{"id":7162,"date":"2026-07-18T16:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162"},"modified":"2026-07-18T16:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:33:17","slug":"the-hidden-cost-of-constant-interruptions-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162","title":{"rendered":"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most professionals believe interruptions are simply part of modern work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Teams notification appears while writing a report. A colleague asks for “just two minutes.” An email arrives marked urgent. A phone call interrupts a client meeting. By the end of the day, dozens of small disruptions have become so normal that many employees barely notice them anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet organisations have traditionally viewed interruptions almost entirely as a productivity problem. A growing body of research suggests the picture is more nuanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2026 study published in the Journal of Vocational Behavior<\/em> explored an overlooked perspective: what happens to the employee doing the interrupting, rather than the one being interrupted. The research, conducted by Leon Toebben and Sabine Sonnentag, followed 390 employees over two working weeks, collecting 3,383 daily observations through a diary design with two surveys each day. Using multilevel path analysis, the researchers examined how different types of workplace interruptions influenced the interrupter’s own work engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distinction is important because not all interruptions happen for the same reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some interruptions involve asking for information needed to complete a task. Others are intended to coordinate work, offer support, solve a problem or simply maintain social connections within a team. Rather than treating every interruption as equally harmful, the researchers separated them into four categories based on why the interruption occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings challenge a long-standing assumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three of the four interruption types were associated with higher work engagement for the employee initiating the interruption. The effect was indirect. Interruptions often helped the interrupter gain valuable social resources such as task support from colleagues, a stronger sense of belonging within the team and a greater feeling that their work had a positive impact on others. Those resources, in turn, were linked to higher engagement during the workday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, interrupting someone is not always an act of lost productivity. Sometimes it is how work gets done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That does not mean constant interruptions are beneficial. Previous research has consistently shown that being interrupted repeatedly can reduce concentration, increase stress and make it more difficult to complete cognitively demanding work. What this study highlights is that workplace interruptions have two sides. They may impose a cost on one employee while simultaneously creating value for another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For South African organisations, this has practical implications as hybrid work becomes the norm. Digital collaboration tools have made it easier than ever to interrupt colleagues. A quick Microsoft Teams message, Slack notification or WhatsApp query often feels harmless because it takes only seconds to send. For the recipient, however, returning to deep analytical work may take several minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managers therefore face a balancing act. Eliminating interruptions completely would undermine collaboration, knowledge sharing and problem solving. Allowing unrestricted access, on the other hand, risks creating an environment where no one can sustain focused work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evidence points towards smarter interruption management rather than fewer interruptions altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many successful organisations are already experimenting with practices such as designated focus periods, delayed messaging, shared availability indicators and clearer expectations about what constitutes an urgent request. These approaches preserve collaboration while protecting the uninterrupted time needed for complex thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study also offers an interesting lesson about workplace culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employees who frequently seek help or clarification are sometimes perceived as less independent. Yet asking thoughtful questions can strengthen relationships, improve coordination and ultimately increase engagement. The issue is not whether interruptions occur, but whether they are purposeful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For professionals working in consulting, banking, technology, legal services and other knowledge-intensive industries, this distinction matters. A well-timed interruption that resolves uncertainty early may save hours of duplicated effort later. By contrast, unnecessary interruptions driven by poor planning or unclear processes simply add noise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research has limitations. It relied on self-reported diary data over a relatively short period, and the findings describe associations rather than proving direct causation. Even so, the intensive day-to-day design provides valuable insight into how collaboration unfolds during ordinary working life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modern organisations often celebrate uninterrupted focus as the gold standard of productivity. There is good reason for that. Deep work remains essential for solving difficult problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, no organisation succeeds through isolated concentration alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strongest teams know when to protect focus, when to ask for help and when a brief interruption creates more value than it destroys. As digital work becomes increasingly connected, that judgement may become one of the most valuable professional skills employees can develop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Study Title:<\/strong> Shifting perspectives: How daily work interruptions relate to interrupters’ work engagement<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authors:<\/strong> Leon Toebben and Sabine Sonnentag<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journal:<\/strong> Journal of Vocational Behavior<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year:<\/strong> 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new diary study suggests that not every workplace interruption is harmful. For the employee initiating the interruption, seeking help or coordinating work can strengthen engagement by building valuable social resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[32,17,29],"class_list":["post-7162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-highlights","tag-pined","tag-trending"],"yoast_head":"\nThe hidden cost of constant interruptions at work - Research Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work - Research Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new diary study suggests that not every workplace interruption is harmful. For the employee initiating the interruption, seeking help or coordinating work can strengthen engagement by building valuable social resources.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Research Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-18T16:33:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-18T16:33:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM-1024x576.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9ee0ba1deefd3ace213abcb076be1533\"},\"headline\":\"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-18T16:33:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-18T16:33:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162\"},\"wordCount\":768,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Highlights\",\"Pined\",\"Trending\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162\",\"name\":\"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work - Research Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-18T16:33:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-18T16:33:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9ee0ba1deefd3ace213abcb076be1533\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?p=7162#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/\",\"name\":\"Research Today\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9ee0ba1deefd3ace213abcb076be1533\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4f794803efefd618ecef7b46c969eca633f77b25ed0af3044d77abe1252fb195?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4f794803efefd618ecef7b46c969eca633f77b25ed0af3044d77abe1252fb195?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4f794803efefd618ecef7b46c969eca633f77b25ed0af3044d77abe1252fb195?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/researchtoday.co.za\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work - Research Today","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work - Research Today","og_description":"A new diary study suggests that not every workplace interruption is harmful. For the employee initiating the interruption, seeking help or coordinating work can strengthen engagement by building valuable social resources.","og_url":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162","og_site_name":"Research Today","article_published_time":"2026-07-18T16:33:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-18T16:33:17+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM-1024x576.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9ee0ba1deefd3ace213abcb076be1533"},"headline":"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work","datePublished":"2026-07-18T16:33:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-18T16:33:17+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162"},"wordCount":768,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png","keywords":["Highlights","Pined","Trending"],"articleSection":["Business"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162","url":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162","name":"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work - Research Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png","datePublished":"2026-07-18T16:33:16+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-18T16:33:17+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9ee0ba1deefd3ace213abcb076be1533"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-18-2026-06_31_55-PM.png","width":1672,"height":941},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?p=7162#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The hidden cost of constant interruptions at work"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/#website","url":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/","name":"Research Today","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/#\/schema\/person\/9ee0ba1deefd3ace213abcb076be1533","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f794803efefd618ecef7b46c969eca633f77b25ed0af3044d77abe1252fb195?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f794803efefd618ecef7b46c969eca633f77b25ed0af3044d77abe1252fb195?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4f794803efefd618ecef7b46c969eca633f77b25ed0af3044d77abe1252fb195?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za"],"url":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7164,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7162\/revisions\/7164"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/researchtoday.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}