The Boredom Boom
Sixty-one percent of employees are ‘languishing’ as a tough job market and looming tech brings a loss in purpose.
The scientist’s favorite part of his job was dreaming up experimental frameworks. Then came AI, which can build dozens of frameworks in a few seconds. At first, this saved the scientist time, but months later, he realized that he was no longer looking forward to his job; typing prompts into a computer had never been a passion. Could he find work elsewhere? He doubted that.
A new workplace crisis is brewing: Employees are growing bored. Bit by bit, the purpose and excitement that their roles once had seem to be fading, with nothing particularly interesting replacing them. Indeed, 61% of US workers are “languishing,” according to the 2026 Workplace Wellbeing Report from the University of Illinois—a condition that’s associated with higher burnout and distress. The study comes amid other findings on plummeting worker engagement. The researchers note that languishing is not a beach trip, but actually stressful and harmful. Simply put, boredom is powerful.
A yearlong toughening of the job market, leading to fewer promotions, has been part of the problem, with prospects dimming for those hoping to leave an unsatisfying job. What’s more, even as AI has streamlined many repetitive tasks, it has also absorbed creative ones, like pulling together an argument or reading through a narrative. More broadly, it has flattened the natural ebb and flow that comes with administrative and repetitive tasks. Employee engagement is in a historic slump: Globally, not one region saw increased engagement in the past year. For the first time, global engagement has dropped for two consecutive years, with just 20% of the global workforce engaged by their jobs, according to recent Gallup figures. Each percentage point accounts for 21 million employees.
Boredom comes in many flavors. Remember school? Both too-easy and too-hard classes felt boring, a common experience when tasks are either understimulating or overstimulating, says Jenna Young, head of creative in the Culture, Change and Communications practice at Korn Ferry. Boredom also emerges when people are scared and worried, such as when employees are worried about the security of their jobs amid the AI revolution. “Boredom can be a proxy for fear—people are really finding themselves stuck and disengaged,” says Young.
To be sure, the boredom boom is not universal, especially at companies that are innovating quickly and emphasizing career development. Some workers see AI’s time savings as an enormous opportunity to thrive in other creative parts of their job. But experts say that AI has also created distrust among employees: When they feel that their company is looking at them as a cost rather than a value, they tend to engage less at work. “It’s that feeling that maybe the other guy isn’t as invested in the relationship,” says Karrin Randle, associate client partner in the Culture, Change and Communications practice at Korn Ferry.
Cumulatively, the result is employee ennui founded on a sense of rudderlessness. Without clear direction—indeed, 50% to 55% of jobs will be reshaped by AI in the next three years, according to one study—many employees are treading water. “It’s about survival,” says Tamara Rodman, senior client partner in the Culture, Change, and Communications practice at Korn Ferry.
Experts advise leaders to proactively articulate the nuts-and-bolts of how AI time savings might benefit employees personally. The key here is to help them see the technology’s upside, ideally by tying it to their goals, such as having additional time for clients or patients. “It’s an opportunity for leaders to create a path for doing something new and exciting with that extra hour,” says Scott Sette, senior client partner in the Global Healthcare Services practice at Korn Ferry. Further complicating the issue, experts say, too many workers aren’t using AI prompts correctly, so that the technology is impeding, rather than enhancing, their job. One recent study, in fact, found that a majority were giving up on AI after two prompts, and suggested that better corporate training could help them.
Above all, when employees are bored, it’s critical for leaders to, well, lead. That begins with a clear articulation of mission. “It’s saying, ‘This is the purpose and our North Star,’” says Cheryl D’Cruz-Young, senior client partner in the Sustainability and Global Energy practice at Korn Ferry. “If employees don’t have that, it’s really destabilizing.”
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