According to the head hunter, almost half of those polled globally responded 'talkative colleagues' when asked their most time consuming distraction at work. One-third of respondents picked personal emails and Internet browsing while 8 percent social networking sites, 6 percent smoking breaks, and 5 percent personal calls and/or text messages.
Like respondents in Hong Kong, those from Singapore (49 percent), New Zealand (70 percent), and Ireland (62 percent) also find chatty co-workers distracting.
Professionals in South Africa had different concerns -- 56 percent of respondents there claimed personal e-mail and internet usage was the biggest office distraction.
"Informal conversations can fuel productivity but a lot of the time professionals are engaging in conversations with colleagues out of politeness," said Andrea Ross, managing director of Robert Walters Singapore. "With most offices now being open concept, other people's conversations can be hard to avoid. Of course, the odd chat during the day can provide a welcome break and spark new ideas but there is a need to strike a balance."