When asked to name the biggest productivity killers in the workplace, employers prioritized them as follows:

Cellphone/texting: 55 percent.
The internet: 41 percent.
Gossip: 39 percent.
Social media: 37 percent.
Co-workers dropping by: 27 percent.
Smoke breaks or snack breaks: 27 percent.
Email: 26 percent.
Meetings: 24 percent.
Noisy coworkers: 20 percent.
Sitting in a cubicle: 9 percent.

More results from the survey

The survey also let employers prioritize a list of negative consequences for the organization caused by the above distractions:

Compromised quality of work: 48 percent.
Lower morale because other workers have to pick up the slack: 38 percent.
Negative impact on boss/employee relationship: 28 percent.
Missed deadlines: 27 percent.
Loss in revenue: 26 percent.
Negative impact on client relationships: 20 percent.

What to do about it? While some bosses shrug their shoulders and look the other way, three-quarters say they are fighting back. Among actions taken:

Blocking certain internet sites: 32 percent.
Banning personal calls/cellphone use: 26 percent.
Schedule lunch and break times: 24 percent.
Monitor emails and internet usage: 19 percent.
Limit meetings: 17 percent.
Allow people to telecommute: 14 percent.
Have an open space layout instead of cubicles: 14 percent.
Restrict use of speakerphones if not in an office: 13 percent.
Increase height of cubicle walls to make it easier to concentrate: 8 percent.

While CareerBuilder also asked bosses: What were the most unusual or most memorable things you have caught an employee doing when they should have been working? Among the answers:

Employee was working on a scrapbook.
Employee was decorating a cubicle with chains of paper clips.
Employee brought her equipment for her embroidery business from home and was making items for a craft show to sell.
Employee was doing doughnuts in the parking lot in the snow.
Employee brought in a kitten she found outside and tried to keep it quiet within a large purse.
Employee was working on her child's school project that included uncooked macaroni noodles.
Employee was laying on a patient's bed talking to the patient while the patient sat in her wheelchair
Employee was watching YouTube videos of people shoving marshmallows in their mouth.

Anyone got the URL for the marshmallow-shoving video?

Instant Insights /

Cellphone leads in lost productivity, survey shows

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