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Introduction

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1 We all know that having too much work and too much stress can lead to burnout, but did you know that the opposite can also be a problem? Have you ever felt that your job was too easy and that everything was just a bit too boring? If so, you might be suffering from rust out?

2 Rust out happens when there isn't enough challenge to motivate you to keep going in your job. Without some challenge, it can be hard to feel growth in your role. If a job has lots of repetitive and monotonous tasks, it can make it hard to see the purpose of a role. Having a lower level of responsibility at work than before can also make it harder to feel fulfilled in a job. This can affect people who have taken time out from their career for family or personal reasons.

3 If you think that you might be suffering from rust out, then there are a number of signs to watch out for. You might dread finding your schedule each week and not seeing anything stimulating on it. It might be that you often find yourself clock-watching at work, willing the time to pass. Focus and motivation can drop, leading you to get less done than you had before, or to make more mistakes. You may start to feel apathetic and disengaged towards your job. These feelings can lead to anxiety and depression which can then spread from work into people's personal lives.

4 Finding yourself suffering from rust out can sometimes be an opportunity. Some experts suggest that self-awareness is key. By taking some time to realise what you are really looking for in work and life, you can take steps to re-discover your motivation. Setting yourself goals and allowing yourself to try new things can help you find a new purpose. Considering what you really need for a job can also lead you to find a new one that's better suited to your goals in life.

Questions

1. Match the headings to the paragraph.

Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________

a. What is rust out?
b. Worse than burnout
c. Signs of rust out
d. Escaping rust out
e. Workload problems: it's not just burnout

2. Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.

1. It's not always great to have an easy job.

a. True
b. False
c. Not given

2. What can help you grow in your job role?

a. monotonous routinesumans
b. repetitive tasks
c. challenge

3. What does 'this' mean in this sentence? This can often affect people who have taken time out from their career for family reasons.

a. Feeling burnout
b. Difficulty in feeling fulfilled
c. Being too motivated

4. Which of these could be a sign of rust out?

a. Being disappointed by your rota
b. Losing track of time
c. Setting targets

5. Thinking about what you really want can help fight rust out.

a. True
b. False
c. Not given

3. Use the words from the list to complete the summary of the article.

We’ve all heard about the 1) ________ that comes from work that is too stressful. Some people have the opposite problem. Work that is too easy can cause 2) ________. We may have too many 3) ________ tasks or find ourselves clock-4) ________. If that happens, it can be useful to work on our 5) ________ and work out what we really want from work.

burnout
self-awareness
monotonous
rust out
apathetic
watching
suited

Vocabulary

burnout
exhaustion caused by stress or over work

rust out
boredom caused by work that is not challenging enough

repetitive
something done again and again that doesn't change

monotonous
boring, without variety

dread
to feel fear or worry about something

clock-watching
continually checking to see if it is time to stop work yet

apathetic
having no feelings or interest towards something

disengaged
having little interest in something that you are doing

self-awareness
knowing your own positive and negative qualities

suited
having features that make something good for a particular purpose or person

Answers

1. Match the headings to the paragraph.

Paragraph 1 f) Workload problems: it's not just burnout
Paragraph 2 a) What is rust out?
Paragraph 3 c) Signs of rust out
Paragraph 4 d) Escaping rust out

2. Choose the correct option based on the content of the article.

1. a. True.Have you ever felt that your job was too easy and that everything was just a bit too boring? If so, you might be suffering from rust out.

2. c.Without some challenge, it can be hard to feel growth in your role.

3. b.Having a lower level of responsibility at work than before can also make it harder to feel fulfilled in a job. This can often affect people who have taken time out from their career for family or personal reasons.

4. a. You might dread finding your schedule each week and not seeing anything stimulating on it.

5. a. True.By taking some time to realise what you are really looking for in work and life, you can take steps to re-discover your motivation.

3. Use the words from the list to complete the summary of the article.

We've all heard about the burnout that comes from work that is too stressful. Some people have the opposite problem. Work that is too easy can cause rust out. We may have too many monotonous tasks or find ourselves clock-watching. If that happens, it can be useful to work on our self-awareness and work out what we really want from work.

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