Productivity | 1 in 5 say social media distracts them at work

New research from Diamond Interiors has found that almost one quarter of employees’ attribute distractions at work to trawling through social media throughout the day.

The study, which polled 1,500 people, indicated that one of the biggest distractions hampering workplace productivity was social media, whether that is accessed from personal phones, tablets or even work computers, the connectivity apps have left numerous workforces disconnected from the job at hand.

However, it seems that social media was not the only medium guilty of distracting employees. 26% said that lost productivity was down to busy or noisy office environments, while 15% blamed gossiping with their colleagues, 11% said that they were distracted by dealing with personal issues and ten per cent said that their vice was eating snacks and getting up to make a cuppa.

So, how can employees combat the ever-impeding work distractions?