UK small business workers are losing 5.5 hours a week due to workplace irritations, research released today by Samsung Electronics has revealed.
The findings – part of Samsung’s ‘More Good Days at Work’ initiative which shows small businesses how innovative technology can help their staff to have better days at work – uncovered the amount of lost time they face because of these distractions.
Technology issues caused the most lost time, at an average of 27 minutes a day (or just over two hours per week). Crashing computers (92%) and slow internet (92%) were the two biggest factors annoying small business workers, closely followed by no access to emails (85%).
Distractions caused by co-workers caused 22 minutes a day of downtime (just under two hours per week). Moaning (which annoys 84% of small business workers), eating loudly or messily (83%) and interruptions while talking (80%) were the biggest irritations.
General office issues contributed 19 minutes a day (1.5 hours a week) in lost time. Being too hot or too cold (82%), uncomfortable seating (81%) and a messy workplace (80%) were the top frustrations.
Samsung is now warning small businesses that lost time could just be the tip of the iceberg: three in 10 (30%) people have left a job because they were irritated by colleagues, 20% because of the workplace itself and 10% because technology was too much of a pain point.
Commenting on the findings, Professor Sir Cary L Cooper, CBE, University of Manchester – a leading expert on wellbeing and workplace issues, said: “Workplace annoyances might seem insignificant in isolation, but – combined – they add up to a lot of lost working time. This is a big issue for the UK as it currently sits 7th in the G7 and 17th in the G20 on productivity per person, showing that these distractions could be causing a big impact. With increased competition and rising costs, small businesses must address these sooner, rather than later to avoid missing out on valuable office hours and losing team members.”
