Information Overload Pushing Workers to the Brink
By David R. Butcher
People and organizations cannot keep up with the volume of
information produced by technological innovation, as information
overload is pushing workers closer to their breaking point.
Sometimes the Internet seems like it’s getting too big. That is,
there is so much stuff on the Web: informative stuff, helpful stuff,
critical stuff, interesting stuff, offensive stuff, hilarious stuff and
ridiculous stuff — a lot of stuff. And it takes up a significant
portion of our lives.
In an 8.89-hour average workday, employees spend an average of 2.3
hours daily conducting online research, with one in 10 spending four
hours or more on an average day, a new survey by LexisNexis shows.
Yet blame for on-the-job time consumption doesn’t lie solely on the
Internet. The same survey found that, on average, professionals spend
7.89 hours conducting research, attending meetings and searching for
documents.
Spending too much time conducting research? Ever missed a deadline
because of trouble finding necessary information? How often do you find
yourself searching for an old e-mail? Having trouble finding the
correct or most recent version of a document? Disagreeing with
colleagues about the right way to organize information? Have you ever
missed a meeting or appointment because of scheduling miscommunication?
How much information is too much, and what is it doing to our ability to be productive?
Information overload is pushing workers to the brink and cutting
into workplace productivity, according to the LexisNexis-commissioned 2008 Workplace Productivity Survey, which polled 650 employees in a variety of industries.
According to the survey, a majority of professionals feel they are
close to a breaking point, where they will be unable to effectively
process or handle any increase in information flow.
The survey found 68 percent of professionals wished they could spend
less time organizing information and more time using it. Workers admit
that not being able to lay their hands on the right information at the
right time impedes their ability to work efficiently, as another 85
percent of respondents said not finding the right information at the
right time was a significant time waster. Meanwhile, 62 percent said
they spent too much time sifting through useless information.
“The information age has brought the American professional workforce
to an information overload,” Mike Walsh, CEO of LexisNexis U.S. Legal
Markets, said in a statement.
If we continue to work this way day after day, our brains lose the
ability to fully focus our attention and we develop what he has labeled
“attention deficit trait,” according to Dr. Edward Hallowell, founder
of the Hallowell Center, which provides holistic treatment and education about ADHD for both children and adults, and author of Driven to Distraction.
This condition, which seems to be becoming an epidemic, makes us
feel perpetually distracted, impatient, disorganized and overwhelmed by
our work. Our performance levels on important tasks also drop with
“attention deficit trait” because fully focusing our attention is
critical to tapping into our brain’s higher functions.
Research shows that when people are able to fully focus on one task,
their brains automatically screen out distractions and they become more
creative and deliver their best performances. Time slows for them, and
what they are doing becomes effortless and joyful.
The LexisNexis survey indicates that companies have not provided the
right tools employees need to cope with this growing information
burden. More than 40 percent of the survey participants indicate an
inability to handle future increases in information flow.
Walsh said the results should encourage businesses to invest in more
efficient research technology, training and tools. “Companies that take
action on this issue will realize higher employee productivity and
satisfaction,” the CEO said.
When asked what companies can do to solve the information overload
problem, some respondents noted their company should invest in faster
computers and more up-to-date technology. Others suggested training in
information management. Still others said they should be provided with
information management technology or tools that are designed to fit
their jobs and which work together.
Yet there is no single solution that companies can do to solve the
problem, and most survey respondents even said none of these will help.
