UK office workers are spending almost half an hour gossiping with their colleagues each day, it has been reported.
Research conducted by Mars Drinks Office Connections revealed that employees ‘waste’ 27 minutes and 47 seconds of working time chin-wagging with their co-workers.
Over the course of a year, this amounts to the average office employee spending an entire working week every year chatting rather than focusing on their employment duties.
Family was found to be the favourite topic of discussion, followed by conversations about the previous night’s TV.
The third-most popular topic was sport, while one in ten insisted they enjoy banter about making a brew of tea or coffee more than anything else.
Other hot topics in the office include the British weather, celebrity gossip, food, relationships, money, children and health issues.
But despite the rise of technology, and its popularity with employees, half still prefer to chat face-to-face with colleagues than email or use the phone.
Jenni Morgan, trade marketing manager for Mars Drinks Office Connections, said the research shows that people still value talking to their colleagues in person, rather than from behind a screen.
“While emails, phone calls and even social media are certainly common ways for people to communicate with each other in the office, it’s encouraging to see that staff are taking the time to step away from their desks and engage with their colleagues in a more personal way,” she stated.
“Not only is this great for nurturing working relationships, but it can also help make us more productive and create a much more positive and happy office environment.”
