Distracted? Survey uncovers what’s distracting us most from work in 2022, and it’s not Wordle

Whether you work from home or in the office, workplace distraction is inevitable. Not so long ago, those who typically worked in the office were restricted to at-home work protocols. As we adapted to that world of work-from-home, distractions and habits changed. No longer were chatty co-workers disrupting work-flow (but kids or pets instead) and rather than spending hours in transit many picked up hobbies and gaming habits to relax and even stay social.

Following this lived experiment of working remotely, there have been waves of surveys clearly signifying that flexible work is in and this disruptive new trend may be here to stay. For instance, the ADP Research Institute found that 67% of workers feel empowered to take advantage of flexible working arrangements, up from 26% pre-pandemic. Could it be because workers now have more time for personal projects? Could it be that they’ve just adapted to working from home and don’t want to re-adapt to the work environment?

Whatever the reason, with this increased interest and shift in work protocols, the team at Solitaired.com wanted to know if what is distracting us most from getting work done has changed. Since their own launch, they’ve seen continual interest in online gameplay. Plus reports indicate more and more are turning to games for stress relief. Considering the latest Wordle crazy, this new workplace distraction survey is different from the rest in that it includes a specific option for respondents to select games as a source of distraction.

Here’s what they found in a new 2022 Workplace Distractions Survey.

Work-related interruptions are #1 work distraction, games #2

This survey asked 1503 respondents: What distracts you the most from work — when you should be working?

The largest proportion of respondents indicates that work-related interruptions are a significant source of distraction from work. This includes interruptions from coworkers and unnecessary meetings.

Second-most problematic is games! So, yeah Wordle is not the most distracting but it certainly is a player.

Of the write-in responses 2% of those surveyed insisted nothing distracts them from work. One respondent said, “My mind is always on my tasks. I can multitask.”

Distractions are normal, how we handle them is key

Ultimately, we can’t avoid distractions. And work protocols are going to be decisions made at the executive level.

What important is that employers and employees both understand what distractions are more problematic than others. For instance, if phones are less a problem (maybe thanks to focus mode?) maybe find creative ways to use gamification in the workplace or as a life hack. Life is like a game, some may say.