Talkative colleagues the most distractive influence at work
UK, 26/07/2010 Talkative co-workers are the most common distraction for office workers, according to a global poll by recruitment specialists Robert Walters.When asked their most time consuming distraction at work, 48% of those polled responded ‘talkative colleagues’, 34% said personal e-mail and internet browsing, 8% claimed social networking sites, 6% smoking breaks and 5% personal calls and/or text messages.
These global results were mirrored in the UK, where 46% of professionals polled said talkative colleagues were the most time-consuming office distraction, 34% personal e-mail or internet and 10% social networking sites.
These trends were particularly marked in some countries – 70% of office workers in New Zealand, 67% in Hong Kong and 62% in Ireland said talkative colleagues were the most time consuming distraction at work. Professionals in South Africa had different concerns – 56% of respondents there claimed personal e-mail and internet usage was the biggest office distraction.
Martyn Wright, Director of Robert Walters’ UK HR recruitment division comments:
“Although personal use of internet and e-mail is widely perceived as the most common time waster at work, our survey shows this isn’t the case. Informal conversations can fuel productivity but a lot of the time professionals are engaging in conversations with colleagues out of politeness. With most offices now being open plan, other people’s conversations can be hard to avoid. Of course, the odd chat during the day can provide a welcome break and can spark new ideas but there is a balance that needs to be struck.”
For more information please contact Andrew Smith or telephone +44 (0) 207 379 3333.