A loud crash came from the managers office next door. Not for the first time the phone had been hurled at the wall with such force as to smashing the plastic casing into too so many pieces even the most enthusiastic jig saw maker could not put back together again. But at least it had stoped that incessant ringing. It would have been simpler to unplugged the offending article but nowhere near as satisfying. Before the computer, before the internet , before emails, before mobile phones and text messages, before social media the biggest workplace distraction was the phone. That is if you don’t count your chatter box colleague. In today’s always on culture you can’t escape. I can hear the person in the next toilet cubical having a work conversation. I wonder if the person they are speaking to realises, or cares? Why is it we feel we must answer the ,”ping” of a new message. We are not going to read the email let alone answer it ,too busy but we need to check who it’s from and what it’s about. Some people may consider many of the meetings they are required to attend as unwelcome interruptions to getting on with work. Most people aren’t paying attention anyway they are to busy checking their emails below the table. In today’s always on culture every office should have a distraction free official Dead Zone.
Blair McPherson former Director, author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
