Article Seven Ways to Overcome Information Overload
In today’s digital world employees are bombarded with irrelevant information, mismanaged communication channels and a lack of targeted training.
By Insight UK / 2 Sep 2019
By Insight UK / 2 Sep 2019
Our new study of 2000 UK office workers found the average worker misses important or useful information at work four times a week, and 38% miss information at least once a day.
We have more information at our fingertips than we can imagine. Every minute of every day: YouTube users watch over 4 million videos; nearly half a million tweets are posted; spammers send over 100 million emails. There is so much noise that we are losing the message.
While missing a social post is no big deal, regularly missing ‘important’ and ‘useful’ information in the workplace can lead to all kinds of problems.
Here are seven ways that employees can overcome information overload:
Only 47% of internal communications is relevant. Employers should consider when is best to communicate their news and by what approach. Is the message significant to every employee? Is email always best?
Because company information is shared in all directions – not just top-down, employees themselves can help cut down on the noise by reducing the volume of messages they share with colleagues.
If you’re about to share some information and it’s not essential, stop and save it for a chat by the water cooler or via a Teams group chat.
With 38% of office workers missing information every day, it’s vital to ensure your internal communications channels work effectively.
The first step to improve your communication methods is to evaluate what you already have and then develop a roadmap for future transformation. Insight’s Connected Workforce Discovery Workshop will accelerate your understanding of how the latest technologies can empower your workforce productivity, improve communications with customers and enhance internal collaboration.
Progress in technology and a change of mindset has increased demand for flexible working options. However, more than a third (34%) agreed that a lack of support from IT ‘makes flexible and remote working difficult and stressful’. Are you creating a modern workplace for your employees?
Allowing employees to take control of the way they work means they can choose how to process information. For example, employees who can use their own smartphones in the workplace, rather than being restricted by company policy, will process information more efficiently and effectively.
An Insight’s Connected Workforce Assessment would provide analysis of your current environment and recommend the right tools, applications and services to support your workforce transformation.
Our study found that office workers have to accept delays, or worse-than-expected outcomes on tasks or projects around three times a week.
Cloud solutions allow employees to collaborate and share files from anywhere, connecting the right people to the right projects.
Working in the cloud is also helpful for document control. When many people are involved in a project, employees can end up with a series of conflicting files and formats. With cloud computing, files are stored centrally, and everyone has access to the current version, which cuts communication and confusion.
While employees might expect to have the right technology and information to meet their needs, around 80% of office workers feel disadvantaged at work by not being able to use the technology they want.
Email remains the default application for a lot of internal comms. However, there are other solutions that help employees work smarter using online workspaces.
For example, Insight Digital WorkspaceTM is a cloud-based solution that brings seamless workflows across Office 365 apps. Employees can start their day with the right tools and the latest information all in one place.
Remote and mobile workers want new ways to collaborate with office-based colleagues that reduce the need for face-to-face meetings.
Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud-based software suite offers best-in-class collaboration tools that enable teams to work effectively, wherever they work. Microsoft Teams provides a hub for teamwork where employees can chat, hold meetings, share files and apps.
As part of Insight Connected Workforce services, Microsoft 365 empowers your team with the solutions needed to work smarter.
77% of respondents claimed that at some point they have been given technology without knowing how it will benefit their role or how to use it.
Employers can give training meaning by ensuring it is task- and goal-orientated. Employees must be able to visualise how a change improves their day-to-day work, from speeding up a process to expanding creativity.
Microsoft Teams makes it easy for staff to work, share, chat and achieve more. Insight’s five-day Smart Start program can maximise your investment in the platform and jump-start your journey to adoption. This program will help you develop a more agile and engaged workforce by identifying use cases, configuring Teams and building an adoption plan.
In today’s digital world employees are increasingly struggling with information overload. They are bombarded with irrelevant information, mismanaged communication channels and a lack of targeted training.
By transforming your workplace IT to focus on staff needs, as well as business objectives, you can build a stronger team that’s better connected.
Insight Digital WorkspaceTM empowers your workforce by creating an intelligent, employee-focused solution that’s IT future-proof and cost-effective.
To discover more on how employees are coping with today’s digital world, download the full Insight Report: The Employee Experience, Are UK Businesses Creating the Modern Workplace, or Falling at the First Hurdle?
