Workloads vary from day to day, and sometimes your employees might find themselves bored at work if they don’t have enough projects to work on during their working hours. This can be especially true for interns. Young adults are skilled in multi-tasking and have variety in their day-to-day. Below are some pointers on how to break up the day for your interns and new employees who might not have enough big projects to work on during slower parts of the work day or season.
Here are the top ways on how to stop being bored at work:
Limit admin work to just the morning
Every job comes with tasks that are less enjoyable than others. Employees can easily become bored at work if their whole day consists of going through emails, setting up meetings, organizing calendars, data entry, etc. Every job comes with a degree of this. It can be good to ease into the day with work that’s less demanding though by doing this first thing in the morning, leaving the more exciting aspects of the job to later in the day when they might start flagging.
Give them more creative projects
Work that is classified as fun usually has some element of discovery, creativity, difficulty, or autonomy. Campaigns, research projects, or writing assignments are all examples of “fun” work. Your intern could play around with different forms of social media marketing and figure out what kind of material will make your followers engage. This could be creating visuals such as videos, gifs, or images. It could be creating prompts for followers to interact with. This kind of creative work can have a big impact on the company’s brand, while also ensuring your intern won’t be bored at work. Best of all, it can be measured. Your intern’s work can be ongoing and evolving.
Allow them to collaborate with different teams
A good balance of “fun” and “unfun” work is key. The ultimate way to avoid a monotonous workday is to make each day a little different than the last. Maybe have your intern sit in on a meeting here and there, or shadow a coworker in another department. More exposure to different departments and positions will boost their internship experience and offer them more skills and knowledge to keep them engaged.
Employees who are stuck doing the same thing for too long can see a noticeable impact on their productivity levels. Shaping your intern’s experience to have variety will keep their productivity levels high, as well as provide them with a more well-rounded internship experience.
Have daily check-ins
Don’t forget to touch base with your intern often. An average internship lasts about eight weeks, so frequent check-ins are necessary to make sure their work is on track. Beyond weekly sessions, it is good practice to make time for a daily check-in. A simple “how are you?” can go a long way. This will make interns and employees feel valued and could make them feel more engaged in what they're doing.
Now that you know how to plan an exciting internship experience where interns will not be bored at work, head over to The Intern Group to find your next intern today!
