Staff feel buried by messages (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Staff feel buried by messages

ONE in four workers cannot bear to be away from their desks for more than an hour for fear they will miss an important call or email, according to a new report.

Half of those questioned said phone calls interfered with their work, as did meetings.

A third of the 1,000 workers polled said they felt swamped or distracted by business communication.

"The research highlights how in an age of mass communication, people are constantly feeling swamped by unnecessary contact," said Tim Rivett, head of small business at the Royal Mail, which has launched a guide on how to combat "communications bombardment".

Suggestions on how to cope include shutting down emails for a period every day and switching mobile phones to silent to avoid distracting colleagues.