67 / 102
MARCH 2016 •
PPB
• 65
How many times did you check
Facebook before you finished that
report? Was it more often than
running to the break room for a
coffee refill? If you thought you
checked Facebook more often—
well, you would be wrong.
Traditional workplace distractions
still outpace technological ones
,
according to a study of 1,000 full-time
workers in the U.S.
Of the top eight distractions reported by
survey respondents, taking non-lunch breaks
to visit the office kitchen/break room/water
cooler took up the most time. Using social
media for non-work purposes ranked seventh
(watching TV on the computer or a mobile
device was eighth).
However, the highest ranking time-suck was
also believed to be one of the best ways to
enhance workplace productivity, according to
the survey.
The majority of respondents said
they felt social media and talking to family
members on the phone were the greatest
hindrances to productivity at work.
Of course, the mere act of taking a break won’t
guarantee better quality work. A study by two
Baylor University management professors found
that it’s
what you do
on your break that matters.
In the study, participants who performed a pre-
ferred activity (one they enjoyed) during breaks
reported greater productivity when they
returned to work-relevant tasks.
The study also found that mid-morning
breaks prove more beneficial to resource
recovery
; the closer to waking up the partici-
pants took a break, the more energy, motivation
and concentration they experienced.
WATER COOLER
FAST
FORWARD
user’s digital experience. Pre-roll video ads have
been cited as the biggest driver of ad-blocking
growth, says Ben Williams, spokesman and opera-
tions manager for popular blocking software com-
pany Adblock Plus.
Of course, more subtle advertising doesn’t
address concerns over privacy and malware, both
issues that top the list of reasons users install ad-
blocking software in the first place. To ease privacy
fears, Williams says pop-up ad producers might con-
sider removing the trackers that drop cookies onto
their customers’ devices.
Take A
Better
Break
At Work