Office environments and being distracted

[cigarette999]

I work in the office twice a week. We have a hot desking arrangement and I am in a team of around 35 people.

Around half of the team are in their early/mid 20s. Everyone's really nice, it's just that I like getting on with my work and don't like getting distracted.

I've had a few colleagues who failed to meet their targets on whatever day because by their own admittance they were talking to others too much or getting out of their seat.

I know it sounds geeky but I pride myself on always meeting my targets, and I won a performance award recently for it.

Anyway I don't work in silence, I do politely chat to whoever's next to me but I like to get on with my work too. It's difficult as sometimes there are people who want to talk all day long.

A girl recently was complaining that she's bored sitting next to certain people because they don't talk enough. I want to put in my earphones and sometimes I do, but I worry it seems antisocial and anyway people still tap me on the arm.

It's hard to find the balance. Is it rude to tell people I'm just trying to get on? I'm happy to talk at lunchtimes.

We have a colleague who's very young and this is his first ever job. He's constantly out of his seat, talking to everyone. The very young ones tend to all hang out together which is fine, but I admit I do sometimes feel a bit on the edge.. I have 3 people there I'd say im friends with.

this is an entry level position?

mainly young people

is it quite routine-y repetitive work?

Yes, that's it.

They don’t see it remotely as a career
it’s a chance to socialise and flirt
fond memories of when i was in my early twenties in a temp role day entry!

I think the world of work has really changed in the last few years. Previously, if you were new and just starting you had to keep your head down, work hard, and do what you were told. Now, there's a surplus of jobs and the culture is such that people feel like a job is an accessory to their lives, not something important and fulfilling. I started sharing an office in my new job, and my colleague just announced that she listens to really fast playlists while she is being "creative" and classical when she is calm. She asked me what i liked listening to and I was taken aback as I work with high concentration and can't listen to music while i work. Fast forward a month later, and after listening to the nonstop Adele playlist for 6 hours straight, followed by AcDc I asked her to use earphones.

In our office chatting and interacting is encouraged on the 2-3 office days as the whole reason they want people in is to collaborate. That’s how new people learn too, listening to colleagues discussing. Obviously people talk about their personal lives too, and that’s fine, as it’s good to build relations with colleagues. If people are talking so much people can’t get work done then their manager should ask them to tone it down a bit