Do yoiu get distracted easily at work? Well join the club because a quarter of workers in Manchester admit they are distracted between 10 and 20 times a day.
Over three quarters (77.95%) blaming chatty colleagues, according to research
from office products firm Fellowes.
A third of workers in Manchester also listed colleagues’ bad habits as their top frustration at
the office.
UK office workers are unproductive an average of 21million working days a month, which
could cost UK businesses around £3billion a year, according to the Fellowes Productivity in
the UK report.
The top five distractions in Manchester offices:
1. Chatting with colleagues (77.9%)
2. Tea breaks! (61.6%)
3. Snacking (48.8%)
4. Browsing the internet (36%)
5. Texting (31.4%)
The top five Manchester office frustrations
1. IT Problems (77.9%)
2. Office being too hot (33.3%) or too cold (27.9%)
3. Colleagues’ bad habits (31.4%)
4. Noisy office (29%)
5. Uncomfortable chairs (20%)
The report also identifies the need for appropriate office equipment, with a quarter of
workers claiming to have missed a deadline because they couldn’t get their hands on the right tools in time. Almost 1 in 5 office workers claim they don’t have access to the
equipment they need at least two to three times per week.
A quarter of respondents also felt that their office set up had a negative impact on their
productivity, with 1 in 5 workers admitting they ache at the end of the day because of their
desks.
Productivity expert at Think Productive and author of How to be Really Productive Grace
Marshall comments:
“Being distracted diminishes our ability to think clearly and creatively. Many office workers
find they get far more work done in the day they work from home, or the hour before
everyone else gets into the office – because they have less interruptions and distractions.
Flexibility allows us to manage our day, balance the needs of our colleagues and deliver the
work we need to get done.”
Fellowes UK Sales and Marketing Director Darryl Brunt continues: “It’s clear that our
workplace has a huge effect on productivity and our report shows a real need for businesses to take heed. Making small changes to employees’ workstation comfort can reap rewards for their wellbeing and their working life. Employees who feel more productive working from home shouldn’t be forgotten either, everyone should be given access to the right products to ensure they can work well.”
Find out more at www.fellowes.com
