There are three words that should probably set off alarm bells at work: “Just a quick question…”
They sound harmless. Friendly, even. Like someone simply wants to ask a small question, quickly discuss something or share a piece of information before they forget.
“Have you got just five minutes?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
Five minutes later, the original question has been answered. Ten minutes later, the conversation has moved on to something else. After twenty minutes, another colleague has joined in because they might have something to add.
And afterwards, one person is left sitting in front of their screen, wondering: What was I actually working on? 😉
Welcome to everyday working life. Most of us are probably familiar with these interruptions at work. They’re part of working together, they can be genuinely helpful, and yet they have an incredible ability to throw even the best-planned day off track.
You Had So Much Planned for Today
Picture an ordinary Tuesday. Your coffee is ready, your calendar looks surprisingly manageable, and there are three tasks on your to-do list that absolutely need to get done today.
You open the first document, get into the subject and are just about to finish working through a particularly complicated thought.
Ping.
“Morning! Have you got a quick minute?”
Of course you have. Five minutes, at least.
It’s a question about an ongoing project. Easy enough to answer. Except one piece of information is missing, so you look it up together. And since you’re already talking, you might as well clear up that issue from last week.
By the time the conversation ends, your coffee is cold. The document is still open, but your train of thought has disappeared somewhere between two follow-up questions and an impromptu project discussion.
So you start again. Just as you’ve managed to get back into it, another message appears: “Sorry, just one last question…”
And suddenly, it’s lunchtime. That’s how quickly interruptions at work can turn even the most carefully planned to-do list into more of a wish list.
Why Interruptions at Work Become a Habit
The interesting thing is that nobody deliberately sets out to disrupt someone else’s working day. Most spontaneous questions come from a good place. Someone wants to move a task forward, make a decision or make sure they’ve understood something correctly.
And sometimes, a quick conversation really is the best solution.
It becomes more difficult when every uncertainty leads to an immediate message and every small decision needs to be discussed straight away. Everyone spends the entire day communicating, but hardly anyone gets an extended period of peace and quiet to focus on their own work.
The strange part? By the evening, everyone has been busy. Yet some tasks are still sitting on the to-do list exactly where they were that morning.
And the day doesn’t feel unproductive at all. After all, you’ve answered questions, solved problems, helped colleagues and contributed to several projects. It’s just that your own to-do list seems remarkably unimpressed by all that effort.
“While I’ve Got You…” – The Hidden Time Thief
The follow-up question has a habit of appearing just when a conversation is supposed to be over.
“Brilliant, thanks!”
“No problem!”
A brief pause.
“Oh, while I’ve got you…”
And just like that, round two begins.
Perhaps it’s about holiday planning, an outstanding job application or who is responsible for a particular task.
In smaller companies, communication tends to be straightforward. People know each other, they know who has the answers, and nobody needs to fill out three forms just to clarify something. Thankfully!
But there’s a downside to having such easy access to one another: people use it even when there’s no real urgency.
Before long, the helpful colleague becomes the person who knows absolutely everything but barely has time to get on with their own work. And if they don’t reply immediately for once, people start wondering whether the chat is broken.
Of course, it’s a good thing when people know who they can turn to. It shows trust and a straightforward approach to working together. But that shouldn’t automatically create the expectation that every question needs an answer within thirty seconds.
When Being Helpful Turns Into Being Constantly Available
We all appreciate people who are happy to help. People who don’t immediately point to someone else’s responsibilities whenever a question comes up, but simply say, “Sure, I’ll take a look.”
These are often the people who keep everything running smoothly. But there’s a difference between being helpful and being permanently available.
When someone always responds immediately, they unintentionally create the impression that they’re available at any time. One person thinks, “I’ll just ask quickly so I can get on with my work.” The other thinks, “I can’t exactly ignore the message now.” Both are simply trying to do their jobs well.
Things get particularly interesting when managers are involved. A casual question from senior management can feel very different to an employee than a message from a colleague.
“Could you take a quick look at this?”
What was intended as a casual request may suddenly become the employee’s top priority. Even though a reply later that afternoon would have been perfectly fine.
So when it comes to interruptions at work, the challenge sometimes lies less in the question itself and more in the sense of urgency we unconsciously attach to it.
A friendly “Is now a good time, or would later be better?” can make a surprising difference. And sometimes, simply adding “No rush!” is just as helpful.
Interruptions at Work Happen When Working from Home, Too
Anyone who thinks spontaneous interruptions mainly happen in the office has probably never experienced a particularly lively Teams chat. 😉
In the office, someone suddenly appears in the doorway. When working from home, interruptions at work usually arrive as messages on your screen.
The principle is much the same: “Are you around?” or “Can we have a quick call?” And, of course, the classic: “I’ll just give you a quick ring.”
