Office distractions frustrating employees? How employers can help

Computers and phones never seem to take a break. The incessant pings from notifications of emails, messages, phone calls, and alerts can eat up workers’ time. And then there are all the meetings, interruptions from coworkers, and general hubbub of the office that contribute to the kind of frustration that results in a drain on productivity. Some workers want to work from home to escape the distractions in the office, but that’s often not the best solution, as loneliness and isolation also take a toll. How can employers help?

Impact of distraction

The makers of Clockify by Cake.com, a time-tracking app, said in a September 2025 blog post that as many as 58% of employees spend 30 to 60 minutes of their workday on activities unrelated to their job, and another 33% waste one to two hours on workplace distractions.

In April 2025, Resume Now released a survey of 1,127 U.S. workers in which 53% admitted to regularly posting selfies or social media updates during work hours. Other findings from the survey:

• 27% named social media as a big distraction, ranking higher than emails, meetings, and online shopping.

• 41% said they attend meetings daily that feel like a waste of time.

• 47% said workplace tools like Slack, email, and project management apps often contribute to time-wasting.