by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: December 11, 2009   Last Updated: February 02, 2010

In dealing with interruptions, it is essential to make good evaluations and good decisions. If the immediate supervisor or someone higher in the chain of supervision is doint the interrupting, then all attention goes to the supervisor who has already made the assesment that whatever is in progress can stop. If the individual and their issue is secondary to the importance of the current project, it is fine to make arrangements to deal with their issue later. Stating that you want to give the person your full attention at a later time will go a long way toward eliminating feelings of being brushed off or rejected.

If the interruption is for an unnanounced party or social event, then a polite "I'll be there if I can, but this is a critical project." will do. Later, you can give a personal greeting, congratulations, or comment in order to show that you did not intend to disrespect the individual who is being honored. If the event was scheduled well in advance, but work came up, it is good manners to let the party organizers know that you might not be available, rather than just being a "no show".

As a warning, any alarms must be responded to. Any supervisor who decides to order everyone to stay when an emergency fire or other alarm goes off is out of luck. No one knows if the situation is a drill or for real and should never inquire. Everyone should exit the building, go to the arranged gathering place, and stay there until the "all clear" is sounded, whether as part of a drill, a mistake or for real.

Telephones and cell phones are another issue. If the telephone has caller ID, then it is easy to screen calls and to do message review at a more convenient time. Cell phone calls operate under the same principle: not all calls are that urgent that they all need to be accepted right away. If you are going through an unusual personal situation that might involve several personal calls, letting your supervisor know will allow him or her to give you some support, rather than walking into a situation where you appear to be taking too many personal calls.

Some jobs are just chaotic. Priorities change at the drop of a hat and one project has to be abandoned for another. As long as there is a good understanding with your supervisor that the work is being done well, developing multi tasking skills and learning to relax in the face of rapidly changing tasks will go a long way toward making a chaotic job relatively enjoyable and tolerable.

Interruptions can be a part of work life. But constant problematic and unnecessary interruptions in the face of overwhelming workload  calls for putting the foot down and setting boundaries. Developing techniques for controlling incoming phone calls and for prioritizing scheduling, along with timeliness in completing work will allow a worker to accommodate those unscheduled events that call for a break in the work process.

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