Email and Co-Workers Among the Biggest Distractions at Work

Just how distracting are unnecessary emails and chatty coworkers in the workplace? A new survey from JiveSoftware, Inc. found nearly four out of every five workers (79 percent) in the U.S. spend time during their workday checking emails when that time could be used towards something more productive. And, more than one-third of workers (36 percent) say the people they work with are their biggest distraction on the job.

Key findings from the survey include:

Time Wasted by American Workers on Email When They Could Be Doing Something More Productive:

-- 79 percent say they waste time checking emails

-- 18 percent spend more than a quarter of their workday checking irrelevant emails.

-- On average, American workers employed full time, part-time or self-employed spend 16 percent of a workday checking irrelevant email.

The Biggest Distractions at Work:

-- 36 percent of employed Americans said coworkers are their biggest distraction at work.

-- 20 percent said email was their biggest distraction during the workday.

-- 19 percent said that meetings are the most distracting during the workday.

Finding Work/Life Balance:

-- Close to half (48 percent) of employed Americans report working when on vacation.

-- Almost one fifth (19 percent) of employed Americans are more overwhelmed by technology at work now compared to five years ago.

More information on customer service and support can be found at www.SupportIndustry.com