Scottish workers bored

One in four Scottish workers suffers boredom or frustration at work, according to a survey published today.

The boredom led to people working as little as possible - and spending more time on personal work, telephone calls, and taking longer lunch hours, the survey said. Boredom was also prompting more people to seek new jobs, bringing increased staff turnover costing companies millions of pounds a year, said the report, entitled The Cost of Boredom v The Value of Motivation and published by Investors in People UK.

"Boredom and frustration at work is often the result of an employer's lack of involvement with the company's goals and a feeling that their ideas are not wanted or listened to," said the company's chief executive, Mary Chapman. But there did seem to be an answer, with employees asking to become more involved. This week, thousands of companies will be able to take heed as they take part in events across the country to mark Investors in People Week, to highlight the importance of motivation in creating a happy and efficient workplace.