CorpComms Magazine

Six out of ten UK professionals say they find it difficult to stay focused at work owing to a constant barrage of emails, messages and other information. 

The sheer volume of communications many office workers are assailed with every day is undermining productivity and preventing them from doing their job effectively or conscientiously, with 73 per cent  admitting to ignoring or deleting information without reading it fully, according to a study of workplace productivity from LexisNexis.

Real-time communication is too time-consuming for most busy professionals, with 67 per cent of UK white-collar workers and legal practitioners preferring to receive urgent information via email rather than over the phone.

Rob Farquharson, director of LexisNexis Connect UK & Ireland, said: 'The survey has highlighted that UK workers are feeling too busy to get organised and too time pressurised to do their jobs effectively, yet they are keenly aware of the need to manage information better and many express a desire for the right training and the right tools to do their job. 

'Critical to business success is the need to free time up, to let people think creatively and strategically, and to allow them time to network and build new business. 

'The results of this survey reveal not just how widespread the problem is, but also the very real impact that information overload is having on professionals' productivity and the bottom line. The research should be food for thought for all managers and reinforces how important it is for businesses to provide their employees with the technology, support and know-how they need to stay ahead of the problem.'

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