Instant communication causes Stress, Anger and Distraction

The research was led by the Digital World Research Centre, with fieldwork undertaken by SSMR - the University's Surrey Social and Market Research team. It shows that the demand for instant, almost constant, communication is adding to workplace Stress, can cause Anger among colleagues and strangers alike, and is proving to be a Distraction for all, both in meetings and in public places. In short, office workers are becoming increasingly SAD.

Commissioned by Siemens Communications, the research aimed to identify whether new technology had changed patterns of acceptable business etiquette. What it also uncovered however, was an underlying resentment of communication intrusion and the advent of the SAD worker.

The SSMR research showed that office workers get frustrated, stressed and annoyed when they can't reach somebody; and yet resent distractions caused by intrusive communications to their own or their colleagues' meetings and work.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Michael Warren, University of Surrey said: 'I'm afraid the research survey shows that we all want to have our cake and eat it.

'We become stressed and impatient when we can't reach someone, and we expect instant responses from co-workers and business contacts. And yet we become annoyed when our own meetings or discussions are, for example, interrupted by a mobile phone,' he explained.

'The survey shows a clear need to establish workplace rules and for management to take a lead in setting examples and standards for each organisation. And I think that technology has its part to play too - tools and processes are needed that will allow us to manage our communications with the maximum degree of availability and the minimum degree of frustration,' he added.

Paul Moulds of Siemens Communications welcomed the research, and added that the findings supported Siemens' view that tools to manage personal availability are increasingly important in the business environment. He called on companies to do more to recognise the symptoms and tackle the SAD communications phenomena.

'The frustrations caused by intrusive communications are issues that can be helped both by management action and by improved management of technology. We recognised this in the development of our LifeWorks concept and OpenScape application which, amongst other things, allows users to manage their communications availability and also to instantly monitor the contactability of their colleagues.

'But the good news is that there are also some easy to adopt guidelines – we are calling them Eight Simple Rules – that you can put into practice today that can help banish the SAD communications blues,' he added.

Working with the Digital World Research Centre and SSMR at the University of Surrey, Siemens has devised Eight Simple Rules for modern business communications etiquette:

> Have your mobile off or on silent in meetings

> Change your mobile voicemail to request text for urgent messages

> Turn device screens off when holding meetings in your office

> If you are expecting an urgent call apologise and warn others in advance

> The person you are talking to deserves your full attention

> Hold private calls in private places

> Break out of email jail – talk to your colleagues

> Technology is not power – it doesn't signify your importance

Related links to this article:

The University of Surrey

Siemens Communications

Background information to this article:

Research Background:

The research used both quantitative and qualitative survey methods, involving almost 600 office workers from a range of industries and with a representative sample of males and females of different ages.

The following are some of the typical comments:

> 'As a society we want everything now and we're not prepared to wait'

> 'Years ago, before mobiles, if I went out and my daughter got ill my wife would deal with it and just tell me what happened – now if I'm not contactable, all hell breaks loose when I get home.'

> 'If you leave your phone on you're saying you're not worthy of my full attention'

> 'It winds me up immensely… irrespective of the conversation'

> 'I spent four hours on the phone on the train…. the people beside me were quite rightly irritated'

> 'If you're in a meeting… and someone's phone goes off, it's tut-tutted. It just shouldn't happen.'

> 'I find it annoying that you can be ringing someone, you know they are there but they are not picking up the call'

> 'People just sit there and let their phones ring'

> 'There's one guy… it's constantly an interruption… it's becoming a disciplinary issue… it's just not acceptable'

> It's quite hard if people don't make eye contact with you because they are looking at their pc.'

> 'In the workplace email has increased stress levels'

A summary of the research is available on request from:

Email: siemens@companycare.com