Ways to tackle excessive workplace talking
1. Provide gentle reminders of deadlines. This will help re-focus the minds of the nosiest people in the office so that they're concentrating on important pieces of work. Some people may have forgotten that a deadline is looming.
2. Make sure everyone has plenty to do. One of the main reasons why people become over-talkative in the office is because they're bored. By ensuring there's enough work for everyone to do, you can reduce excessive workplace talking.
3. Speak to the talkative employees in private.While it's not advised that you give staff members a public dressing-down, it can be useful to talk to them about their excessive talking in private. This might be the reminder they need to boost their productivity again.
4. Change the seating plan.If you find that a few members of staff chatter amongst themselves, it might be wise to separate them. Alternatively, you could move the more productive people to a quieter space in the office where they won't be so distracted.
5. Allow a few extra breaks for socialising.Instead of allowing workplace chatter throughout the day, why not give your employees an additional 10 or 20-minute break throughout the day. Let them know that this time can be used for chatter as long as they remain focused throughout the rest of the day.
6. Use people's skills to your advantage.If you have people in the office who don't have much to do and love to chat, perhaps you could use these skills in other areas of the company. Could they answer the phones, catch up with clients or focus on gaining new leads. All of these jobs might help them use their extrovert personalities in a more productive way.
7. Allow people to wear headphones.The employees that feel they're constantly distracted by excessive workplace chatter, might find it easier to concentrate when they've got a pair of headphones on. Some headphones come with a noise-cancelling feature that will help to drown out the excessive noise.
