Some Workers Are Having Trouble Getting Things Done at the Office
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your Money Briefing for Monday, August 14th. I'm J.R.
Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. Remember when we worked from home for two years straight?
Why are some workers struggling to get things done back in the office after remote work?
It was an adjustment at first, but we got our work done. Now, as people are back in the office three to five days a week, they're dealing with chatty co-workers and other distractions.
Yeah, but I need coffee today. I'm on my second cup today. Second cup? Second cup of coffee. It's one of those days. It's Monday.
How has remote work weakened our ability to block out distractions and rebuild 'muscle memory' for office focus?
Some workers are having a hard time getting things done.
Some workers have lost the muscle memory in their minds required to get jobs done in an open office setting. And it's almost like flabby biceps. That muscle has to be exercised to strengthen.
We'll talk to Wall Street Journal reporter Ray Smith after the break.
Listen at schwab.com slash washingtonwise.
Many employees have settled into a hybrid schedule, a mix of office days and work from home. But some say they're having a hard time getting things done when they're back at their desk in the office.
Why do managers insist on more in-office days and how do their goals differ from employees' preferences?
Wall Street Journal reporter Ray Smith looked into this and joins me. So, Ray, what have years of remote work done to our ability to concentrate?
Some workers have lost the muscle memory in their minds required to get jobs done in an open office setting. And it's almost like flabby biceps that muscle has to be exercised to strengthen. And after years of remote work, basically our brain's selective attention skills and ability to block out distractions has weakened.
Why are some bosses so insistent on people returning to the office? And how do their views differ from workers?
Yeah, bosses believe that being together in office fosters more camaraderie and collaboration and creativity.
What specific distractions make the open office hard to concentrate in and how long does re-acclimation take?
And workers say, yeah, but I can just be more productive at home. And they feel like they can come in for meetings or like team projects, but otherwise they feel like they should have the flexibility to work from home for more focused work.
What kinds of adjustments are people having to make when they're in the office?
Well, a couple of things. They have to get used to distractions. And by distraction, you know, it could be other people just moving about or talking or overhearing other people's conversations or phone calls even, especially in an open office, an open plan office.
But chatter and the activity among coworkers isn't anything new. I mean, it was all there before everyone went home in 2020. Is it really that hard of an adjustment?
Yes, it is. One expert I interviewed, she cited pre-pandemic research that shows it takes 20 minutes to get used to background noise. But five minutes of silence before bringing back that noise forces the brain's process to start over again.
What practical strategies can employees use to focus better at the office (headphones, quiet spaces, signaling)?
So just toggling between work from home solitude one day to a noisy office the next, that can have a similar effect.
But it wasn't exactly silence is golden while working from home. People dealt with a lot. Kids and spouses, the dog, the neighbor mowing the lawn, right?
That's right. And that's one counterargument to this. And people found ways, though, to combat that, whether it was going into some sort of private space or wearing noise-canceling headphones or... Or just signaling to the people around them, look, can you go outside or go out of the room because I really have to concentrate on this. So we found effective ways to sort of counter that when those situations arose.
And the bottom line from the perspective of managers and employees is that work has to get done and get done efficiently. So what can people do to focus more clearly?
You know, that's a really good question. And some people I've talked to talked about noise blocking headphones or noise cancellation headphones that can work or point blank letting colleagues know when they're not to be disturbed. Or in some cases, you can find a quiet space or even if your office has booths, you can go into one of those or just make a request, a friendly request to colleagues to be quieter.
Why should employees practice focused work in the office instead of always doing it from home?
But don't abandon your effort to try to get work done in the office.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:29
2
Why are some workers struggling to get things done back in the office after remote work?
0:29–0:49
3
How has remote work weakened our ability to block out distractions and rebuild 'muscle memory' for office focus?
0:49–1:56
4
Why do managers insist on more in-office days and how do their goals differ from employees' preferences?
1:56–2:39
5
What specific distractions make the open office hard to concentrate in and how long does re-acclimation take?
2:39–3:34
6
What practical strategies can employees use to focus better at the office (headphones, quiet spaces, signaling)?
3:34–4:47
7
Why should employees practice focused work in the office instead of always doing it from home?
4:47–5:36
Speakers
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