Controlling Interruptions in A Cubicle Environment

Don’t you just love those people who pop their heads over your cubicle wall or stand in your doorway and say “Do you have a second?” And is it really ever just a second? When working with my clients, I often get asked about how to control interruptions when working in a cubicle environment. This is an important question when you consider the lost time and energy every interruption represents.

Cubicle environments are great in terms of encouraging collaboration and controlling building costs, and they are very economical from both a short-term build out perspective as well as a long term reorganization point of view. These factors are traditionally what drive the cubicle environment.

The downside is that 'in person' interruptions greatly increase and are significantly harder to control with this configuration. Consider that every time you are interrupted, you lose 5 to 10 minutes getting back to the level of concentration you were at prior to the interruption. Multiply that amount of time by the number of unnecessary interruptions you get on a daily basis and there is a significant productivity loss. Unfortunately, the victim in us wants to say “But I just don’t have a door to close to keep the drive-bys from happening all the time!”

All is not lost, however, and with some creativity and communication, you can establish boundaries that will help reduce unnecessary interruptions while maintaining the positive aspects of cubicles. These fall into four general categories:

• Visual and physical boundaries - I have seen individuals and teams create effective visual boundaries that can be utilized to indicate when a person cannot be interrupted. Some things I have had my clients successfully put in place include:

• A picture posted in a frame outside the cubicle wall that represents the cubicle inhabitant in a stressed state. When posted, it means “Do Not Disturb.”
• Flags that when lowered mean interruptions are okay and when raised mean no interruptions
• Crime scene tape across doorways
• Color coded cards posted at the entry way of the cubicle. Colors can represent different things; do not disturb, available, on vacation, etc.
• Headphones

• Tools - Create ways for people to leave messages or drop things off for you when you cannot be interrupted:

• Have an inbox strategically located on the outside of your cubicle wall with sticky notes and a pen available so people can leave items and messages without interrupting you
• A small white board with pen for messages mounted on the outside of your cubicle wall

• Behavior modification - Avoid encouraging people to drop by and hang out. Some of the more common pitfalls are:

• Keeping a candy jar on your desk
• Posting cartoons on your bulletin board or at the entrance to your cubicle
• Having your chair facing the entrance to your cubicle

• Communication - No matter what solution you choose as an individual or team, communication is essential. Conversations should occur around:

• What the current state is (i.e. too many interruptions leading to distraction and inability to complete work)
• What the possible solutions are (use some of the solutions above or create your own)
• Agreement on what steps you will take
• Reinforcement of boundaries

I’d like you to create the possibility of an effective work environment. With creativity and courage you can create an environment that supports you in getting your work completed and allows others to communicate with you effectively! Setting and maintaining your boundaries to support you and others in completing your objectives minimizes interruptions and leads to better work-life balance. Be bold, be courageous and Take Back Your Life!

-- John Wittry, Executive Consultant

P.S.: Setting your objectives for 2007? Review our Summer newsletter, "Gaining Focus Through Meaningful Objectives."

To discuss how McGhee strategies can help you achieve your objectives more effectively, just e-mail us or contact us any time from our web site.

Thanks for your interest in McGhee Productivity Solutions.
We look forward to serving you in the future!

www.mcgheeproductivity.com

SUBSCRIBE to McGhee Productivity News. If you received this message directly from McGhee Productivity Solutions, you are automatically subscribed to this newsletter. If it was sent to you from a friend, you can subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to subscribe@mcgheeproductivity.com, or you can subscribe directly on our website, www.mcgheeproductivity.com/library/newsletter.html.

UNSUBSCRIBE to McGhee Productivity News. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to unsubscribe@mcgheeproductivity.com.