Tips & Co. #425 - Brownout: The withdrawal-from-work syndrome

Although it is lesser known than “burn-out” or “bore-out”, “brown-out” is no less a danger to workers. It is the manifestation of professional exhaustion caused by a lack of motivation in which you do not understand the point or use of your work.

“Brown-out” literally means “a decrease in current” – the discomfort felt as a result of the loss of meaning in the objectives of one’s work. It is a condition that describes a decrease in a worker’s commitment resulting from a loss of meaning at work, a lack of understanding of the “why” in their mission and a lack of perspective regarding their duties.

Without a purpose and a common thread, work be or disenchantment. People suffering from “brown-out” mentally resign from their job and work without really worrying about the quality they produce. These people are looking for work with meaning. In a context where everyday tasks lose meaning, one is alert and capable but completely unmotivated and disengaged.

Therefore, a loss of motivation is the number one symptom of “brown-out”. You drag your feet, you divest yourself, meetings are mundane, you lack attention, you have no interest in what you are doing, you lose your sense of humour, you cave into yourself. Even your family and social life can be affected by professional disinterest.

The French sociologist and philosopher, Edgar Morin explains this feeling well by saying, “meaning at work is often never as essential as when it is missing”. comes useless, futile and discouraging, leading to a sort of disillusionment