Survey These are the biggest distractions in the workplace

Survey These are the biggest distractions in the workplaceSurvey These are the biggest distractions in the workplaceWhile open office spaces can have perils all their own, you dont necessarily have to work in one to get distracted at work.Research from Udemy shows thatchatty coworkers are the biggest distraction at the office, with 80% of survey respondents choosing this option, followed by office noise at 70%.But when it comes to meetings, small talk and office gossip are the most popular reasons why they are disrupted,at 54%. A whopping 69% of workers admit to being distracted at work overall.Toluna Group surveyed more than 1,000 American adults working full-time in offices full-time. Here are some of the points that stood out.Were super-glued to our phones at workWhile 62% of respondents say they spend approximately one hour daily on their phones at work, 36% each of millennials and those in Generation Z report spending a minimum of two hours doing the same thing.But where meeting s are concerned, other reasons why theyre thrown off track are side discussion about other projects (45%), late arrivals/early departures (37%) and technology/connectivity problems (33%).Darren Shimkus, the general manager forUdemy for Business,commented on the research in a statementIts shocking that 54% of employees attribute their underperformance to workplace distractions, but its also clear that companies have the power to change that statistic by investing in training. By embracing a learning culture and prioritizing training and development, businesses can help develop employees that keep up with nonstop technology and are competitive, competent, and engaged.But, while 70% of workers think training could help them cut back on distractions and get better at time management, 66% havent breathed a word of this to their managers.As far as methods employees are using for improvement 43% say they shut off their phone during the workday, 30% say they use music, meditation, or other relaxation techniques, and 26% say they fill time with simple tasks that dont require as much focus.These social media platforms make employees lose focus the mostFacebook overwhelmingly takes the cake here, with a whopping 65% of respondents saying that its their main source of distraction online. This was true for 58% of millennials and Generation Z, 69% of Generation X and 71% of Baby Boomers (although 7% said email and texting is their biggest distractor).Instagram was the second most-distracting platform, with 9% of respondents choosing it, followed by Twitter and Snapchat, both at 7%, respectively.But still, 58% of workers said social media isnt necessary for their jobs.Work platforms arent as distractingThe research also compared using tech for personal activities and using work-related tools to see which task different generations found more distracting than the other. Among millennials and Generation Z, 78% chose using technology for their own gain, compared to 22% who pick ed the platforms they use at work. Zeroing in on Generation X, 57% picked the former and 43% picked the latter. Lastly, 43% of Boomers picked the former and 57% picked the latter.The top three practices respondents said would boost their engagement at work were trying new things, expanding my role (54%), being empowered to learn new skills whenever I need to (42%) and having a clearer path for professional growth (35%).But the two most popular ways respondents thought employers could help prevent distractions were to allow flexible schedules, remote options (40%) and establish designated spaces for quiet vs. noisy work (38%), among other results.