The dangers of distraction in pharma

Organisation psychologist Jane Piper has worked with pharma companies around the world to help them increase productivity and increase employee wellbeing. Here she outlines the steps needed to increase productivity. 

Attention is the new currency. In a world full of distracting tech devices, media and noise, people are now finding it harder and harder to concentrate. We’re now so used to being constantly entertained and stimulated and we are all multi-tasking. It’s like everyone has ADHD and can’t sit still without checking their phone six to ten times every waking hour.

In the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, where quality, hygiene and safety are essential, distractions can be costly. Errors, accidents and quality problems all increase when GMP procedures and SOP’s are not followed because someone is not concentrating on their job. Helping your team to focus and concentrate will pay off in improvements in quality and safety. Focus is a muscle, and you can build it. Too many people believe that they can’t focus and this becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Once you drop this mistaken belief, you can take a much more realistic approach to building focus.

The day and age of digital addiction

It seems that everyone in the world has at least one mobile phone. In Europe around 70% of people have a mobile phone[i], but take the working population and that statistic increases to over 80%. Owning a phone is not the problem, the issue is many people are addicted to them. They can’t live without checking them even though they know that they shouldn’t.

The addiction is so strong that checking the phone is put above safety. Even knowing the dangers, three-quarters of drivers admitted to having sent text messages when driving[ii]. Two-thirds have read messages while waiting at a red light, and a quarter said they had sent texts while actually driving. But it is the mentality that is the most surprising when it comes to safety - a quarter of people believe that they really can do two things at once, text and drive, and think that it doesn’t impact safety. The myth of multi-tasking is hard to break.

Based on this, I believe people will also look at their phones at work even when it could compromise their or their co-workers’ or patients’ safety. The grip of the phone is just too much for many people to resist. A YouGov report has 74% of British people checking their phone during work across a range of professions. The problem is worse with younger generations who have grown up with phone with 81% of 18-24 years olds looking at their phones during working time[iii].

Interruptions double the errors

An interruption doesn’t need to be big to cause errors or accidents. The buzz of a cell phone can be enough. A study required people do a number of tasks in a complex sequence accurately, much like you might expect on a pharmaceutical manufacturing job. One group were interrupted and asked to type two numbers into a computer, taking about three seconds[iv]. This resulted in them making double the number of errors than the group which wasn’t interrupted. A longer interruption of 4.4 seconds tripled the errors.

The jarring of moving from one task to another means that they lost where they were in the sequence. When a process takes considerable thought and potential errors are costly then even small interruptions are a problem.

Is banning phones the answer?

The obvious solution would be to simply ban phones in the workplace. However it won’t be the answer to all the problems.

If people are addicted and don’t appreciate the danger (like the texting car drivers) then they will find ways to get around a rule. Instead of a ban, focus on education and awareness of the dangers of multi-tasking and distraction. People are more likely to avoid using their phones if they truly understand the impact it has on their brain and the quality of their work.

Variety of tasks

Our brains are wired for variety. The phone isn’t the only potential distraction in the workplace. From a chatty co-worker to day-dreaming, distractions can come from anywhere in the workplace.

Because of the introduction of the digital world to our day to day life, people are more susceptible to distractions and are finding it harder to focus than they did in the past. Without stimulation the brain quickly gets bored. Boredom leads to day-dreaming and mind-wandering, compromising safety and precision.

We are not naturally good at focusing for long periods of time. Our brains are designed to scan the environment for potential danger so biologically we are easily distracted. The typical attention span is between 20 and 50 minutes, depending on the task and the person’s level of interest in the task. If a task is boring 20 minutes can be too long to focus. To increase focus leaders need to design workplaces where people can concentrate for periods of 20-50 minutes without interruption, then change task or take a break.

Boredom or Burnout

High levels of stress can also lead to poor concentration and increased errors. Whether it’s result of a work problem or a private issue, managing stress should be an organisational priority. In a world where there is more pressure on companies to achieve performance targets, fulfil shareholder expectations and meet regulatory and compliance requirements, pressure often flows down through the organisation. Leaders need to find the balance between driving high performance in their team without piling so much pressure on people that it can affect their mental health. Expectations may be high but communicating that in the wrong way can actually reduce performance by increasing errors and lowering quality.

Job design for mental wellbeing

The pharma manufacturing industry needs to focus on creating jobs which have enough variety to use the brain in different ways. In an industry where errors are costly it’s also vital to develop a workplace culture which allows people to work in uninterrupted bursts of time. To do this employees must feel free to say ‘Do Not Disturb’ and understand that being distracted by calls or emails from someone superior to them in the workplace hierarchy is going to negatively affect their work. They need to develop an understanding of what is worthy of their distraction and act accordingly and this is a behaviour that also needs to be understood and encouraged by senior management.

Effective stress and pressure management both at an individual and at organisational level is also needed. A supportive work environment, where people have to opportunity to speak openly, goes a long way to making place where stress levels are held in balance.

Deal with Distraction

Distraction – seems like a simple problem with a simple solution – turn off your phone. However it is more complex. Distraction comes both from the outside world but also from within our own brain which is far harder to turn off. Awareness, education and careful job design can all help people deal with distraction at an individual level. It’s time for the pharma industry to shake up its culture and take into consideration that they are need to build workplaces  for the  digital generation now entering the workforce.

[i] https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world

[ii] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-so-many-people-text-and-drive-knowing-dangers/

[iii] https://yougov.co.uk/topics/technology/articles-reports/2018/10/18/yougov-reveals-extent-britains-addiction-our-phone

[iv] https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2013/brief-interruptions-spawn-errors/