- 31.7% of employees surveyed admit to scrolling on their phone during meetings
- Distractive habits pervade the workplace, with potentially devastating consequences on long-term job prospects.
- Managers are 4 times more likely to arrive late for a meeting than an entry-level employee.
Scrolling on your phone is now considered preferable to engaging in discussion in meetings, with almost a third (31.7%) of employees admitting to looking at their phone instead of the daily PowerPoint, according to new research.
Digital distractions in the workplace deprive employees of all ages of opportunities for advancement, while Gen Z employees struggle to manage their time. Results from a Careerminds UK survey of 600 UK employees highlight meetings, emails and notifications that distract from the focused task, with completion or attention paid to personal tasks at work by 37.2% of respondents.
Time management challenges affect employees in all workplaces, with Generation Z particularly singled out as having difficulty getting organized and engaged.
“Habits that are detrimental to your career”
The survey found that chronic laziness, ignoring messages and scrolling on the phone during meetings were among the bad habits, with 44.2% of respondents admitting to indulging in 3 or more “career-damaging habits” each month.
Meanwhile, the threat of “discreet habits” can potentially have the biggest impact on the chances of progression at your current employer.
If you’re prone to engaging in avoidant behaviors, such as staying silent in meetings (31%), talking up a manager to a colleague (19.2%), or saying yes to a task you can’t complete (5.7%), you should also look for ways to break the habits that are holding you back.
“None of these behaviors are likely to derail a career on their own, but together they influence how reliable, committed and willing you appear to take on greater responsibilities to the people who make decisions about promotions and pay rises,” noted Amanda Augustine, Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC) and resident careers expert at Careerminds UK.
“The encouraging news is that these are not fixed personality traits; but rather daily habits that can be identified, addressed and improved with consistent effort.”
Gen Z: Struggling with Time Management
However, perhaps the most worrying data from the survey relates to Generation Z. Careerminds UK found that more than a quarter (26.7%) of employees in the 18-29 age group arrived late for meetings in the previous month, far higher than the rate of 3.3% in the over-55s age group. Additionally, the younger cohort is more likely to “call in sick” (26.7% vs. 12.2%) to benefit from additional leave.
However, there may be an opportunity for administrators to lead by example and arrive on time to meetings, with 38.0% more likely to arrive late for meetings, compared to 9.2% of entry-level employees.
Advice from Careerminds UK includes becoming more organized at work, spending time handling messages, being present, engaged and communicative, and recognizing challenges with deadlines before they become a problem.
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