Interruptions at Work
I was recently sent an article that seems to argue against a point from my last post. Since I like data and considering all sides of a story, I thought I’d present it here with some ideas on what it could mean.
This new article states that remote workers have seen an increase in the number of interruptions to their work since the start of the Covid pandemic. In my previous post, I noted that workers who had gone from working in an office (before the pandemic) to working from home (during it) experienced a decrease in the number of interruptions while working and therefore saw an increase in their productivity.
So, which is it? Does working at home give you more interruptions or fewer?
Well, yes. More interruptions but also fewer, depending on context. (If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll know that I love the phrase “It depends.” Because it always does! There are so many factors at play – from organizational culture to economic policy to governmental regulation to individual personality. All of these aspects interact in unique ways – every time!) So, what exactly does “it” depend on in this circumstance?
In this case, the newer article references a survey of employees who have always been remote workers – prior to the pandemic and during. These workers noted a marked increase in interruptions to their work hours at home during the Covid shutdown. This makes sense, particularly in the beginning when almost all students and many office workers were at home. These workers went from what was probably a quiet and solitary workspace to having to share it with others (and oversee schooling – or at least be available for issues that arose).
The older post was about workers who changed where they worked – from an in-person office to a remote workspace – when the shutdown occurred. Even with their children, pets, and significant others around, these workers experienced fewer interruptions than they had been used to in the office. (More on that in a minute…)
So, what does this mean for you?
If you have employees who are working remotely, you can glean a lot of information from these somewhat conflicting viewpoints:
First, interruptions at home happen. Even workers who have always been remote experience interruptions – before the pandemic and during it. Some of these interruptions are personal (family, dogs, house-things that come up), and some of them are work-related (Slack notifications from coworkers, a call from a supervisor, texts from clients, etc.).
To minimize these interruptions (and to take advantage of the resulting increase in productivity), be intentional and thoughtful in your communications with others. Do you need to call that person or send a text right now? Could you put your thoughts in an email or set up a chat with that person at a more convenient time in the future?
If you’re the employee, what if you silenced all but the absolute most urgent notifications? Do you really need to be interrupted every time someone posts to Slack or sends you an email? (The answer is no, and the importance of turning off these distracting notifications has been discussed in previous posts (What Work-Life Balance?) though probably not strongly enough. And if the answer from you really is yes because your organization’s culture and expectations demand it, you need to talk with your supervisor about how these practices negatively affect your ability to concentrate and are decreasing your productivity and creativity – contact me if you’d like to brainstorm how to approach this conversation.)
You can also set up times during the day that are interruption-free (or that are specifically open to interruption and informal/social communication. There are certainly benefits to that as well!).
And one last finding was that “employees with dedicated workspaces experience fewer interruptions”. Creating your own space – or providing resources to help remote employees develop functional home offices – is a worthwhile investment.
If you’re working in-person, it might also be worth looking at how you are interrupted (or how your organization permits (and sometimes even encourages interruptions)) so you can make changes to lessen the number of interruptions to you and your people during the workday.
What kinds of interruptions are your people experiencing? Which of these are welcome and helpful, and which of these are just annoying wastes of time (or shows of power)?
How can you help your people reduce interruptions—or shift them to more appropriate times? Are there policies to consider? Work-flow processes to improve? Work-spaces to renovate or rethink?
http://www.ioatwork.com/constant-interruptions-make-remote-work-challenging/