Have you ever wondered what kills productivity in millions of offices across the United States? Let’s face it: many of us don’t want to be at the office so we employ various devices to pass the time. In a way, as one expert explained it, data shows that the labor force looks like it’s filled with “slackers texting and gossiping like bored teenagers.”
CareerBuilder, a job website used by millions of workers and employers, published the results of its new survey that showed smartphones are the biggest productivity killers in the workforce because people carry these mobile devices everywhere they go.
According to the study, half of employers said that cellphone use was the biggest hindrance to being productive and getting work done, while one-quarter of workers conceded to spending at least one hour per workday on personal calls, text messages and emails.
In fact, both bosses and workers were quite negative in their analysis of how much work actually gets completed during the standard eight-hour day (think of it like “Dilbert”). What were some of the top obstacles to productivity? Here are the numbers:
- Gossip (42 percent)
- Surfing the Internet (39 percent)
- Social media (38 percent)
- Snack and smoke breaks (27 percent)
- Meetings (23 percent)
The survey also revealed some world-life examples of workers evading their responsibilities by taking part in some unusual behavior that is hidden from either their colleagues or their supervisors and managers:
- Employee was shaving her legs in the women’s restroom
- Employee was lying under boxes to scare people
- Employees were having a wrestling match
- Employee was sleeping, but claimed he was praying
- Employee was taking selfies in the bathroom
In order to circumvent these hindrances, employers have taken a number of measures, including scheduling break and lunch times, monitoring emails and Internet usage, blocking access to certain websites, allowing people to telecommute and ridding the office of cubicles.
“While many managers feel their teams perform at a desirable level, they also warn that little distractions can add up to bigger gaps in productivity,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder, in a statement. “It’s important to be organized and designate times to work on different deliverables. Minimize interruptions and save personal communications for your lunch hour or break. It can help put more time and momentum back into your workday.”
The study authors recommended workers to incorporate these tips to improve your productivity:
- Organize and prioritize your workspace
- Make personal time on your own time
- Avoid unnecessary meetings
- Create a communication plan
- Limit the number of interruptions
The online survey was conducted with 2,138 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,022 workers between Feb. 10 and Mar. 4. It contains a margin of error of between +/- 1.78 and 2.12 percentage points.
