Ennui: 7 out of 10 people on your team are bored

Over the past weekend, Inside Out 2 became the fastest animated film to cross the $1 billion mark. That’s a mean feat. The movie is a sequel to the journey of a kid named Riley and the headquarters in her head—where emotions frolic and tussle as she floats along with life. In this installment, as Riley reaches puberty, new emotions pop up. Four new emotions—anxiety, envy, embarrassment, and ennui—join the familiar ones (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust.)

Who’s the new one?

You must be familiar with all of them, but probably not the last. I encountered this emotion on my first watch, too. In simple words, ennui is a French term that refers to a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement. It is often associated with boredom but carries a deeper sense of existential weariness and discontentment. While it was a new entrant in our protagonist Riley’s head, it’s not new for us.

There’s a lot on a typical day that brings about ennui. Think of the repeated tasks, the same meeting that happened last week and the week before that, work that keeps going on without needing a lot of newness, or worse, the cognitive overload from mundane tasks that keep piling up.

You are not alone in this. In a Gartner survey, 7 out of 10 employees were disengaged from work. The loop continues because they lack a meaningful connection with the job that could add some excitement. The result? Unsurprising. It starts with inattentive behavior, moves to absenteeism, and culminates in turnover.

How can you spot complex signs of disengagement?

When we look at disengaged employees, it’s easy to shift the blame and move on. “They just don’t want to work.” But is that the whole story?

An SHRM article offers a quick test. Ask these questions to yourself or your team members to gauge how connected they feel with the work:

• What excites you about your work?
• What aspect of your job makes you feel exhausted?
• What is one thing you would change about your role?
• How much do you feel your work contributes to the organization’s goals?

While surveying the answers, look for clues about how people perceive work. You can notice how focused someone is, how well they display ownership and initiative toward work, and how excited they seem. You can ask open-ended follow-up questions to create a space for expression.

For instance, if a team member says a certain aspect of the job exhausts them. You can follow up by asking, “How would you like to change that?” They might suggest removing the task, doing it differently, or transferring it.

You can look for ways to distribute and delegate that part across the team and free up mental bandwidth to focus on exciting tasks. You will understand what your team members want to do and how. And that’s it—that’s your secret sauce to success.

P.S. Here are more questions you can use to connect with your team. Let’s not have the same one-on-one catch-up next time: 50+ Great One-On-One Meeting Questions For Managers

So the next time you spot someone clocking out on their desk, help, not judge.

What’s cooking at The Doodle office?