Burnout is a well-known term. It is a psychological condition of exhaustion caused by chronic stress usually due to excessive amounts of work. The opposite of burnout is boreout - exhaustion caused by boredom. Boreout occurs when an employee does not have enough meaningful work to do. Inadequate workloads may cause even more negative stress than excessive work.
While burnout and stress have become socially acceptable problems, boreout is still perceived negatively as slacking. However, this may change soon. Frenchman Frédéric Desnard (44) is suing his former employer, the luxury cosmetics firm Interparfums, for the harm he suffered as the result of tedious work. He is asking for 360,000 euros in damages.
French law does not recognize boreout, but ...
Frédéric Desnard worked for Interparfums for four years. He should have performed a managerial role, but in reality he only did simple and stupid tasks which became a nightmare. He says this gradually caused epilepsy, stomach ulcers, insomnia and deep depression. The main cause of his depression was the shame he felt for having almost nothing to do. He was fired after seven months on sick leave. The damages he claims are for missed pay, including missing out on a potential promotion.
The case opened on Monday, 2nd May. Desnard's lawyer Montasser Charni said that the company wanted to bore his client to death in order not to pay him any redundancy compensation. The company denies the charges and points out certain inconsistencies and lack of evidence. According to his former employer, Frédéric Desnard formerly complained of burnout and has now just changed tactics. The question is, why didn't he say anything if he really had nothing to do for four years?
French law does not acknowledge the concept of boreout. However, French courts have already recognized more than two hundred cases of employees who were intentionally sidelined from their job responsibilities, which could be assessed as "moral harassment". Researchers warn that a third of French people suffer from boreout.
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