Overall, however, Methot said the effects of small talk in the workplace are mostly positive. However, employees who possessed a higher level of self-monitoring could effectively disengage from small talk to mitigate the distraction. While the researchers learned that small talk lifts employees’ emotions, they also found that chit-chat disrupted someemployees’ ability to stay on task with theirwork. It is ‘Weather looks great this weekend, any plans?’ Surface level is what gives it its benefits.” It is not a sensitive discussion about someone’s personal life. It is not long-winded ranting about an ineffective supervisor. Methot was quick to explain what small talk is not. “It didn’t matter if you were an introvert whose averageamount of small talk was lower than what it is for an extrovert, small talk enhanced employees’ daily positive social emotions and contributed to employees feeling connected,” Methot said. Participants completed three surveys a day-morning, early afternoon, and evening-for 15 consecutive workdays. After controlling for participants’ baseline engagement for small talk, the researchers queried about levels of small talk throughout the day, and asked respondents to rate their emotions, work productivity, and overall engagement. To measure the impact of small talk on employee well-being, the researchers surveyed 151 full-time employees working at traditional 9 to 5 jobs outside thehome. For me, it’s about building culture and collaboration.” “It’s very superficial interaction, but it’s meaningful,” Methot said. In fact, a 1995 study found that small talk makes up one-third of adults’ speech. Methot said they chose to study small talk at work because it’s so pervasive, but its effects are generally discounted. Gabriel of University of Arizona,wrote “Office Chit-Chat as a Social Ritual: The Uplifting Yet Distracting Effects of Daily Small Talk at Work.” Downes of Texas Christian University, and Allison S. Rosado-Solomon of California State University Long Beach, Patrick E. Methot of Rutgers University and University of Exeter. It’s when we’re greeting administrative staff, or the friendly gabbing before a meeting,” said Jessica R. “As we broke down daily interaction, we realized our most meaningful interactions are not when we’re talking about actual work. contributes to employees’ positive emotions.Small talk with coworkers in the break room and pleasantries exchanged with office staff are more meaningful than you might think, according to an Academy of Management Journal article.Ĭontrary to the perception that small talk- brief, superficial, or trivial conversations unrelated to work-is inconsequential, researchers have found that chit-chat: Arizona State University – Academy of Management Collection - Volume 1 Number 1 - March 2021 Overlooked Benefits of Office Chit-Chat (Insights summary)
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