But what about people who some workplace experts describe as "rusting out" on the job? "If you feel like you're not being used to the best of your abilities, you feel like you're just hanging out, or rusting out," Levandowski said. But workers who are rusting out still report to their shifts and perform, although with a fading sense of purpose. But it's a function of people not being stretched enough, feeling challenged or heard," Levandowski said. "When that happens, and you don't get the most out of your workers, your business won't perform as well."