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Distracting Co-Workers: 4 Tips to Stop their Interruptions
"The average American worker has fifty interruptions a day, of which seventy percent have nothing to do with work."
W.Edwards Deming
You have heard the phrase...you spend more time with your co-workers than your families. So what happens if the time you spend with those co-workers is less than favorable? What if your co-workers are bored out of their minds and find ways to continually interrupt your work throughout the day? How do you maintain the relationship, if possible, and let them know that they need to "get a work life?"
The key is to keep everything focused on your productivity. Although you may want to, resist the temptation to attack them personally regarding their behavior, if you need to maintain some form of a relationship with them. Try these four tips to help you overcome these distracting co-workers:
- Approach the offending co-worker in a private setting and let them know how their interruptions are affecting your work. Give as many recent examples as possible to jog their memory.
- Let them know when would be a good time to interrupt their work, i.e., during your breaks or 4:30 pm when you have down time with your customers or never!
- If your co-worker does not "get it" and continues to interrupt you with his or her favorite YouTube videos, etc., then you should tell your boss. Remember to mention how it affects your productivity and not that you are attacking them personally.
- If your boss does not help, your last option may include finding a different work area or department to base your work. I know this is not always possible but sometimes an empty desk appears that would provide the distance needed to focus your work.
Question for You:
Do you have distracting co-worker(s) that are friendly but clueless about how their interruptions affect your work? Or maybe, worse yet, you are one of those distracting co-workers?
Action for You:
You may be able to maintain the relationship if you find a way to let them know how their interruptions are impacting your workload. By following the proper protocol above, you will find yourself better able to focus and get the work done that best serves your customers. If you are the one that likes to interrupt with YouTube videos, this is your fair warning that you are annoying others who really want to give their boss and customers the most from their workday.
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