What is ‘rust out’ and are you experiencing it?

In my old banking job, where I worked for 12 years, I found myself frustrated with the slow pace of the work, the layers of red tape and approvals to get anything done. After all, banking was a highly regulated industry, and while there were many rules to follow, they were just simply being a good bank by following them. I felt tired, drained, and lacked energy—similar symptoms to burnout. While the organization was frequently voted a “best place to work,” I couldn’t figure out why my “great job” felt so bad. I wasn’t overworking or spending endless evenings logging in, so the typical paths to burnout didn’t make sense.

What I was actually experiencing was rust out.

A COSTLY CONDITION

The literal definition of rust out is to decay and become unusable through the action of rust. Rust out is a type of burnout that comes from not using your unique skills and talents at work, lacking learning opportunities, and ultimately, dreading the repetitive tasks at work that sap your creativity. 

Not only is this costly to an employee’s peace and mental health, but it’s costly to employers, too. According to Gallup’s 2025 engagement report, the global percentage of engaged employees was 21% in 2024. It’s even worse for leadership. For young managers (under 35), engagement dropped by 5%, and female manager engagement dropped by 7%. 

Here’s what to do if you suspect you may be experiencing rust out:

CONDUCT AN ENERGY AUDIT

One of the biggest contributors to rust out is spending your energy in places that don’t align with your unique talents and skills. In my own experience, and in working with my clients, a simple way to uncover your unique talents is to notice your energy. I believe every work activity falls into one of three categories: energy suckers, energy stallers, and energy surgers. Energy suckers feel like they take heroic effort, even though the task wasn’t all that large or difficult. Energy stallers are tricky because they throw your energy into neutral. You don’t feel drained while doing them, but they don’t ignite your energy either. Energy surgers are the sweet spot you’re looking for. These projects bring a paradox—they are challenging, but they make you feel amazing, in flow, and like your most creative self. When conducting an energy audit, assess what percentage of your time is spent on energy suckers, energy stallers, and energy surgers.

DUMP, DELEGATE, OR OUTSOURCE

After you conduct your energy audit, the next step is to ask yourself: “What can I dump, delegate or outsource?” You want to dump the things that drain your energy the most. They are likely tasks or projects that we said yes to months or years ago that we keep doing because we’re on autopilot. In my own experience, these were old reports I would review that no one was paying attention to. If you don’t want or need to be there, and it doesn’t align with your values and priorities, it may be time to dump it. If you can’t dump it, can you delegate it? In a day of back-to-back meetings, I noticed that two of my team members were in there with me. They could handle the meeting and make the decisions, but because I was in the meeting as their leader, people would defer to me anyway. I decided to delegate that meeting. And by asking myself, “Where does my presence subtract value for fellow team members?” I found more meetings I could delegate. And finally, if you can’t dump it or delegate it, can you outsource it?  In my years of working at technology and consulting firms, I discovered the power of outsourcing: from office snack delivery to marketing activities to contractors.

ADVOCATE FOR YOUR TALENTS

Once you are clear on what your energy surgers are, it is up to you to communicate clearly to your boss and peers what your strongest talents are and what type of work you’d most like to take on. Leaders can’t read minds, so the more you communicate the work you value and ask them to think of you when opportunities come up, the more likely they are to share your name and talents when you are not in the room. This may not happen overnight but through consistent conversations it can work. The good news is that several of my clients have stayed at a company they loved and redesigned their roles into something more enjoyable simply by having this energy and talents conversation with their leader.

DECIDE IF A CAREER CHANGE IS NEEDED

Sometimes, all of this reflection, advocacy, and self-awareness can bring us to an unexpected place: wondering if we are in the right career and if a change is needed to overcome rust out. While I always encourage folks to advocate and change their current environment so we don’t bring the same issues into a new role, there are some questions you can ask to help you determine if it’s time to stay or go, such as: 

• Does this organization align with my values? 
• Do I agree with the way leadership makes decisions?
• How have I advocated for the changes I want?
• Have I set and communicated necessary boundaries for how I spend my time and energy?

If you determine that there isn’t values alignment and no changes have been made despite your advocacy, it might be time to look elsewhere.

The results of beating rust out can boost an employee’s—and their employer’s — peace, potential, and paychecks and profits through improved productivity, well-being, and engagement.

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