The ‘Great Burnout’ – a silent pandemic that erupted post the pandemic changed the way organizations and professionals viewed work life. It affected all ages and had people prioritize their mental and physical health and as a domino effect, urged companies to invigorate their well-being policies for its people and rightly so. Nobody’s oblivious to the phenomenon, however, what we sometimes pass as burnout, might be a ‘bore-out.’ It isn’t exactly the opposite of ‘burnout’ but can wreak similar damage. Bore-out stems out of severe boredom at work – due to not being properly motivated, challenged, pushed to try new skills, learn, and grow or are constantly frustrated.  
How does one identify bore-out?
No employee will claim it or report or discuss it or scream out loud but there will be signs. In them resorting to coping mechanisms such as avoiding new responsibilities, trudging through old ones, not really being productive, resorting to scrolling on social media etc. Here are some tell-tale signs – 
Complacency and procrastination – Already mentioned above, these employees won’t really care about timelines and don’t care about the quality of work.
Absence & disconnection – They might look zoned out during meetings and since work isn’t exciting, they might look disconnected with the work, their colleagues etc.
Pretend busyness – Some employees are bored but don’t know how to recover from it, so they pretend to be extra busy to avoid being noticed about not being their productive best.
How do we fix it?
It’s not easy for HR leaders or frontline leaders to ‘fix’ the issue or an employee, it’s important to tread carefully and sometimes accept that not all of them will want to be engaged. So, for them and for those who have accepted, these shall help –
Use creative ways to listen: Conventional methods of seeking feedback can prove ineffective with disengaged team members. Some of them may default in echoing what their leader wants to hear, while others might openly share pain points ranging from maybe parking issues to interpersonal conflicts. Rather than relying solely on one-on-one meetings or standard employee surveys, consider exploring alternative avenues to gather insights on burnout. Such as checking review sites, talking to new hires and the ones resigning, social listening i.e. tracking their social media interactions with regards to work. 
Encourage ways to form a connect with team: Remote work arrangements have granted employees greater flexibility and enhanced work-life balance. However, a major drawback of remote work lies in the absence of social interactions, potentially causing loneliness and isolation. As per this study, 21% of respondents cited loneliness as their primary challenge while working remotely.
To battle this, encourage a hybrid setup for those who can make it. In the absence of a physical office environment, it becomes paramount to foster a sense of belonging and connection among employees. The following helps -
Encouraging regular communication among teams.
Ensuring regular video meetings and team gatherings.
Establishing Employee Resource Groups with people sharing common interests or backgrounds (e.g., hobbies, activities, passion etc).
Organizing occasional in-person events.
Offer/Encourage Picking New Skills: As per this Udemy research, 80% of the employees shared they would be more engaged by learning new skills. The system could offer employees to pick a course, a skill, a language they would like to learn every 6 months that the office could arrange for. Or, to break the monotony of employees doing the same task, invite them to offer their views on a completely new kind of project. You may be surprised to learn some great, out of the box ideas and it may even inject a new spark in them. Further, a boring weekday could be turned into a debate/discussion time. Where people discuss their views on some trending topic, not forced of course. 
Never under the purpose: One cannot emphasize the importance of purposeful and demanding tasks and fulfilling that isn't solely on the employees. Leaders’ must continuously assess individuals' daily tasks to broader outcomes. Recognizing the impact from one's efforts stands is pivotal to promoting well-being—perhaps even the most critical. Moreover, leaders should identify chances to introduce more stimulating tasks to enhance mental involvement. This might involve participating in new tasks or tackling complex problems that employees wouldn't typically encounter.
Enhance the office environment: It may sound not-so-important but sometimes, adding and bringing brightness to the desk, helps elevate the whole mood. Encourage them in setting up their corners, offer them a setup to paint something, sketch etc. Bright colours such as blues, greens, yellows, and reds also promote productivity.
In nutshell, boredom does pose a threat to employee retention, productivity and their overall wellbeing but finding purpose and satisfaction in what they’re doing may prove to be the remedy. Further, as difficult as it may be, employees must never be afraid to address the bore-out, especially if it’s caused by things outside your control. Leaders must proactively work in building a culture based on strengths, rewarding them appropriately and making them feel important. For that readiness to communicate, learn and resolving it is imperative.