Yahoo! Messenger Blog

IM is GOOD for the workplace

June 6, 2008 on 8:00 am | In News | 5 Comments

A recent article in Science Daily reports that instant messaging actually proves useful in reducing workplace interruptions. Results of this research run counter to the common assumption that IM is distracting to workers and decreases productivity. Read on for more about what they found out in their survey of office workers.

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ScienceDaily (Jun. 4, 2008) – Employers seeking to decrease interruptions may want to have their workers use instant messaging software, a new study suggests. A recent study by researchers at Ohio State University and University of California, Irvine found that workers who used instant messaging on the job reported less interruption than colleagues who did not.

The study challenges the widespread belief that instant messaging leads to an increase in disruption. Some researchers have speculated that workers would use instant messaging in addition to the phone and e-mail, leading to increased interruption and reduced productivity.

Instead, research showed that instant messaging was often used as a substitute for other, more disruptive forms of communication such as the telephone, e-mail, and face-to-face conversations. Using instant messaging led to more conversations on the computer, but the conversations were briefer, said R. Kelly Garrett, co-author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State.

“The key take away is that instant messaging has some benefits where many people had feared that it might be harmful,” Garrett said.

Read the full article at ScienceDaily.com

Sarah Bacon
Product Manager