Report: Distractions are workplace productivity killers

A new study from Udemy sheds light on the troubling trend of workplace distraction. Daydream dawdling and idle time on the job are nothing new, but the continuous ping-pummeling barrage of information is smothering productivity. Our smartphones aren’t helping.

Udemy’s survey found: “Thirty-six percent of millennials and Gen Z workers spend two or more hours per workday looking at their phones for personal activities.”

Office noise and chatty colleagues were cited as the most common in-office “distractors,” but online is where the most significant chunks of time are lost—particularly, on Facebook. Respondents who identified as Boomers, Gen Xers and millennials all voted Facebook as the No. 1 “online distractor,” though you can be sure Instagram, Twitter and other channels are gobbling up plenty of time, too.