Do You Suffer From Notification Fatigue?

According to Asana's 2022 Anatomy of Work Report, workers in the United States are bombarded by notifications. Approximately two-thirds (63%) of U.S. professionals continue to check their email after hours, the highest number in Asana's international study.

The software company's research team polled employees in Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Workers in the United States were the most likely to report feeling the need to respond to emails immediately, at 62 per cent. This rate was even greater among millennials and Generation Z.

 

Workers are now using 9 applications per day

Furthermore, Asana discovered that professionals use nine applications per day to complete tasks. While this figure is lower than Asana's 2021 report metric (13 apps per day), managers polled for the 2022 study used roughly ten apps per day on average to address work responsibilities. Employees at major organisations used nine applications on average each day, whereas employees at smaller organisations used six, and employees at medium-sized companies used ten.

Switching between apps harmed respondents' productivity, with 19% reporting lower attention to activities and 17% revealing they worked longer hours as a result. Overall, 21% of interviewees agreed that switching between apps made them less efficient at work.

 

Workers are spending more time on emails 

According to the data, the saying "This could have been an email" may be true.

While 41 per cent of respondents said they were spending more time on emails than last year, 43 per cent told Asana they were spending more time on video chats.

While Asana participants in the United States indicated they are overwhelmed by the range of their digital interactions with coworkers, 34% said they find it difficult to respond to important messages. The rate is significantly greater among millennials, and Generation Z. Respondents did, however, propose a few crucial ways to save their work day and mental health.

 

Solving notification fatigue

More than half of respondents (52%) indicated that more efficient meetings might successfully decrease the number of notifications, and 48 per cent said that defined roles might also reduce the number of notifications. The importance of well-defined expectations was most likely to be emphasised by Gen Zers, millennials, and those in C-suite roles.

Aside from gauging notification fatigue, Asana's 2022 Anatomy of Work report also looks at existing approaches to the hybrid work model, strategic workflow, and labour attitudes.

What is Asana's solution? According to their research team, reduce "work about work," as opposed to skilled work or strategy. Tasks such as responding to emails and notifications fall under the umbrella term "work about work."

Asana also suggests integrating apps and tools into a single work management platform to minimise "context-switching."

 

According to Asana, a critical management technique that can be applied regardless of whether a workplace uses eight, nine, or ten apps is to lean into integrations. Workers can continue gaining the benefits of individual apps while participating in a seamless ecosystem. 

According to the survey, managers should encourage employees to use "do not disturb" functions or set out time on their schedule for focused work.