Which are the most boring jobs?
In our latest study, we asked 1,300 professionals if they were bored at work. Results show that law professionals are the least upbeat employees, with 8 out of 10 saying they are bored at work, and that CEOs are just as bored as junior employees.
Most boring job list
Job | Bored | Not Bored |
---|---|---|
Legal Jobs | 81% | 19% |
Project Management | 78% | 22% |
Support Functions | 71% | 29% |
Finance Control | 68% | 32% |
Consulting & Accounting | 67% | 33% |
Financial Services & Banking | 67% | 33% |
Engineering | 64% | 36% |
Sales | 61% | 39% |
Marketing & Communications | 60% | 40% |
IT | 56% | 44% |
Human Resources | 54% | 46% |
Education | 50% | 50% |
Executive Management | 49% | 51% |
Research & Development | 45% | 55% |
Legally bored : 8 out of 10 law professionals are bored. The repetitiveness of dull daily tasks in a junior lawyer's working week, which mostly involve researching cases and rulings, is most likely to blame.
R&D sounds fun : With only 45% claiming to be bored at work, R&D professionals are among the least bored employees. Bolstered by inquisitiveness and constant improvement and iterations is a highly positive dynamic which helps employees remain alert and motivated.
Most bored employees
Title | Bored | Not Bored |
---|---|---|
Entry Level | 66% | 34% |
Junior Manager | 65% | 35% |
Manager | 64% | 36% |
Senior Manager | 64% | 36% |
CEO, CTO, CFO | 65% | 35 |
You are bored, your boss is bored, and his boss is too : There is surprisingly little difference in boredom levels between the most junior employees and CEOs. If those supposed to be leading a business and infusing it with energy are bored (close to 2/3rds of CEOs), how can junior staff be expected to feel excited about their jobs?
Most boring country
Country | Bored | Not Bored |
---|---|---|
UAE | 83% | 17% |
Italy | 83% | 17% |
USA | 74% | 26% |
Singapore | 70% | 30% |
Ireland | 69% | 31% |
Spain | 68% | 32% |
Hong Kong | 65% | 35% |
UK | 64% | 36% |
France | 58% | 42% |
Switzerland | 51% | 49% |
You're not in the UAE to have fun : With very high salaries, UAE professionals are more likely to tolerate boring jobs or companies, evenwhen working six days a week.
Are Italians stuck in their jobs? Due to the relative instability and uncertainty in the Italian economy since the 2008 crisis, many locals are often content with just having a job, and lack the confidence to quit, no matter how dull their working life..
Switzerland : not so boring after all. Often depicted as a peaceful, not to say boring country, it might come as a surprise to see that Switzerland is the country in which employees are the least bored in our sample (only 51% of them are), clearly finding motivation and dynamism in a balanced working and home life and a high standard of living.
Alice Leguay, Co-Founder & COO at Emolument.com said: 'Boredom at work is a key issue for firms trying to keep millennials engaged, especially in traditional industries such as accounting and legal jobs which can be perceived as dull while employers attempt to give young employees the satisfaction of making an impact in their work life in order to prevent them from moving on too swiftly. Without an inspirational leadership figure, or an exciting professional challenge to motivate younger team members, boredom will quickly settle in. Surprisingly, according to our figures, CEOs struggle to enthuse their teams, having fallen prey to boredom themselves, probably due to being tangled in administrative and managerial processes with frustrate their desire to implement a vision and lead their business.'
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