London - Trapped at your desk in the office, it can sometimes feel like there’s no escape from your colleagues’ ‘fascinating’ chatter.
But in a bid to spare ourselves from yet another reminiscence about their latest holiday or an update on that long-running drama with the plumber, there’ s very little we aren’t prepared to try.
And that includes hiding in the toilets, going to an imaginary meeting or even sticking our head in the fridge, according to the findings of a survey.
Nearly six out of ten people admitted to dodging conversations with their co-workers, and more than a third said they do so on a daily basis.
One in eight said they will go to the trouble of hiding to avoid having to enter into the banter, with some saying they duck down so their computer screen keeps them out of eyeshot. Others said they would lurk behind a wall rather than join in, or open the fridge door and peer inside until the chat stops.
Two-thirds said they have gone a whole day without speaking to anyone in the workplace, apart from about work-related matters.
Other tactics employed to avoid a chat with their colleagues included pretending to be on the phone, pretending not to have heard a colleague, faking needing to go to the loo, and making up an urgent deadline that means they can’ t stop and talk.
The major reason given for avoiding chatting was a “lack of time”. Others included “I had nothing to talk about’ and ‘I don’t like awkward conversations”.
In a scenario which would doubtless appal the self-styled business guru and “chilled out entertainer” David Brent from sitcom The Office, nearly one in five of the 2 000 men and women surveyed said they don’t chat because they don’ t know their colleagues well enough.
Almost a quarter confessed they do not even know the names of all the people in their team or department, reveals the survey commissioned by Age UK as part of a campaign by the charity to combat loneliness.
Despite the extraordinary lengths some of us are apparently prepared to go to avoid unnecessary chat with colleagues, four out of ten said they would feel “isolated” and more than a third ‘lonely’ if they had no one to talk to in the office, the researchers also found. Sixty-one percent said they feel “positive” after a quick chat with their colleagues.
Of course, no boss wants a team of lazy chatterboxes. But according to Ksenia Zheltoukhova, a research adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, having a chat at work can help teams to bond and regular breaks can help workers’ brains and bodies leading to better overall wellbeing.
Psychologist Gladeana McMahon said: “When faced with social situations many people feel anxious and uncomfortable, thinking that they do not know what to say and will come across as silly or boring.
“People fear what is often called ‘small talk’. If this is the case, a good way to overcome these fears is to focus on the other person and encourage them to do the talking by asking open questions, which encourages others to talk more freely about themselves.
“Research shows that having a chinwag has positive effects for an individual’s physical and emotional health and well-being. Chinwags also help deal with isolation and relieve stress. The little chats about nothing in particular, but everything in general, can make a real difference.”
Age UK is launching a nationwide fundraiser called ‘The Big Chinwag’ to encourage schools, businesses, friends and families to strike up conversations with others, including close friends or colleagues.
It comes after the charity, which helps people in later life, produced figures showing one million pensioners described themselves as lonely, with half (49 percent) saying their pet or television is the main form of company.
Daily Mail