We live in the information age, where the number of data sources like e-mails, reports, and notifications is growing exponentially. The workplace can feel like a never-ending stream of irrelevant information.
When the system can’t manage information efficiently, the employee experiences information anxiety and it becomes harder to focus on important tasks and creates administrative chaos in daily operations.
In this guide, we will look at how to tackle the causes and consequences of information overload and provide practical, step-by-step solutions to get your communication flowing more efficiently within your business with an employee communications app. Whether you’re a leader looking to get more from your employees or a comms team looking to simplify processes, this guide will help you cut out the noise and keep your employees engaged and productive.
What is information overload?
It occurs when an individual is exposed to more information than their mind and sensory organs can handle.
It’s simple science: our brain’s capacity to process information is limited and our cognitive processes suffer when there is too much information. When information overload occurs, decision-makers face cognitive limitations as they encounter excessive data inputs that exceed their processing capacity. In fact, research suggests that excessive information increases the spread of disinformation instead. Therefore, bombarding employees with a lot of information isn’t the best idea and can impact their workplace productivity.
Decision-makers often find themselves buried under an immense multitude of data, struggling to sift through and identify what is truly relevant. This administrative struggle can lead to information anxiety, where the pressure to process information quickly and accurately becomes overwhelming.
Here's how information overload impacts workplace performance and processing capacity
-
Spurs poor decision-making: Too much information interferes with employees' decision-making ability and negatively impacts their performance-related KPIs.
-
Raises stress levels: Employees prone to high stress tend to perform poorly when experiencing cognitive overload. When stressed, such individuals often make judgment errors.
-
Increases fatigue: People exposed to excessive information from social media or otherwise suffer from health effects. This is not just limited to mental health impacts but also manifests in physical symptoms such as rising fatigue, which negatively impacts their work performance.
-
Triggers emotional instability: Scientifically, excessive information negatively impact one's emotions. According to a study conducted in 2021, information overload increases negative emotions among its recipients by 27.1%, making them perform sub-optimally.
-
Manifests an avoidance tendency: People exposed to much information avoid it altogether. So, if you send your employees a lot of information, they may probably avoid your communication altogether.
But how much information is too much information?
How much is too much depends on the individual and the context. The tipping point is when the system can no longer filter and process information efficiently. According to business research and the Harvard Business Review, too much information leads to breakdowns in decision quality and productivity when the information is not relevant to the task at hand.
Common causes of information overload in the workplace
Several factors contribute to information overload in the workplace. One of the biggest is the sheer amount of information we are bombarded with daily, plus the rise of digital platforms and new technology. The explosion of data combined with the ease of access to information sources like the internet and internal comms tools like email makes it hard for employees to know what’s relevant and what’s not.
Plus, the rise of unfiltered data smog—a term used in computer science and interaction design—shows how disorganized data inhibits insight. This leads to an administrative struggle as employees are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of inputs and get information anxiety. Decision-makers struggle to prioritize the right information for the task at hand and this overload also hinders long-term memory retention.
Furthermore, business psychology and social science research show that poorly designed information systems and the continuous flow of irrelevant information in the workplace increase cognitive load. Historical patterns from the printing press to modern-day information provision show that too much information at once has always been a problem but today’s technology has amplified the issue by making all the information instantly available.
Here are some factors that result in information overload in the workplace:
-
Overenthusiastic communication team: While consistent communication is essential, sometimes organizations give into excessive messaging, resulting in information overload.
-
Not having a structured communication strategy: Often, communication teams do not design communication campaigns based on employee data and follow a one-size-fits-all approach. They fail to consider different employee groups' time availability, intelligence levels, and personal interests. For example, sending multiple push notifications to all. This may result in busy executives getting disturbed and hurting their performance.
-
External factors: Sometimes, circumstances outside the control of an organization's communication team lead to information overload. This can include anything from employees voluntarily choosing to consume unrelated information or stream on social media platforms excessively. Alternatively, some individuals may have dominant personality characteristics such as overthinking or getting distracted quickly.
The good news is that everything has a solution.
Step-by-step guide to coping strategies for overcoming information overload in the workplace
Ensure unnecessary information is not communicated
While it is great to be consistent in your communication, it helps to remember that too much information can negatively impact you. Hence, ensure you only communicate what is necessary and avoid sending out unimportant communications. This way, employees conserve their cognitive resources and also value your messages when they arrive on their devices.
Segment your employees and decision makers and develop tailor-made communication campaigns
Employees are not all the same, and most have different capacities to process information. Make sure that you understand different employees' preferred modes of communication and the amount of information that is considered acceptable. This is possible by conducting regular surveys. You can segment your employees based on different attributes and create multiple campaigns that align with each sub-group's preferences.
Monitor engagement levels regularly
Use an employee communication app to monitor your employees' engagement levels with your communication regularly. This will tell you if your messages are being actively ignored, which can indicate information overload. In addition, you can seek direct feedback to check if employees are comfortable with your current communication frequency.
Urge your employees to focus on their physical and mental health
Information overload happens when a person's brain can no longer process it. This can be due to external factors such as being stress-prone, tired, or having health conditions over which you may not have control. Hence, generally stressing the importance of physical and mental health among your employees is also something you can prioritize in your internal communications. It can be as simple as urging them to take regular breaks from social media from work or urging them to get enough exercise.
Manage the information flow effectively
Organizations can implement several strategies to achieve this. First, filtering information to ensure only relevant data reaches employees can significantly reduce cognitive load. Categorizing and prioritizing information helps in organizing data in a way that makes it easier to process.
Additionally, leveraging information technology to automate routine information processing tasks can free up employees’ mental resources for more critical thinking. Real-time feedback systems can also play a vital role in managing information flow, providing employees with immediate insights, and reducing the burden of sifting through historical data.
Mastering communication starts with learning to not go overboard
Information overload hurts employees' physical and mental health. This results in reduced performance, a negative attitude towards the organization, and disinterest in communication material.
It is essential for communication professionals to actively study their employee engagement and seek feedback before developing communication campaigns. Book a free demo of our employee communications app to overcome these challenges.