Coffee brightens day for 1 in 4 office workers

Paul Smithson

13/01/2012 10:13:15

Brits with boredom in the office is by indulging in a cup of coffee, a study has found.

The report, which was presented to the British Psychological Society’s annual occupational psychology conference in Cheshire this week, found that one in four employees suffers from “chronic boredom” in the workplace, according to The Huffington Post UK.

To combat this feeling, they either eat chocolate or have a cup of coffee. Interestingly, researchers found that some people are more susceptible to being bored than others, so certain colleagues may be found more regularly by the espresso coffee maker during work hours.

“My analysis suggests that the most significant cause of office boredom is an undemanding workload, so managers should look at ways of reducing sources of workplace boredom,” said lead author Sandi Mann of the University of Central Lancashire, who added: “This could involve enrichment programmes such as job rotation, multi-skilling and empowerment.”

TNT Magazine reported that more than 100 office workers were surveyed for the project. Half of those polled claimed that boredom caused them to make mistakes at work, while eight in ten suggested the made them lose concentration.

For employers, a key finding of the study would appear to be that half of respondees said they may consider looking for a new job if they are bored in their job.