Rust-out, the latest workplace buzzword, describes feeling under-stimulated and disconnected from your job. But breaking free from workplace monotony is largely an individual responsibility, not just the employer's.
What Is Rust-Out?
An employee who is rusting-out is bored with their job, does the bare minimum, and contributes half-heartedly. According to Fast Company, 'Burnout is often equated with overwhelm, but rust-out is far more common and not just related to workload. It leaves people feeling under stimulated, disconnected, and just going through the motions.'
A Real-Life Example
Consider a woman in her late 40s who works in the accounts payable department at a client company. She has been doing the same job for at least 10 years—entering payables, reconciling expense accounts, matching documents, calling suppliers. She is happy, enjoys the routine, and appreciates her employer. She is not rusting-out.
Most Businesses Are Boring
The company distributing industrial gases is one of about 150 employees and is typical of the countless small and midsized businesses that form the foundation of the US economy. These companies sell gaskets, corrugated containers, coated films, and foundry molds; they construct metal-framed buildings, fill in tax returns, serve hamburgers, replace piping, repair cars, clean offices, strip parking lots, transport containers, make rigging equipment, test sewage systems, set rodent traps, recycle used pallets, clean kitchen hoods, and inspect fire extinguishers. A negligible number of the 34 million small businesses in this country actually do something interesting or turn into a SpaceX, Airbnb, or Uber.
Employers Can Help, but Limits Exist
Employers can create a more festive atmosphere—some clients have a personality that lights up the room, while others offer benefits like sponsoring a softball team, bringing in pizza, or allowing dogs at work. A not insignificant number offer clear upwardly mobile career paths. But when all is said and done, these businesses are still installing commercial doors, replacing pneumatic pumps, shipping animal feed, and delivering toxic chemicals. There is only so much one can do to make things exciting or eliminate rust.
The Individual's Role
So no, the onus on reducing rust-out is not entirely on the employer. It is really up to the employee. What do they want out of life? Do they live to work or work to live? Is their job a means to an end or a dead-end? If you are working for a small or midsized company, you yourself can break free of rusting-out. Your company may sell boring things, but there are more interesting things you can possibly do if you want a change. Identifying needs beyond your job and bringing them to the owner's attention may be a way to move into a more interesting area. If you work for a bigger company, your options are even greater, although you may feel your impact is less.
Alternatively, you may enjoy going to work at 8am, entering payables all day, and leaving at 4pm. Maybe you are not upwardly mobile or do not want the stress of a new challenge. Maybe you accept that there are only so many people who can be rock musicians, baseball players, and movie stars. The rest of us need to find other ways to find purpose in our lives. No employer can manufacture purpose for another human being. At some point, finding challenge, meaning, and fulfilment becomes an individual responsibility.
