What People Find Distracting at Work

The top workplace distractions involve not just where you work, but who you work with. According to a new poll by Udemy and Toluna, 80 percent of people report being distracted by chatty coworkers, the number one office place distraction. Office noise is the second most cited workplace disturbance, with seven out of ten respondents citing noise as a top bother in their day-to-day workflow. Lower on the list, but still a problem, was social media. Half of the people surveyed thought that personal social media use was a disturbance to them at work.

The report found that reducing workplace distractions increased workers productivity, motivation, confidence, and overall happiness. As open office plans have come into vogue in the modern workplace, new studies have brought into question how effective they are at fostering a collaborative environment as many complain of their distractions and misuse.