We like to think we can turn our hand to anything here at Anywhere Working (we are flexible after all) so when we heard from a particularly troubled office worker who needed help, we put our expertise to the test…
I need your help. I know that it’s normal to get distracted from work at times. But I’m not talking about that kind of distraction. I’m talking about my colleague (Wilfred, I’ll call him), whose distracting behaviour doesn’t just last for half an hour on a Monday morning. Instead, it goes on all day, all week, all month! I’m beginning to wonder if Wilfred will ever stop. I don’t want to be rude but my work is starting to slip and I’m having to catch-up at home when I should be spending time with my family. Please help!
Yours, Stressed Out
Well, Stressed Out, you’ve come to the right place! Here are our 5 tips for tackling a distracting colleague*:
1. Be brave
Be brave and tell your office Wilfred in a very diplomatic and nice way that, even though you enjoy chatting with them, it’s affecting your productivity. Maybe suggest that instead of chatting throughout the day they save it for lunchtime?
2. Plug them out
An effective way to signal that you’re busy and don’t want to be distracted is: headphones! If you plug your headphones in, most Wilfreds will get the hint. If they continue to try and distract you – which, frankly, is the height of rudeness – take one ear plug out and politely inform them that ‘you’re in the zone’ and ask if it’s important.
3. Send them packing
If your colleague comes around looking for a chat, kill their buzz by bringing up work. Maybe ask where they are with a particular project or say, ‘If you’re not busy, could you please help with…?’ Soon they will learn not to approach you for conversation unless they’re prepared to take on extra work.
4. Flexibly work
If you have a distracting colleague you shouldn’t feel as though you need to work from home or a coffee shop. That said, if you’re on a deadline it may prove useful. Alternatively, working from different locations around your office may also help, whether that’s a free desk when a colleague is at a meeting, break out area or free meeting room. Your colleague will soon learn that you’re busy.
5. Allow for distraction time
We all need a bit of distraction sometimes and often those ‘water cooler moments’ can help build important colleague relationships. Allow yourself a few minutes throughout the day for distraction. Maybe even ask the distracter for a coffee in the kitchen to catch-up, but stick to a deadline. After a few minutes, say you have to dash to finish some important work.
We hope this helps. If not, send Wilfred our way and we’ll give him a piece of our mind.
Yours, Anywhere Working
* You probably shouldn’t tackle them literally.
