Boredom at work more harmful than joblessness: Report

Scientists studying the mental health of full-time workers have developed a report on the global quality of workplaces. According to the Gallup Institute's report, boredom negatively impacts employees' mental health than unemployment.

Stress related to assigned workplace tasks, training, overtime, and interpersonal conflicts. Working among people is not always a smooth experience, as anyone who regrets taking a particular job can confirm. But how does the relationship between employees' mental health and tasks look today? The Gallup Institute examined this question in its annual report, "The State of the Global Workplace. The Voice of the World's Employees."

The Gallup Institute's research shows that employees' poor well-being directly affects global GDP. How much exactly does sadness cost? Scientists have determined that on a scale of the global economy, it amounts to as much as $8.9 trillion annually. The researchers also discovered one particularly significant piece of information: boredom at work impacts employees more negatively than unemployment.

The report also examined the issue of loneliness among employees. Gallup Institute researchers wrote: "Fully remote employees report significantly higher levels of loneliness (25%) than do those who work exclusively on–site (16%)—hybrid workers fall in between at 21%. Social isolation and chronic loneliness have devastating effects on physical and mental health".

The researchers add: "Harvard Professor and Gallup Senior Scientist Lisa Berkman and her colleagues studied the relationship between social and community ties and mortality rates over a nine–year span. The risk of mortality among people who lacked community and social ties was two times greater than that of people who had many social contacts. These differences were independent of physical health, socioeconomic status and health practices. Other studies have found similar relationships between strong social connections and longevity. The good news is that work itself decreases loneliness".

Scientists conclude the topic of loneliness with the words: "In general, working adults are less likely to experience loneliness (20%) than those who are unemployed (32%), and this remains true across age groups".