Are you staring at the clock, counting down the minutes until you can go home? Is your lunch break the most exciting part of your day? Does thinking about the next two or three years in your current job fill you with dread?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, then you are probably bored at work. Boredom at work is common, but definitely not fun. You don’t have to endure it, however. You can take action to make your work life more challenging, more fulfilling and more enjoyable.
It might not seem like an obvious idea, but volunteering with the Army Cadet Force can help to make you less bored at work. We are one of the UK’s largest youth organisations, but we’re not just for young people. More than 9,000 adult volunteers work with us, training young cadets and managing administrative processes. These leaders are an essential part of the ACF.
Volunteering with the ACF provides many work-related benefits to our adult volunteers. In a recent survey, over 84% of adult volunteers said that the ACF helped them develop interpersonal and organisational skills, and improved their job prospects. Here are a few ways in which volunteering with the ACF can benefit your work life and make you less bored at work.
- Work-life balance: By filling a couple evenings a week and some weekends with fun and fulfilling activities, the ACF can improve your life outside of work. This boosts your work-life balance, which is especially important if you’re unhappy with your job. Meaningful activities in your personal life give you things to look forward to while you’re bored at work.
- Stress relief: Physical activity is a proven stress reliever and volunteering with the ACF will give you lots of it, from running drills to leading outdoor adventures. You’ll also be building social relationships with other adult volunteers and mentoring relationships with cadets, which can help to relieve work-related stress.
- Confidence building: Confidence is key to success in the workplace and you can develop yours by volunteering with the ACF. 87% of adult volunteers recently surveyed said that volunteering developed their leadership skills. Training cadets and speaking in front of large groups also improves your public speaking skills, which are a useful asset at work.
- Valuable skills: Many skills you gain as an adult volunteer at the ACF can be transferred to the workplace. Managing large groups and running activities strengthens your organisational and people management skills. Working with a team to achieve a common goal improves your communication and teamwork skills. These can all help you take on additional responsibility and reduce your boredom at work.
- Network development: the ACF has over 9,500 adult volunteers across the UK. By volunteering with us, you’ll meet and work with amazing people from a wide range of industries, expanding your social and professional network. If you’re so bored at work that you’re considering a job or career switch, the network you’ll meet at ACF can help you explore other career options.
- Vocational qualifications: There are certain free or subsidised vocational qualifications available through volunteering with the ACF. These qualifications, if relevant, can help you increase your responsibility at work and potentially get a promotion or pay rise. Or, they can help you prepare for and transition into a new career, if you choose. Vocational qualifications available include adventure training, expedition leadership, sports leadership, first aid and public relations.
- Prestige: The ACF is a well-respected organisation, with close connections to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and other prestigious programmes. Working with these programmes will add to your CV, should you feel so bored at work that you want to find a new job.