It’s Time We All Share Responsibility for Workplace Distractions

5 min readApr 15, 2016

Noise and other office distractions are the enemies of productivity.

Together, we can destroy them.

If you happen to work in an open office, you know all-too-well the nature of the distractions at hand. And if you don’t, you can imagine.

Noise. Not just the loud talkers. The constant, throbbing din of activity. Lack of privacy. Your neighbor’s smelly food.

Heck, if you wanted all that, you’d just set up shop in a Starbucks like so many freelancers and self-starters do.

But you don’t. You work in something approximating an office with an open floor plan and co-workers who, for the most part, you genuinely like. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with them has its benefits. Faster, more open lines of communication, the ability to huddle quickly on a problem (even if you never do this, like 24-hour bites in New York, it’s good to know it’s there), and access to more natural light. All pluses, no doubt. Except for the frequent distractions.

As much as the affect of noise depends on individual tolerances, it is a common enough problem for a company’s management to consider ways of… well, managing it. Proactively, if possible. With the help from their charges.

So here are a few tips for managing it collaboratively.

Managers

Help out your team and give them some workable options for dealing with a distracting work environment.

Acknowledge different thresholds

Some employees are more easily distracted than others and that shouldn’t cost them. The ability to focus in busy environments is not a reflection of character, nor should employees be made to feel that way. As a manager, the more you can help them create (and recreate) optimal work conditions, the stronger their performance will be. A simple method for getting a handle on the severity of the problem, if one exists, is to proactively survey your team.

Consider flexible work arrangements

For some, the optimal work environment to complete certain tasks may well reside outside the walls of the office. Whether that’s the individual’s home or the library down the road, employees appreciate flexibility in how and where they complete their work. In fact, it can heavily influence their sentiments toward their employer. Not saying they should disappear for hours at a time, but if their focus is suffering enough to adversely affect performance, it’s certainly worth a conversation.

Offer up your space

When common spaces likes meeting rooms and lounges are occupied, an empty private office might be the next best option for a team member fleeing distraction. If you’re going to be out-of-pocket for awhile, why not volunteer your office?

Clearly communicating the expectation that empty private offices are up for grabs is a smart use of space and a humble gesture your team can appreciate.

Propose quiet hours

A boisterous, high-energy work environment can have its own benefits, but if it reaches levels of frequent or unwavering distraction, you may need to address it with a policy like “quiet hours” during certain times of day. Here again you needn’t determine the policy in a vacuum; consulting your able team can guide you to the smartest outcome.

Provide concrete tools for managing distractions

At SquareFoot we’ve started holding voluntary group meditation sessions in the office to help people clear their minds and it’s become something of a hit. In addition to recharging and renewing focus for the day, participants learn useful techniques for meditating on their own time, which empowers them to manage stress not just at work but in other facets of their lives.

Now group meditation might not be a feasible — or even desirable — practice at every company, but otherwise providing employees with the tools and education to manage stress on their own contributes to a healthier work environment, one less likely to distract.

For the rest of us…

As easy as it is to blame office dynamics for our faltering grasp on focus, we have considerable agency in how we personally navigate distractions, including speaking to a manager about any of the above solutions.

Here are a few techniques I’ve found useful.

Go for a walk

You’re supposed to get up from your desk every 30 minutes or so to lead an ergonomically sound existence. Taking a short walk around the block to breathe in some fresh air and collect your thoughts is never a bad idea.

Hole up in a conference room

This is easier said than done in many offices where meeting space is at a premium, but if you see an empty room and need an escape from the din, you might as well set up shop until someone needs it.

Slip on your headphones

As much as music or podcasts help some of us get into the zone, this one can be a little tricky because it certainly delivers a message — intended or not — that interaction with your co-workers is of no interest, at least not at the moment. Which most people understand, as they are often guilty of the same tactic. Just be aware of how much you’re doing it and the possible ramifications it can have on your social standing at the office. If that’s important to you.

Get to the office early

If you’re “not a morning person,” this probably isn’t the ideal move, but you’d be surprised how much you can get done in a quiet office (as opposed to your apartment, which has its own distractions) with no one around. For long-term tasks and projects, getting to the office an hour early and working exclusively on them can pay massive dividends.

Close those tabs

Not all distractions are office-made. If you have a problem opening too many tabs and subsequently getting lost, it may be time to investigate the hugely popular Momentum, which turns that “new tab” click into a relaxing screen with an inspirational quote, a serene photo, and your neglected to-do list.