79% of U.S. workers can’t focus for an hour – Insightful study
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — Maintaining focus has become increasingly challenging for employees across the United States.
A recent report titled “Lost Focus: The Cost Of Distractions On Productivity In The Modern Workplace” by Insightful, a workplace analytics platform, reveals that the majority of workers struggle to stay on task for even short periods.
Out of 1,200 U.S. employees and employers surveyed, 79% admitted they couldn’t go a full hour without getting distracted, and 59% said they couldn’t even manage 30 minutes.
Workplace distraction epidemic revealed
Various factors are hindering employees from completing their to-do lists.
Over 70% said that interruptions from coworkers were the primary reason for incomplete tasks, potentially due to the sociable nature of Gen Z workers. Sixty-two percent, however, cited phone notifications as a major distraction.
Communication tools designed to enhance productivity are also contributing to the problem. Approximately one-third of participants reported that apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack, along with email notifications, disrupted their focus.
Additionally, frequent meetings (17%) and manager check-ins (22%) were noted as common sources of distraction.
The impact of these interruptions is substantial. One-third of employers estimate that distractions result in five hours of lost work time per week, while another third believe the figure is closer to six to ten hours – potentially accounting for up to 25% of the workweek.
Rethinking workplace culture and practices
Annie Dean, leader of Atlassian’s Team Anywhere initiative, suggests that these distractions are symptomatic of a larger issue in workplace culture.
“We’re in a system that, unintentionally, is set up to steal our attention, drag our efforts to wrong places, and make it harder to get work done,” Dean explained.
To address this, many employees are advocating for change. Forty-three percent of survey respondents believe that increased work flexibility would help improve concentration, while 49% think that higher compensation would help them focus.
Milly Bannister, an Australian mental health charity leader, told Fortune she avoids scheduling meetings right after lunch, a period she calls “slump hour.” Sometimes, she even encourages her staff to take a siesta, allowing them to work at unconventional hours if necessary.
“If you need to go home and then punch something out at 11 p.m. after you’ve had a four-hour nap, go for it. As long as the work gets done it doesn’t matter to me,” she said.
