Working hard, or hardly working?

Rachael Ramos

The Silhouette

Distractions at the workplace are common and inescapable.

Coughing co-workers, workers who are constantly making personal phone calls, socializing, talking too loud and the internet. Do these distractions really diminish worker productivity?

Susan Solovic of Allbusiness.com says that workplace distractions are not only annoying but are costly.

According to new research, businesses lose US$650 billion annually in productivity because of workplace distractions.

So yes, workplace distractions do diminish worker productivity, which results in a costly disadvantage for a company.

The average worker admits to frittering away 3 hours per each 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time.

Josh Clements, Royal Bank Of Canada employee says, “The only time I surf the web or socialize with others is when there is no work to be done. If there is no work, what else am I suppose to do?”

According to Fabulouslybroke.com, 33.2 per cent of employees attribute their reason for wasting time to the lack of work.

To avoid this problem, the employee should take the initiative to speak to their boss about either learning new areas of the workplace or suggesting ways to keep you productively preoccupied.

Taking these initiatives will show your boss your leadership skills and this will work as an advantage for you and your future in the company.

With today’s growing technology, it is no surprise that workers in the workplace have several ways to distract themselves at work. The cell phone has evolved into a multitasking device.

Most companies block certain social media sites to prevent workers becoming too distracted but since many cell phones have the world wide web embedded into their phone, it has now become an alternative to checking other emails, Facebook, Twitter as well as other forms of social media.

For these reasons it is no wonder the number one distraction in the workplace is surfing the web.

According to fabulouslybroke.com, the statistics for cited distractions are as follows: 44 per cent are web related distractions, 23.4 per cent is socializing with co-workers, 3.9 per cent is spacing out and 1.3 per cent is applying for other jobs.

Surfing the Internet for 18 hours a week during work hours is equivalent to $759 billion in total salary costs for employers.

The decrease of productivity caused by web surfing is not only impacting employers but also their clients. Picture this scenario: you have an important task to be accomplished at the end of the day.

You come sit at your computer, you start working and things will go on fine for few minutes. Suddenly your mind begins drift and you would rather be checking your mail, then switch back to work.

This sets in motion the “Wander Wasting time on Web”. The next thing you know you have just wasted a good thirty minutes to an hour of what could have been more put to more productive use completing your task.

It’s understandable how certain distractions affect a worker’s productivity.

For instance, when a co-worker is constantly coughing, you obviously don’t want their germs to spread because of this you are constantly thinking of ways to avoid getting sick and not thinking about the work that needs to be completed; these distractions are unfair to workers.

However, other distractions that are self-inflicted are another story, such as web surfing and socializing.

There is a time and place for everything: use your designated lunch and break periods for such activities.

It would be inappropriate to say sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are certainly not bad but our constant urge to check sites for new content distracts us from actual work leaving us less productive and at times, inefficient.

Time is money.