Survey: Workers think ‘water cooler’ talk improves productivity

MENLO PARK
June 21, 2006 7:47am

The gift of gab can lead to improved work performance, according to employees, but managers may beg to differ.

The disparity is found in a recent survey conducted for OfficeTeam, a unit of Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI) of Menlo Park.

According to the OfficeTeam report, 40 percent of workers say water cooler conversations increase productivity by providing opportunities for employee bonding; only 21 percent of executives polled agree.

Do these chats actually sap productivity? Workers say “no” with just 26 percent saying they do.

But the gimlet-eyed boss who’s probably wondering why you’re reading this, disagrees.

According to OfficeTeam, 34 percent of supervisors call water cooler chats a waste of time.

"Informal discussions at the water cooler or in the lunchroom can often lead to new ideas, stronger work relationships and improved team camaraderie, which, in turn, can increase productivity," says Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam.

Ms. Domeyer advises, however, that this is true up to a point.

"Conversations should not interfere with work that needs to be done. If talks steer away from business issues and continue for extended periods of time, it's distracting to others. In these cases, the dialogue should be continued after office hours," she says.

The surveys were conducted by an independent research firm and include responses from 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies, as well as 539 full- or part-time office workers.