Two thirds of supermarket employees claim that the boredom of their job is likely to lead them to make mistakes. They blame the repetitive and routine nature of their work for their boredom which causes them to lose concentration and daydream.

These findings come from research within a national supermarket chain conducted by Dr Sandi Mann at the University of Central Lancashire that was presented at the British Psychological Society's Occupational Psychology Conference in Stratford on January 13.

Psychologist, Dr Mann, said, "These mistakes could be costing the customer money if mistakes are made in pricing or at the till."

Boredom is not just a problem for the shopper, however; over a quarter of supermarket employees claim that after a boring day at the checkout they are likely to turn to alcohol to relieve the boredom, whilst almost half feel that boredom causes them to become stressed. Dr Mann says, "Chronic boredom is unhealthy for employees who are more likely to drink alcohol after a boring day than a less boring one. It could be that they are using alcohol to reduce the stress they feel that being bored causes them"

The findings of the survey-based research also suggest that there is a 'boredom-prone' personality and that employees who are more prone to boredom, are more likely to experience chronic boredom in the workplace. Dr Mann says, 'It might be useful for supermarket employers to consider screening job applicants for boredom proneness before placing them in jobs that have a high degree of routine built into them".

View the full conference programme online.

Source:
The British Psychological Society