According to a study by the analysis company IDA, Danish administration workers admit they waste more than 100 hours a year due to distractions, Politiken reports.

While open-plan offices have become popular at many Danish companies, the attention span of their employees is being challenged. 

Based on interviews with 1,005 office workers, IDA reports that six out of ten employees get distracted by their colleagues sitting next to them. 

Constant disturbance reduces productivity
Helge Hvid, a professor at Roskilde University, points out that many office workers have a job that requires a high degree of concentration.

"If someone talks to a colleague across the office, it will disturb others. And it is clear that if someone has a job that requires high concentration, the constant disturbance reduces productivity," Hvid commented in a press release.

Hvid believes having some private space is often necessary and suggests employees should agree on time-slots when they do not disturb each other.