Wall Street Journal Online (05/29/12) Sue Shellenbarger

Co-workers stopping by your desk to chat is the leading on-the-job distraction, cited by 27% of 500 executives in a recent survey by Creative Group, a Menlo Park, CA-based staffing company specializing in creative, advertising, and marketing professionals. While many employers are using open-plan offices, with low or no walls between co-workers to aid collaboration, the trend also can fuel distractions. Walling oneself off by wearing earbuds or headsets is an increasingly popular solution, but supervisors complain that too many are using the devices to retreat into a private world.