Member Article

Out of Focus: UK Workers Struggling to Concentrate on Return to Work

If you’re struggling to focus now the clocks have gone back, or on returning to the office after a period working from home, you’re with the majority according to new research.

A survey by wellness firm Well lab has found that three quarters of Brits are ‘often’ or ‘very often’ distracted at work.

And a further 35% said they’re finding it even harder to pay attention now they’ve returned to offices after working from home.

Office chatter, daydreaming and tiredness, were just some of the reasons listed by respondents as to why they couldn’t stay on task.

As we head into winter the problem could worsen further, as according to scientific studies focusing can be increasingly difficult in the winter months. A 2016 study found that our ability to concentrate is linked to the hours of sunlight in the day. It found our attention peaks around the summer solstice in June.

A spokesperson for Well lab, a Cheshire-based wellness firm that focuses on targeted products for a range of ailments said:

“We aren’t hugely surprised by the results of this survey, it’s another fallout from the pandemic that could take a while to sort as people adjust back into working life.

“It could be that when home working, people have done work in short bursts of an hour or two then gone to make lunch, do some chores or home schooling before returning for another short period of concentration. And actually, this could be much better for the brain than trying to sit down for prolonged hours.

“For others it could be tiredness, what they’re eating, an underlying condition such as ADHD or ADD or factors in their environment that are entirely controllable. What is certain is that many are finding it harder to get back into the routine of a ‘normal’ working day.

“There are things we can try of course, taking regular breaks and even trying to squeeze in some exercise in the middle of the day when there is most sunlight can help. Some of our targeted CBD products can also aid concentration thanks to a unique combination of terpenes and herbal extracts such as maca root and ashwagandha thought to calm the brain and limit distraction from external sources.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rachael Ashmore .