Research
The HR service Bamboo has undertaken a research study looking at more than a thousand Americans, examining what activities are the most time consuming and distracting for employees. As it turns out, the most distracting activities are not necessarily all the various digital activities. Another striking finding, say the researchers, is the fact that themore senior management indulges in these distractions.
But perhaps these executives make it a good thing? One fifth of the staff believes that distractions affect their performance. However, the same percentage also say that its true that these distractions improve their productivity and efficiency.
What activities cost the most time?
Taking short breaks to go to the water cooler, the kitchen, or the smoking area
Going to the toilet
Chatting with colleagues
Maintaining contact with family/household (via phone, SMS, email or social media)
Surfing the Internet for personal matters (eg. Online shopping)
Maintaining contact with friends (via phone, SMS, email or social media)
Non-work social media use
Watching TV (also via mobile phone and PC)
The positive contribution
Employees who believe that these distractions improves their productivity, also tend to believe the following five activities contribute the most to this improvement:
Taking short breaks, even running away from your office (eg. Walking to the water cooler)
Taking a proper lunch break (not eat at the desk)
Maintaining contact with family/household (via phone, SMS, email or social media)
Chatting with colleagues
Listening to music
Negative influence
The employees indicating that distractions affect their performance negatively reflect the following five activities with the greatest impact:
Non-work social media use
Maintaining contact with family/household (via phone, SMS, email or social media)
Taking short breaks to go to the water cooler, the kitchen, or the smoking area
Maintaining contact with friends (via phone, SMS, email or social media)
Surfing the Internet for personal matters (eg. Online shopping)
Further research results
Almost half of the employees – around 47 percent- indicate that they are not being fully productive by less than 30 minutes per week due to unnecessary distractions.
56 percent of employees indicate that they do not try to make up the time they have spent on personal affairs and distractions, by not catching up with work related activities at home or through working overtime. 39 percent of respondents work as much as a half-hour more to 'make it right'.
Two thirds of employees believe that pause activities, such as visiting social media, should be possible. This should be limited to thirty minutes a day, finds the majority.
Conclusion
More and more, it is found that work and personal life walk together hand in hand. Employees recognise that they are engaged in private matters at work, but tend to compensate for it. Managers do this as well and even lead by example in some cases. They realise that the arc can not always be tense.