Virgin Pulse Survey: Distractions on the Job are Almost Non-Stop

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workplace distractions nonstop A study by Virgin Pulse, Driven by Distractions: Why Employees’ Focus Is Waning at Work & What You Can Do about It, says that 95 percent of 1,000 respondents said they were distracted during the workday.

More than half (52 percent) say they are distracted 1 to 20 percent of the time during a workday, while for 43 percent distractions occur in the range of 21 to 75 percent, or more, of the time. And 70 percent say their health habits have a noticeable impact on their ability to focus at work.

The survey found that the biggest distractions were:

  • 54 percent say the biggest distraction is fellow co-workers looking to chat and socialize;
  • 45 percent cited email and text messages; and
  • 22 percent said personal stress like worries over relationships, family or money.

Employees cited two things that help them focus: 68 percent say proper sleep is the number one way to maintain focus at work, and 43 percent say taking a mid-day walk or getting some exercise helps them get and stay focused at work.

“Every day, employees are grappling with attention-stealing stress, job pressures and all of life’s priorities, so in order to create a high-performing, productive workforce, it’s more important than ever for employers to support their employees’ well-being and help them to improve their ability to focus,” said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin Pulse. “Supporting all aspects of employees’ health and well-being is a great place for companies to start and will help their people feel their best so they can hone in on their most important tasks.”

By Joshua Bjerke