{"id":749,"date":"2021-11-03T17:11:15","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T17:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/?p=749"},"modified":"2026-04-24T08:47:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T08:47:24","slug":"avoid-information-overload-remote-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pumble.com\/blog\/avoid-information-overload-remote-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Information Overload in Remote Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever contemplated sharing that super-informative article in your team chat app<\/a> but dropped the idea for fear of ruining your team\u2019s workflow and focus? Or you found a fun and relatable meme you know your team would resonate with, but you know it would just add to the general noise and distractions…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all been there. More specifically, some are still struggling to walk that fine line between nurturing a strong team spirit and connection within remote teams<\/a>, and messing up entire processes and bottom lines with excessive information sharing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information overload is one of the key threats to modern workplace communication and overall organizational performance. And, as such,  it requires more than just assessing whether a meeting could have been an email or a DM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get a better insight into the problem of information overload in remote communication, we\u2019re outlining its causes and effects, and delivering actionable tips you can implement to prevent the abundance of information from hindering your team\u2019s performance or general well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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What is information overload?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although some would argue that information overload can be traced back to the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, the term was officially defined by Bertram Gross in his 1964 work \u2014 The Managing of Organizations<\/a>. According to Gross, information overload occurs whenever we receive more information than we are able to process, which often results in poor decision-making as we\u2019re unable to process all the information coming in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In remote communication, information overload can be defined as an excessive amount of irrelevant and poorly timed information shared among team members within an organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As opposed to the general information overload coming from social media and all devices we use regularly, work-related excessive information is not as easy to shake off. You can mute your phone and deactivate your Twitter account, but you can\u2019t exactly ignore all conversations going on in a company team chat thread.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to emphasize the magnitude the concept adopts when translated to a remote, virtual work setting. What once was a problem of over 100 emails<\/a> in-office workers received per day, is now amplified by the number of communication and collaboration tools teams use to serve the remote work demands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, while it\u2019s not necessarily a groundbreaking discovery that our productivity is directly impacted by our immediate surroundings, it is still rather daunting to face the fact that the constant noise coming from different apps and multiple devices can decrease our productivity time by 40%<\/a>. As a result, we\u2019re witnessing the US economy losing $900 billion<\/a> every year due to a drop in employee productivity caused by workplace information overload.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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What creates information overload in remote communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A remote work environment is a breeding ground for information overload. With entire communication taking place virtually, remote organizations are extremely vulnerable to information glut. Paradoxically, remote teams rely on consistent virtual communication and exchange of information to achieve virtually any goal, which only complicates the matter further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if we analyze the issue more closely, we can notice that not all remote organizations are at risk of developing information overload by default. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although distracting, the volume of incoming emails and pings in your virtual team chat is seemingly not solely to blame for the general information overload among your team members. In fact, there are a number of factors that come into play, most of which call for a re-examination of company-wide processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get a closer look at the most common remote communication problems causing information overload.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of a centralized communication channel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With the already shortened attention span<\/a> globally, remote communication often adds to the pressure of keeping up with all the incoming information. Most often, this is due to failing to streamline communication channels used in an organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understandably, most remote teams have switched to asynchronous communication<\/a> as it allows more flexibility and better time management. On the flip side, asynchronous communication can lead to misalignment, information delay, and overload if not backed up by the proper guidelines and adequate tool use. When people are left to juggle between the information shared in emails, team chat apps, phone calls, company drive, and news feeds, they are more likely to hit the cognitive processing limit which then leads to several other performance and health issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Too much information shared<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remote organizations tend to overcompensate for the lack of social element by encouraging people to share more and more often. Although open communication and information sharing are considered some of the key pillars of a successful remote-first culture, it can often backfire and take a serious toll on productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An overload of irrelevant information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Information overload encompasses both the quality and quantity of information people are exposed to. Understandably, employees need a specific volume of relevant information to perform their job. However, the issue arises when people are flooded with great volumes of unsolicited, insignificant information.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor information coordination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Apart from technology and people, a lack of clear guidelines and procedures on how to manage information in a remote setting<\/a> is another important factor impacting information overload in remote communication. Without a clear internal communications strategy uniquely tailored to meet the specific needs of an organization, remote teams are left to their own devices while trying to strike a balance between relevant work communication and distracting chit-chat.