At allaboutHRLaw, we’ve been working remotely for many years. And naturally, we’re no strangers to those famous “Just a quick question…” moments.
Just because we don’t all sit together in an office doesn’t mean spontaneous questions, Teams messages and unplanned conversations aren’t part of our working day.
Quite the opposite. When people work in different locations, being able to communicate easily is particularly important. Sometimes someone needs a quick second opinion, sometimes there’s a question about a client matter, and sometimes a brief conversation sparks an idea that might never have occurred to anyone working alone.
At the same time, experience has taught us that good teamwork doesn’t mean having to be available every minute of the day.
Someone might be preparing for a client meeting, working on a concept or finally trying to finish that task that’s been on their list since the morning. A little green status indicator tells you surprisingly little about any of that.
For us, trust, personal responsibility and straightforward communication go hand in hand. We want people to feel comfortable asking questions, supporting one another and sharing a spontaneous laugh.
But it should be just as natural to say, “I’m in the middle of something right now. Let’s catch up later.”
That’s not rude. It’s simply another way of being considerate towards one another.
And let’s face it: most questions will still be there half an hour later. Sometimes, they’ve even sorted themselves out by then.
As Teams Grow, So Does the Number of Questions
What works wonderfully in a team of five can suddenly look very different when there are twenty or thirty employees.
In the early days, everyone knew what everyone else was working on. Decisions were made directly, and information was shared naturally throughout the day.
As the team grows, new tasks emerge, responsibilities become more varied, and not everyone knows the background to every issue anymore. Yet some habits from the early days remain.
The founder is still asked about every little detail, even though other people have long since taken responsibility for individual areas. The colleague in administration answers the same question for the fifth time because the information has been documented, but nobody knows where to find it. And the project manager is sitting in their third impromptu discussion of the day, while their carefully planned schedule is slowly becoming little more than decoration.
We see situations like these in our work with start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses, too.
Especially as teams grow, an increase in interruptions at work can often be a sign that something has changed.
What once worked with a quick word across the room eventually needs a little more clarity to avoid unnecessary interruptions at work. Not necessarily more rules, more meetings or complicated processes.
Sometimes, it’s enough for everyone to know who’s responsible for what and where certain information can be found.
Frequent interruptions at work can therefore also be a sign that the way people collaborate is still tied to old habits, even though the company has already moved on to its next stage.
And it’s precisely these small observations that we find interesting at allaboutHRLaw. Because for us, good HR isn’t just about having well-organised processes. It’s also about how well people work together in everyday situations.
After all, nobody should have to spend half an hour figuring out who to ask. But equally, every question shouldn’t end up with the same person.
There’s Still Room for a Little Spontaneity
With all these interruptions at work, you might be tempted to eliminate spontaneous conversations altogether.
No unplanned calls, every question in writing, and replies only at designated times.
It might be wonderfully organised, but for many teams, it would also be pretty boring.
Because let’s face it: some of the best ideas don’t come from carefully prepared meetings. They happen when someone casually shares an observation.
A quick question turns into a useful thought, or a spontaneous conversation leads to a solution nobody had considered before.
And sometimes, it’s simply nice to have a laugh with colleagues instead of talking exclusively about tasks, deadlines and responsibilities.
We believe good teamwork needs both: people who support one another and the freedom to work without distractions when needed.
That doesn’t necessarily require a new process or another major team rule. Often, a little mutual understanding is enough.
If someone needs to concentrate, they should feel comfortable saying so. And if someone asks a question, they shouldn’t feel disappointed when the answer comes a little later.
Especially in growing companies, that’s a valuable expression of trust: you don’t have to be constantly available to work well together.
“Just a Quick Question…” Is Probably Here to Stay
Let’s not kid ourselves. Tomorrow, someone somewhere will send another message beginning with “Just a quick question…”
A meeting that’s technically finished will somehow acquire another topic, and at least one person will discover that their coffee has gone cold.
And we at allaboutHRLaw probably won’t suddenly stop having spontaneous conversations either. To be honest, we wouldn’t want to.
Because working together is about people, questions, ideas and, sometimes, conversations that last a little longer than planned.
Perhaps it’s simply worth taking a moment the next time someone asks, “Have you got five minutes?” to consider whether it really needs to happen right now.
Because sometimes, the most considerate answer to “Have you got a quick minute?” is actually:
“Of course! How about in half an hour?” 😉
What About Your Team?
Do you have those famous five-minute questions that somehow turn into half a meeting? Or have you found a good way to balance spontaneous conversations with focused work?
We value straightforward collaboration, easy communication and people who look out for one another.
At the same time, we believe trust also means giving each other the space to get things done.
Because good HR doesn’t have to be complicated. And there’s always room for a little humour.