Shaddap You Face

 

Talkative co-workers are the biggest distraction at work, according to a global survey commissioned by recruitment specialists Robert Walters. Worldwide, 48 percent of respondents reported “talkative colleagues” as the most time-consuming distraction at work, followed by personal email and internet browsing (34%), social networking sites (8%), smoking breaks (6%) and personal calls / text messages (5%).

The global results were mirrored in the UK while New Zealand, Honk Kong and Eire workers were particularly districted by talkative co-workers

Said Martyn Wright, Director of Robert Walters’ UK HR recruitment division: “Although personal use of internet and e-mail is widely perceived as the most common time waster at work, our survey shows this isn’t the case. Informal conversations can fuel productivity but a lot of the time professionals are engaging in conversations with colleagues out of politeness. With most offices now being open plan, other people’s conversations can be hard to avoid. Of course, the odd chat during the day can provide a welcome break and can spark new ideas but there is a balance that needs to be struck.”

 

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