Why are your employees ignoring you?

Left on 'read'? There's an information overload in the workplace.
19 July 2019

Too many options for comms? Source: Shutterstock

Internal communications just aren’t hitting the mark.

According to the survey of 2000 office employees in the UK by Insight, 60 percent of workers claim to ignore internal communications altogether until it’s brought to their attention.

The issue comes down to too much ‘noise’– nearly half of employees don’t find internal communications effective and think their employers aren’t engaging them the right way. 

Too many comms tools?

Workplaces today are awash with technology, tools and solutions for communication, collaboration and productivity, but these investments can be wasted if their deployment is not planned well and focused.

The report suggests that a bombardment of notifications and messages from multiple platforms is causing user frustration for users. The problem is compounded by the fact that 77 percent of workers said they don’t know how to best use the tools and apps they have access to.

Issues with technology is contributing to a staggering 1.8 billion ‘unproductive hours’ a year in the UK, while it’s also hurting collaboration between staff, who may be turning a blind eye to important messages. 

According to the report, it’s on employers to provide adequate software and hardware training for their staff, if not, turnover rate will just increase as they will eventually leave to find a new job with better tech (71 percent).

Information overload

Emma de Sousa, UK Managing Director at Insight said that “by right”, employees shouldn’t be complaining about office tech that makes life difficult– especially in 2019. Businesses should strive to keep workers informed but that’s not happening due to information overload.

“As a consumer, you have access to a wide range of technology and devices, where information received and shared is tailored based on the user preferences; businesses need to take the same approach,” said de Sousa. 

She added: “Technology in the workplace that cannot help streamline communication, keep employees engaged and support a healthy work-life balance is not fit for purpose.” 

To address these issues, businesses must acknowledge the need to educate staff around communication tools, and ensure processes are drilled in. Internal communications must be loud and clear to all. 

“From workers who are increasingly frustrated with their employer, to businesses that suffer lost productivity and find it harder to attract and retain employees– all sides will suffer if this isn’t embraced,” said de Sousa.