TikTok says your employees are bored at work—here’s what HR can do

When you’re bored, do you take a nap? Or call a friend? Well, some of us are not only doing those things, but we’re doing them at work and posting videos about it on TikTok.

There are over 200,000 videos with 519 million views under #boredatwork on the platform. From screaming in a soundproof room to stirring workplace drama, employees are jokingly showcasing their lack of interest in work. But it might not be all fun and games for the HR leaders responsible for employee engagement.

“[This trend] means, to me, that people aren’t feeling connected and inspired at work to be able to contribute things to the organization and really understand what those contributions mean,” said Kaitlin Howes, an HR business partner at employee engagement platform Reward Gateway.

Howes shared with HR Brew what people pros should know about the #boredatwork trend.

What’s it to HR? People get bored—it’s inevitable, Howes told HR Brew. She urged HR leaders to see boredom as an opportunity to find new ways to engage and connect employees to their company’s mission.

“A lot of it has to do with coaching,” she said. “HR professionals aren’t going to be able to do this on their own.” She suggested HR pros encourage managers to highlight employees’ individual contributions in their everyday conversations, and relate those accomplishments to the company’s growth. Employees, she said, want to know their work means something.

Howes also suggested that HR pros ensure their company is a “psychologically safe” environment. If employees can be themselves, they’ll be more likely to express their needs at work and therefore might be less likely to get bored, she said.

Managers also need to make sure their employees are doing their work and taking on projects that are “operating within their strengths,” Howes said. Managers and HR pros should be able to describe an employee’s strengths and tailor their tasks to them.

“People [like] to feel like they’re learning and developing and collaborating with different teams in innovative ways that I would hope would make people really excited,” she said. “The lines are so blurred now, inside and outside work. People want to bring their purpose. They want to bring their values, they want to see that reflected into the organization.”