the chance to share their expertise, making them feel they are adding value to the workplace.
Keeping employees challenged at work requires employers to take an active interest in their employees work routine, ensuring that they are continuously learning and developing professionally, reaching both personal goals and company targets. As a result, you will have a more engaged workforce who are willing to go the extra mile for your business.
David Price is managing director of Health Assured.
Further reading on employee engagement
