职场英语:谁动了我的效率?办公室低效的罪魁祸首The weather outside your office window is inviting, the kids are home from school and getting up to who knows what, and your long-awaited vacation starts pretty soon. Is it any wonder that employee productivity takes a dive every summer? Still, according to a new survey, the three biggest drains on productivity have nothing to do with the time of year.
The research yielded some unexpected findings. For one thing, while telecommuting policies have been hotly debated in the media lately, it seems most office workers would rather be in an office, as long as companies provide an environment that provides for solitary 'focus time' with minimal distractions.
Almost all of the survey respondents -- 89% -- said they are most productive when working alone, but only 29% would prefer to telecommute. The most common distraction in the office, cited by 63%, is "loud colleagues. " 几乎所有受访者(89%)都表示,他们单遥工作时效率更高,但只有29%倾向于远程工作。 63%的人表示,在办公室较常见的干扰因素是“大声吵闹的同事”。
About 40% say they'd get a lot more done if coworkers would quit stopping by to chat, and nearly one in four (24%) complain that they "spend more time in meetings talking about work than actually doing it," the study says. In order to keep "idle chatter" to a minimum, 46% mainly use email, IM, or phone to communicate even with people who sit right next to them.
And speaking of who's in the next cubicle, if you're a manager, consider this: Some of your direct reports may wish you'd sit farther away. The survey found that 38% "would rather do unpleasant activities -- like opt for more work on their plates, sit next to someone who eats noisily, or take on a longer commute -- than sit next to their boss. " 谈到隔壁格子间的同事,假如你是经理,下面这个调查结果应该引起你的注意:你的一些直接下属可能希望你坐得远一点。 调查发现,38%的人宁可“做一些令人不快的事情——比如选择增加工作量、坐在一个吃东西声音很响的人旁边,或是更远的上班路程,也不愿意坐在老板边上。 ” What's up with that? The fact that almost 40% of respondents would rather take on more work than sit by a manager suggests that this isn't about wanting distance from the boss so they can goof off. Instead, it underscores the idea of craving focus time, away from both chatty peers and micromanagers, to really maximize output.