Facebook, Twitter distract UAE employees: survey

We probably don’t like to admit but most of us love distractions. As children, it was the park, video games and now as adults, working in an office, there are things like social media websites, instant messaging and online videos – all working in the other direction, distracting us from what we are supposed to do.

That is what the latest survey by Bayt.com shows. Technology has made work easier but it also distracts employees from the very work they are to accomplish.

The Bayt.com ‘Distractions at Work in the MENA’ poll, conducted by job site has revealed that more than half of respondents in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region find distraction at work to be a big problem.

One of the biggest mistake people make at work is abusing the time they have on the Internet and social media. While the Internet and social media are great work tools they are often misused.

Employees often chat online with family and friends, spend time on twitter and Facebook during the time they should be working for the company they are employed with.

Social media sites are seen to be the worst for snatching attention away from work. However, eight out of 10 respondents believe that they are efficient at their job, despite the distractions.

A majority of Mena respondents (59.3 per cent) consider that having their attention snatched away from work is a ‘big problem’, and that the main culprit for distraction is social media, according to 24.7 per cent.

Yet, other activities rank highly on the list of top distractions as well, with respondents saying these are their top distractions: colleagues and the chance to socialise (18.3 per cent); news websites (10.2 per cent, with 31.2 per cent stating that their efficiency at work is affected by news coming from neighbouring countries).

Work-related matters that are not linked to current tasks are also considered to be big distractions (10 per cent); email (8 per cent), instant messaging (4.3 per cent), and YouTube (2.7 per cent). Meanwhile, a large 21.8 per cent of respondents say all of the above are equally as distracting.

Misusing the Internet can have repercussions. “The biggest mistake people make at work is abusing the time they have on the Internet, social media and using their company e-mail for private purpose. While the Internet and social media are great work tools, they can be abused and the last thing companies want to pay for is your time on the Internet,” a headhunter with an international recruitment firm told Emirates 24|7.

However, an office goer, speaking with this website, says it is virtually impossible to be glued to work for eight hours at a stretch and these breaks, if utilised properly, can help employees become more productive.

There are many other things, if ingrained in the work culture, help employees become less distracted and become more productive.

The Bayt survey shows that a more professional work environment would help 30.2 per cent of respondents to be less distracted, while 23.3 per cent state that they would be more likely to concentrate more on work if they had a better work/life balance.

A fifth (21.4 per cent) would like more challenging work to keep them occupied. More than a third (37.3 per cent) take short breaks from work once a day; almost a quarter (22.4 per cent) go twice a day, with 18.7 per cent taking a break every 2-3 hours.

Tiredness does not seem to be a big issue for most Mena employees, with seven out of 10 (67.1 per cent) saying they rarely or never feel sleepy at work. On the other hand, news and events coming from neighbouring Mena countries seems to be a cause of anxiety to 12.7 per cent of respondents, with 31.2 per cent saying that their work productivity has been affected by “checking the news all day”.

Despite all of the distractions, 83.5 per cent of respondents consider themselves to be efficient at work, and almost three-quarters (73.9 per cent) work according to a to-do list in the office. Almost half (45.2 per cent) plan their tasks a week in advance, with four in 10 (38.8 per cent) planning them every morning. More than eight in 10 polled professionals (85 per cent) said that they have set long-term goals to guide them, which is a good practice.

Data for the Bayt.com ‘Distractions at Work in the Mena’ poll was collected online from October 27 – November 20, 2013, with 6,704 respondents from UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

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