On average, employees are spending a whopping 148% more time in weekly team meetings, as well as sending 42% more chats after hours and 200% more chats on weekends, according to a survey by Microsoft<\/a>, which tracked the habits of more than 30,000 users in 31 countries over the last year. This plugged-in time is leading to a cognitive load that\u2019s incredibly tough or, in other words, to a phenomenon known as \u2018digital intensity\u2019.<\/p>\n Digital intensity can make employees feel overwhelmed, which invariably affects their ability to work effectively. In the long run, workplace stress, anxiety and exhaustion can accumulate, leading to a number of mental and physical health problems. Not only is this detrimental to your employees\u2019 wellbeing, but it\u2019ll also increase their absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace. In other words, their productivity levels fall and your operating costs increase.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve wrapped our heads around the meaning of digital intensity and the impacts of digital intensity on companies, here are 5 tips to help you reduce your employees\u2019 digital intensity:<\/p>\n Employees\u2019 workdays are typically broken down into casual office chats, in-person meetings, deep work<\/a>, lunch breaks, as well as their morning and evening commutes. However, remote working disrupts this normal workflow, replacing an employees\u2019 entire workday with various digital tools. Switching between them is already mentally taxing and digitally intense, and throwing constant virtual team meetings into the mix doesn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n Video meetings are especially tough on employees because their brains try to process each participant individually and absorb visual clues, leaving them overwhelmed before they can even focus on the meeting\u2019s agenda. The more video meetings they have, the harder it is on them – and the science proves it. Individuals who had a day of meetings tend to produce more beta waves<\/a>, which are a sign of the brain being hard at work.<\/p>\n One solution is to limit the number of video meetings employees feel obliged to take part in. It starts by reassessing how your company communicates, and whether some video meetings that you currently have are unnecessary or are simply instances of micromanaging (a sign of virtual workplace toxicity<\/a>). Chances are you\u2019ll find that many of the meetings can be replaced by a memo – especially the longer meetings with only one speaker and multiple listeners.<\/p>\n Bonus pointer<\/strong>: When you need to have meetings, you can look into functions on video conferencing tools like \u2018together mode\u2019 on Microsoft Teams or \u2018immersive scenes\u2019 on Zoom, where participants are put on a shared background. They can help reduce some of the subconscious processing time taking up participant\u2019s cognitive space.<\/p>\n Overworking is a real problem for many employees – especially remote employees, as they\u2019ve got all their work devices in front of them – 24\/7. What\u2019s more, they don\u2019t have the physical separation between \u2018work\u2019 and \u2018home\u2019, which makes it harder for them to switch off at the end of the workday. To top it off, they are bombarded with emails and meeting requests to replace all in-person interactions which exacerbates the digital intensity issue.<\/p>\n That being said, a lot of these unhealthy work patterns go beyond remote working. The advent of smartphones and push notifications has meant that employees can always check and respond to their work emails – no matter where they are, or what they are doing. This is known as the \u2018always on\u2019 work culture, which we talked about at length in our Global Employee Benefits Trends Report 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n To tackle these issues, organizations need to set expectations for employees, and establish that they\u2019re not required to respond to emails outside of their working hours. This policy needs to be clearly and directly communicated to ensure the message gets across, especially to the employees who seem like they may be overworking, such as by saying: \u201cYou are not expected to answer that email at 03:00 am\u201d.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a quick fix to help your employees reduce their digital intensity, then the good news is that there are plenty of ways to do so – chief of them being simple 10-minute breaks every hour or so. Encourage your employees to break up their work day by doing something relaxing like meditation, stretching, doodling or anything that\u2019s not looking at a screen.<\/p>\n Employees may be reluctant to take breaks or feel like it\u2019s impossible to do so if they\u2019ve got an overwhelming workload. On the contrary, taking breaks is even more important when employees have a lot on their plate because it helps them relax and come back to work re-energized. This can actually increase their productivity levels.<\/p>\n Other ways to incorporate this 10-minute break idea into employee\u2019s workdays is to encourage them to:<\/p>\n While quick fixes can be incredibly helpful, it\u2019s always better to solve the issue at the root. Employers need to understand that the crux of the matter is that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted (and continues to disrupt) the world of work. In this light, simply trying to replicate old work patterns will clearly not work, and it\u2019s important to come up with new and innovative ways of working.<\/p>\n This starts with an organisational shift in mindset. Don\u2019t view employees as robots on a production line, but view them as human beings – those who need rest and recovery, in order to realize their full capacity. Trust them to get their work done, and measure work by quality and not by the hours clocked in. But, of course, a shift in mindset can\u2019t occur overnight.<\/p>\n As such you should thoroughly consider every process, and ask yourselves the reason why you do it and brainstorming ways to do it more effectively. This will enable you to become an industry leader by reinventing the post-pandemic workplace – one that experts predict will see elements of remote and in-person working or hybrid working<\/a> – and help your employees lessen their digital load.<\/p>\n Despite your best efforts, employees may still struggle with digital intensity. In which case, it\u2019s important to recognise the effects that digital intensity can have on an employee\u2019s mental and physical health, as well as their work performance. In response, you should ensure that you have the necessary support services for employees. This includes employee assistance programs<\/a> (EAPs) and group health insurance, amongst others.<\/p>\n Looking to offer employee benefits? You\u2019ve come to the right place. With over two decades of experience in the corporate health insurance and employee benefits<\/a> sector, Pacific Prime UK <\/a>has the knowledge and expertise necessary to advise your organisation, and help you implement tailored solutions that meet your exact needs and budgets. What\u2019s more, we also use industry-leading technology to streamline the entire plan administration process.<\/p>\n![\"Corporate](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pacificprime.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/PPUK-blog-banners-1138x493-px_02-07.jpg?resize=700%2C303&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\nWhat is digital intensity?<\/h2>\n
How will digital intensity affect your company?<\/h2>\n
5 tips to help you reduce your employees\u2019 digital intensity<\/h2>\n
1. Reassess how you communicate, and work out if a meeting is really necessary<\/h3>\n
2. Say no to the \u2018always on\u2019 work culture that has plagued our times<\/h3>\n
3. 10-minute breaks can do wonders: Encourage your employees to take regular breaks<\/h3>\n
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4. The world of work is changing: Help your employees find new, better work patterns<\/h3>\n
5. Recognize the effects of digital intensity, and offer employee assistance programs (EAPs) and group health insurance<\/h3>\n
![\"Business](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pacificprime.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/PPSG_Bus_01.jpg?resize=700%2C303&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"