The cost of work distractions
According to a 2005 study, work distractions have never been more costly.
- 1 in 5 workers will interrupt a business or social engagement to respond to a message.
- 9 out of 10 people thought colleagues who answered messages during face-to-face meetings were rude. Interestingly, 3 out of 10 believed it was not only acceptable, but a sign of diligence and efficiency.
- Ultimately, this level of distraction is equivalent to a 10 point IQ loss.
Regardless of how colleagues view these distractions, the most concerning point is the loss of brain function, which isn’t all that surprising. Juggling work, co-worker conversations, internet interests (personal and otherwise), and messaging of all types is difficult and obviously distracting.
More on IQ loss
In 80 clinical studies, Dr. Glenn Wilson of King’s College London University found that distracted workers lost 10 IQ points, the equivalent of a lost night of sleep and more than two times worse than smoking marijuana (a 4-point loss).
This is fairly disturbing information for a manager. Who wants their workers to work from less than their best?
Sound Masking for Better IQ & Fewer Losses
Businesses lose almost $600 billion/year because of office distractions. This is a result of workers finding themselves distracted more than 2 hours every day. The most commonly reported distraction in co-worker conversation.You can’t raise your employees’ IQ, but you can protect them from distraction with sound masking. Sound masking is the use of low-level background noise, white noise, to cover distracting noises, such as office conversations and common noises.
IQ loss and profit loss are not a coincidence. It’s time to regain your losses- on all fronts.