Do people bother you during your breaks or lunch? Does your manager walk up to you and ask you to do a report or task of some sort, while you are “not on the job” so to speak?This happens to many people that I’ve spoken to, over and over again. Don’t you wish that you could just put up a sign that says, “On Break” or “On Lunch”? I actually used to have a “Do Not Disturb” sign when I was taking online courses at work (for work purposes, of course). I am sure that I can hear you thinking to yourself, “Sure, sure!”
Well, this is the time for you, the readers, to shine, since I really don’t have a good answer for this. All I can suggest is to leave your desk during these designated times and go outside, take a walk or go to the lunch room. But then again, the lunch room is usually crowded and noisy. And if you work in an industrial/commercial area such as myself, it can be a little difficult to find a quiet place to walk around.
If you can suggest something for the rest of us, please send me your thoughts. The best that I could come up with is telling the people that asked me this question to be like a broken record. Keep telling your boss or co-worker that you are on break (even though they can’t see the food containers right in front of them on your desk) and they still persist on asking for your help.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to help people just as much as the next guy, but when you are taking a break, your mind needs to rest and recharge. Productivity slips about 30% when you are multi-tasking and even more when you are not at your optimal level, due to lack of rest.
So the next time some asks you to do something for them, tell them that you are on your break/lunch and you will get to the task as soon as you are finished. Do this politely of course, meanwhile you are thinking some thoughts that can’t be repeated here. Remember, this is a professional blog. I want to keep my integrity intact!
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Until next time,
Take care - of your clutter!
Post from: Administrative Assistant Tips
3 comments:
great blog! i learn few things in this post, thanks for the share.
Such a nice blog,thanks for sharing.
I personally will book a conference room and eat in there if I really feel the need not to be disturbed. People can be really rude to their support staff and my anti-confrontation nature just won't let me say "NO!" or, "WAIT!"...
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