Study Finds Instant Messaging Helps Productivity

MojoKid writes "Researchers at Ohio State University and the University of California, Irvine conducted a telephone study by randomly surveying individuals employed full-time who use computers in an office environment at least five hours per week. They netted 912 respondents, of which 29.8 percent claimed to use IM in the workplace 'to keep connected with coworkers and clients.' Neither occupation, education, gender, nor age seem to have an impact on whether an individual is an IM user or not. The study theorizes that using IM enables individuals to 'flag their availability.' Doing so can limit when IM interruptions occur. Even if an IM interruption comes when it is not necessarily convenient to the recipient, it is 'often socially acceptable' to ignore an incoming message or respond with a terse reply stating that the recipient is too busy at the moment to properly respond." Also another study recently found that water is wet, and a third study found that most studies waste money.

Comments

Oops

[SimonGhent]

Sorry, thought you said "Massaging Helps Productivity".

I appear to be in the wrong room.

And in other news study finds fat people healthy

[Anonymous Coward]

these days they'll make study's that will prove just about anything just to get published or hawk a product.

Sorta reminds me of

[SGDarkKnight]

Also another study recently found that water is wet, and a third study found that most studies waste money

those old online polls that showed a percentage of people did not participate in online polls, hey look, /. had one too

http://slashdot.org/pollBooth.pl?qid=401 and 2521 people don't vote :-)

u r rite!

[Anonymous Coward]

So while you may dismiss this as the painfully obvious, at least I'll have something to shut down the baseless claims that a lot of good useful tools today "make us stupid." It's still possible for something to make us both more productive and stupid but at least there's some evidence supporting instant messaging in the workplace.

i no xactly wat u meen! pholks sa i'm stewpid for it an 4 posteing on sashdot! i haf to go bac and rite my web pag

Re:u r rite!

[Black-Man]

I see you communicate w/ off shore folks from India using IM, too. Christ... I can't take it the way they hack it up.

Slashdot increases productivity

[gustgr]

Now we need a study (sponsored by Sourceforge, Inc.) confirming that accessing /. and posting comments during your work time insanely increases productivity. My boss would definitely get a copy of such report.

Re:Not So Obvious to Many in Corporate America

[aplusjimages]

we should start with the web browser. While useful to access business sites it is also abused to look at /. and reply to articles.

Re:Doesn't follow.

[hansamurai]

I just organized ordering pizza through IM, instead of walking around and asking everyone individually what they want, I sent out a group message and the answers rolled in when my co-workers found it convenient to respond. It not only makes me more productive (as I don't have the risk of getting in a 30 minute conversation with someone, times 12), it makes me co-workers less distracted.

But of course, all productivity is negated through Slashdot. So whatever.

Re:Short answers drive me nuts

[chronoblip]

ORLY?

Re:Not So Obvious to Many in Corporate America

[Visual Echo]

Use Klingon phone protocol. Just bellow "SPEAK!"

Re:Doesn't follow.

[fahrbot-bot]

Those that don't use IM really hinder my productivity at times.

Which would be my point: Who's productivity does IM help?

While my not using IM may hinder your productivity, not using it helps mine. Anyone who needs me can send email and I'll get back to you when I can, or, if really important, call or stop by.

Seriously, unless you're choking on a pretzel or on fire, my time is more important than yours (generically, yours) - /. doesn't read itself you know. :-)