Didn’t Get the Memo (Part 3): Overcoming Digital Bombardment
This piece is part of a multi-part series. Check out part 1 and part 2.
Receiving digital notification after digital notification is challenging for anyone whether they are c-suite or mid-level management. The stress of multiple flashing notifications across various platforms is enough to make anyone crazy…so when there are tens of notifications coming in per hour it’s easy to hit snooze and ignore.
But what happens when there are so many notifications that you overlook the important one that could alter your entire workday?
I recently shared one of my personal experiences about completely missing the memo at work and being horribly late to an important meeting. I asked readers to share their own experiences of a time when they didn’t get the memo. Trailblazer in the field employee platforms and enablement, Nina Ferraro was eager to share her experience.
Nina Ferraro, the co-create and Owner, Boldy & Co., is a self-proclaimed ‘serial entrepreneur’ who spends her days building and executing innovative solutions to common business place challenges.
Nina’s story…
“I was supposed to have a meeting with the CIO of the 36,000 person organization I worked for. As you can imagine, the meeting wasn’t easy to get. Between the time the meeting was scheduled until the date it was to occur, it had been rescheduled several times due to the ever-changing schedule of the CIO.
Because of the bombardment of notifications I was receiving, I stopped paying attention and figured it would just show up on the day it was needed — rather, I needed to actually “Accept” the updated and reschedule meetings. By the time the meeting stuck, I hadn’t accepted the most recent update and missed the meeting with the CIO.”
Why Nina didn’t get the memo…
“People willingly and many times, through a digital addiction, experience the constant attack of digital/electronic notifications. Whether it comes from e-mail, text messages, news outlets, or social media — we are not lacking in information being available to us or requested of us at any given moment.
Our lives are blanketed by a digital presence in almost every interaction we have.
I often hear millennials complain that digital bombardment is only an issue for an older generation who “can’t keep up with the times,” but I’d argue that this issue affects everyone — no matter what age. While digital transformation and electronic tools are a necessity and important, we must also teach our team members how to use them responsibly and in a healthy, helpful way.
There’s this idea that exists that if a message is not responded to immediately then someone’s productivity will be questioned or something bad will happen if constant monitoring isn’t occurring. What I ask my team members is: “If you shut off your notifications from unnecessary sources, will anything blow up?” Or “Has anything disastrous ever occurred that wasn’t resolved?”
The answers to both questions are unfailingly and always: “No.”
If you don’t see a message for a few hours — nothing will go awry. (And, by the way, if something is so serious that it needs your immediate attention, someone will find a way to get a hold of you.) If an error has occurred or there’s a big issue, somehow it always gets resolved.
These questions serve a purpose: they help your team members admit that a constant digital bombardment does nothing positive to affect their outcomes. In fact, it likely just hurts their productivity.
Digital bombardment is an issue I can’t imagine us not facing; however, it is something we can navigate if there is truly a commitment from your leadership to engage in productive, purposeful work where employee wellness and happiness are a priority.
Give those brains a rest. It’s more important than you know.”
This concept of digital bombardment is not going anywhere soon. The key is to implement effective strategies to manage the constant bombardment of notifications in order to avoid missing the memo.