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the effects of information overload in remote communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To some extent, most of us are already accustomed to being flooded with a huge amount of information in our daily lives \u2014 so much that it is almost normalized at this point. After all, the knowledge economy dictates this exact scenario by prioritizing information as the most valuable product. At the same time, it\u2019s arguably a generational matter as well. While the first digital natives, Millennials and Gen Z, are seemingly better at processing the incoming information, older generations are prone to feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, information overload still heavily impacts both organizations and individuals. With IQs dropping by 10 points<\/a> due to email alerts and phone rings before the global shift to a remote work model, we can safely assume that the effects are only more adverse amid the recent changes in structures and communication styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s get an in-depth overview of each of these consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decreased productivity \ud83d\udcc9<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For many companies, the switch to a remote work model, meant an instant increase in the number of information sources they used. On one hand, this rise in the number of information sources used tends to benefit collaboration, and general performance. However, there\u2019s the other side of the coin. Remote workers may be wasting time sifting through numerous data sources which negatively affects their productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a survey of 2,000 UK respondents<\/a> working from home in 2020, remote workers are experiencing negative effects of information overload on productivity. In fact, 13% of respondents use over ten apps, tools, and accounts every day. Moreover, 31% report that it takes them more than a minute to locate information or a file when working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the general abundance of technology, email alerts, and chat notifications may not seem like a huge deal when considered separately, those can quickly add up, leaving virtually no room for productive, focused work<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Employee health and well-being challenges \ud83d\udecc\ud83c\udffc<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A perpetual surge of an excessive amount of information combined with a limited time to process it can take a toll on people\u2019s mental and physical health. Stress, anxiety, reduced focus, and inability to fall asleep are some of the most common challenges that people exposed to a high volume of information experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Combined, these workplace factors and symptoms can often lead to more complex issues, with employee burnout being the most severe. A Gallup study reveals 67% of employees<\/a> experience work-related burnout at least sometimes. These symptoms can pretty quickly spiral in a remote setting, especially if remote workers fail to set the right work-life boundaries<\/a> early on.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People dealing with taxing workloads and unmanageable amounts of information will undeniably experience an extreme amount of health and well-being challenges.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limited decision-making \ud83d\ude15<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the greatest problems with information overload is that while the volume of data we are exposed to increases constantly, our processing capacity remains the same. This puts us in an unfavorable position of wasting our cognitive resources on filtering large amounts of information instead of working on solving problems or coming up with new ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the cognitive impact of infoxication \u2014 i.e. excessive amounts of data \u2014 causes poor decision-making<\/a>. When faced with large amounts of information, people are more likely to make mistakes, be extremely selective, or completely ignore a large amount of information. Similarly, the process is more time-consuming as we\u2019re forced to filter through a large chunk of irrelevant data to reach the information we need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Team disconnection and misalignment \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83e\udd1d\u200d\ud83e\uddd1 \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83e\udd1d\u200d\ud83e\uddd1 \ud83e\uddd1\u200d\ud83e\udd1d\u200d\ud83e\uddd1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Team communication and effective collaboration are the key factors to promoting a healthy remote-first culture<\/a> and achieving overall company success. Without a clear structure that defines communication and information sharing procedures, tools, and processes, employees are left to figure out these by themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, information will most likely get clustered in team silos<\/a>, or completely scattered and disorganized. Either way, the overall performance, and bottom line will unsurprisingly, take a hit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor employer brand \ud83d\udea9<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More often than not, the issue of information overload can slip under the radar with higher executives and decision-makers in a company \u2014 until it starts reflecting on the general employer brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poor communication, frustration, stress, and team disconnect spread like a disease and it\u2019s a matter of time before the word gets out. Unfortunately, bad news travel faster, and all the hard work a company may have done to build a solid employer brand may quickly go out the window. And, despite the general benefits of a remote work environment, companies that fail to address the issue of information overload are significantly less likely to retain or attract top talent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 Ways to avoid information overload in remote communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eliminating information overload is a complex process \u2014 especially when considered from a remote communication<\/a> perspective which usually involves multiple sources of information and communication outlets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, with the right set of processes and strategic use of tools, organizations can significantly reduce the negative impact of information overload and improve their internal communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s dive in for more details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Assess your internal communication <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first step to managing information overload is to analyze the current state within the organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are your teams too frequently distracted by the excessive amount of internal emails? What are some of the most common communication challenges? Which factors impact the flow of information? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get detailed insights, organizations can track and analyze data available in virtual workplace tools. Alternatively, external analytics tools can also be a valuable source of information when assessing internal communication and knowledge strategies. Some of the metrics to focus on include:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n