How To Handle Habitual Socializers

Yesterday during a conversation with a friend, one of the topics that came up is the amount of jobs the United States has lost to off-shoring. Which brought up the obvious question, why? and what can we do differently.? My friend being in the corporate sales training arena, highlighted that the main reason is the lack of productivity.

So this conversation has made me think, what are the major causes of inefficiency in the United States and what can we do differently? One that comes quickly to mind is those poorly planned meetings. Worldwide respondents to a recent Microsoft Office survey say they feel unproductive for as much as a third of their workweek. Wow! unproductive for as much as 33% of their work week. The top three time wasters, according to survey participants, were ineffective meetings, unclear objectives and lack of team communication. 

In the United States, 42% cited procrastination, 39% picked lack of team communication and 35% chose ineffective meetings among the top time wasters, according to the same survey. However, one that was not mentioned and I think that we overlook is the excessive socializing in the office during work hours.

There are two main forms of time wasters in our offices; Interruptions and distractions. Eventhough some of the interruptions cannot be prevented, there is one that is easy to avoid and the focus of this article. I am talking about the visits from the infamous "habitual socializers". Even though socializing is  important for the work environment, team and career, it's better to set aside some specific time for socializing with your colleagues in a way that represents a win-win for everyone.

Interruptions are inevitable in the corporate world, specially if you are the "go to person" in your office. Whether you answer difficult questions, provide
guidance, or point people in the right direction, helping others can be a valuable service to your team and your company. However, unplanned interruptions can become a time waster and lower your productivity. Therefore, to be able to increase your productivity you must take action to reduce the number and frequency of unexpected interruptions, particularly the ones that end up wasting your time, without sacrificing your team's productivity in the process.

If you are facing this problem at work right now, you should consider implementing a unique strategy to handle these interruptions. The key is to avoid inviting them in with friendly question,s instead you may need to use a less inviting statement to discourage the interruption unless it is truly important.

For example:

Visitor: "Got a minute?"

You: "Actually, I'm in the middle of something right now. Can this wait?"

or

You: "I'm really busy right now, is it something urgent?"

The majority of habitual socializers will realize you don't have any interest in socializing at that moment and try to find someone else to talk to. If they do have something legitimate to discuss they will say so and you can then decide how to proceed. You should reserve this tactic only for people that you've identified as habitual socializers through repeated patterns of abuse. The rest of your colleagues and staff deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Also, do not overlook for the interruptions in the form of text, chats, emails, facebook, tweeting, social/personal phone calls that eat up into your productivity.  Here are three simple steps to address habitual socializers:

1. Make your office a work place. When habitual socializer drop-in, go and meet them at the door, a clear message that right now the communication needs to be kept short and sweet.

2. While client droping-in your office is important make sure it is productive. If the request will only take a minute or two of your time, complying will bolster your relationship with the client. However, if what the client wants is going to take up more time than you can afford to lose, or they start abusing your time, politely ask him or her to come back later or make an appointment. Most people won't mind doing so.

3. Be firm and clear with the abusive habitual socializer. Some people are more
persistent than others and just "don't get it". You may have to just talk to them, set some boundaries, and ask them to respect them. Make it clear that while you value your relationship with them, you'd rather socialize at a different time. Offer to have a chat with them during lunch, or during a pre-arranged coffee break.

Socializing should not be eliminated all together, it is an important part of effective team building. However, you do have the right to decide when you want to socialize and when you want to work. Like everything else, having a balance is the key. I have written an ebook that you will find very useful if you are interested in improving your efficiency - Making Time Work For You.