Information Overload!

A recent article quoted a recent OpenText study to suggest 80% of Aussie workers experience information overload with overwhelming notifications from 11 or more apps/systems/tools… I probably would have guessed the same!

 Constantly being online and interpreting incomplete social cues can cause cognitive fatigue.  This clearly drives higher stress, probably prompting the new right-to-disconnect bill, but solutions must be flexible to accommodate that “new normal” we keep talking about, and retain a life outside of work, too.

Some organisations tackle this well – autonomy to balance work and communication schedules without pressure to respond outside of their usual hours. Empowerment goes a long way.

But in the context of psychosocial hazards being a hot topic, the key is to reset this expectation around constant responsiveness. Workplaces could do a lot more to reduce email traffic and structure team touchpoints to allow better focus and workflow for employees.

Don’t know what to do in the first instance? Check in with your employees – ask them about how they’re managing, what their personal pain points are, and design your intervention from there.  You could be surprised.