If you work in an office, you understand how talkative coworkers steal your time. They’re not bad people but too many unnecessary conversations will hurt your performance and see you constantly having to catch up on your work.
While it pays to be friendly, you can protect your time, without being rude. Find out some actionable strategies in this episode of our Performance Improvement for Leaders series.
What Performance Questions Does This Video Answer?
- How do coworkers steal your time?
- What can you do to make sure you’re not interrupted in your office?
- Am I attracting talkative coworkers into my office?
- How can I get rid of a talkative coworker?
Video Transcript for Don’t Let Talkative Coworkers Steal Your Time
You like your coworkers, but do they interrupt you too much? These interruptions come when you’re trying to work on important things. And the interruptions are really more like social calls. They’re not essential to anyone’s job. So how do you protect your time.
Let’s go over three suggestions. The first is you need to make sure there’s some sort of barrier between you and them. Sometimes this is as simple as closing your door, if you really need to focus.
Some people may also put up a sign. And they can make it humorous say something like, “Slaying dragons right now. Please come back later. If it’s an emergency, come in.”
That lets people know, “Oh, Ken needs to focus on stuff. I’ll leave him alone.”
Another thing to consider. Have you created bait that draws people into your office. A popular way of doing this is the candy dish. Do you have a candy dish on your desk that people come in every day. They get a piece of candy. They feel like they should talk to you for a few minutes.
That’s great. It’s a good way to learn about office gossip and do networking, but it does ensure that you’re going to have a lot of interruptions throughout your day. So maybe you need to retire the candy dish or only bring it out during certain times.
Third strategy is to get that talkative coworker, some of your work. Now nothing important. But as they’re sitting there chatting away about football or something else, give them some little tasks to do for you.
You might say, “Hey, I have this meeting coming up soon. I’ve got to produce a report for it. Would you mind collating these pages for me?”
Something basic and something simple. The person may choose to do that. If they do, well that’s good you get some help with your work.
Very often, though, that person will be like, “Oh, I have to do work if I sit in here. I’m probably not going to come back and chat so much.” Kind of gives them a message, sets a standard. Your time is important. Make sure you’re protecting it from coworker interruptions.
About This Video Series
Ken Okel’s ongoing Employee Productivity video series will make you more effective on the job. Every week, you’ll learn a new, easy to understand tip that you can use right away.
Got a challenge at work? Let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming episode.
About Ken Okel
As a motivational speaker, Ken Okel works with leaders and organizations to boost productivity, performance, and profits. At conferences, conventions, and company meetings, he engages audiences with new ways to maximize their time at work. To see a sample of his keynote and workshop presentations, visit his video page.
