Data on notification interruptions highlights
opportunity to unify the disparate employee digital landscape
New research from Unily, the market-leading
Employee Experience Platform, highlights the negative impact of
workplace interruptions caused by digital notifications on employee
well-being and productivity. The majority of employees and managers
agree that companies are not effectively addressing the issue of
digital noise, draining businesses’ ability to stay competitive and
adapt to today’s market driven by volatile economic fluctuations
and technological advancements.
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‘Distracted Every 15 Minutes’: Unily
Research Exposes Workplace Digital Noise Crisis. (Graphic: Business
Wire)
The rate at which workers report being distracted should be of
critical concern to business leaders. Unily’s latest research
report, the ‘Digital Noise Impact Report,’ shows that nearly
half of all employees are distracted at least once every
30 minutes, and almost a third report being
distracted at least once every 15 minutes by a workplace
notification. That means employees working 8-hour days could be
experiencing over 160 distractions from their workplace
digital tools each week.
Tools designed to streamline tasks and enhance collaboration are
having the opposite effect, with the constant barrage of
notifications, messages, and updates, taking a toll on employees’
mental wellbeing and causing significant stress. Nearly six in
ten employees report that digital tools add to their workplace
stress, with the biggest contributors revealed to be video
conferencing systems (44%), email platforms (39%), and instant
messaging applications (36%).
In addition, employees and managers don’t think their companies
are addressing the growing problem of digital noise in the
workplace. Close to half of all managers and almost two in five
employees believe companies aren’t implementing enough
processes to combat the impact of digital noise, suggesting
leadership isn’t taking the problem seriously enough.
Chris Ciauri, Chief Executive Officer at Unily, said:
“Our report delivers sobering findings on the impact of digital
noise in today’s workplace, driving organizational lethargy and
poor employee experiences. At the same time, we see some of the
world’s largest and most complex organizations taking the
opportunity to improve workplace engagement, with data showing the
crucial role a simplified digital landscape and considered use of
AI can play in reducing operational friction and increasing
efficiency."
DISTRACTING YET EFFECTIVE: A CONUNDRUM FOR LEADERSHIP
Yet, despite the challenges that digital noise is causing, some
tools are exceedingly viewed as effective in helping us do our
jobs. Email, for example, was reported by 91% of respondents as
effective in doing their jobs. Other effective tools include
intranet and internal communications (84%), messaging platforms
(83%), and video conferencing (80%).
The sheer number of digital tools integrated within the
workplace means that employees have become dependent on them to
complete most daily tasks. Digital tools help workers feel more
connected in the workplace, with nearly three quarters (73%) of
respondents agreeing with this sentiment.
While many applications offer rudimentary on/off switches for
their notifications, a total blackout may not be the answer. Nearly
three in five (58%) believe that notifications have the potential
to make them feel productive and informed.
The problem lies in how digital notifications interrupt workers
mid-task, placing a tax on time and attention. This can impede
their ability to handle context switching, fragmenting attention
between tasks, applications, and screens. Unily’s data shows that
two-thirds (67%) want more control over when and where they receive
their notifications, highlighting the need for a smarter solution
than a simple mute button.
MANAGERS BEARING THE BRUNT
Managers also appear to be bearing the brunt of these
distractions. Over 59% reported a digital noise distraction every
30 minutes or less, compared to 48% of all respondents, while 39%
said they are distracted every 15 minutes or less, compared to 31%
of all respondents.
“It’s clear that managers are hampered with more communications
and channels, which exacerbates the problem of stress in the
workplace,” said Kaz Hassan, Community & Industry Insights
Lead at Unily. “What’s more, this doesn't account for managers'
added cognitive burden from constantly switching between tools. The
fact that managers are feeling the strain of digital noise hardest
is particularly concerning given that they have the biggest impact
on a company’s employee engagement score.”
Digital noise was also found to be worse in the financial
services sector, where 63% reported being distracted every 30
minutes or less and 43% said they are distracted every 15 minutes
or less.
AI & THE SUPERAPP’S PROMISE FOR DISTRACTED
WORKERS
Workers showed a resounding belief in the potential of
artificial intelligence to help quiet the digital noise. Most (59%)
believe that AI could reduce excessive notifications and prioritize
notifications (62%), and nearly half (45%) believe their
organization should deploy AI to do so. Despite its potential,
however, the majority of respondents (51%) are not currently seeing
improvements in their employee experience from AI.
A superapp strategy, which refers to a single application that
brings all digital tools together in one place on all devices, was
supported by nearly all respondents. When asked about the concept
of a workplace superapp, 4 in 5 (83%) said it was a good or great
idea.
STRIKING A BALANCE
Today’s findings should spur organisations to prioritise a
strategy that aims to reduce digital noise and improve the employee
experience.
Ciauri said: “The research reinforces what we’ve seen
across the enterprise: the employee experience is suffering largely
due to the crisis of digital noise in the workplace. While
companies take on more digital apps to adapt to the new world of
work, the resulting complexity and noise risks further
disengagement and decreased productivity if not managed
strategically. This jeopardizes an organization's ability to
respond swiftly in the modern world of work."
Organisations have an opportunity to support their workforces
with a clear strategy that aligns human resources and internal
communications teams directly with their employees.
Ciauri concluded: “What’s overwhelmingly clear from the data is
that employees and managers alike believe that a superapp approach,
supported by AI, can substantially improve their employee
experience. At Unily, we’re dedicated to working with all HR, IT
and internal communication teams to achieve this goal.”
More information on the survey findings is available at:
https://www.unily.com/insights/guides/digital-noise
NOTES TO EDITORS
Research methodology
To learn more about the impact of digital noise on workers’
productivity and wellbeing, Unily partnered with global research
agency Vanson Bourne to survey 500 respondents across the US
and UK. Working for organisations with 5,000 or more employees,
from a number of sectors, including:
- Business and professional services
- Financial services IT, technology and telecoms
- Manufacturing and production
- Retail, distribution and transport
- Private healthcare
All datasets are anonymized and available on request.
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About Unily
Unily is the leading employee experience platform used by
enterprises to engage, empower, and inspire employees everywhere
and is positioned by Gartner as a Leader in its 2023 Magic Quadrant
for Intranet Packaged Solutions. Enterprises around the globe,
including CVS Health, Johnson & Johnson, The Estée Lauder
Companies, Shell, Wipro, and many more, rely on Unily's
world-class, AI-enhanced SaaS technology to transform their
employee engagement and alignment effectively and create
exceptional employee experiences.
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