Page 9 - Digital fatigue

GOALS
TIME & SPACE
• Planning breaks
• Planning focus time
• Ensuring detox time
• Setting a proper workspace
and taking care of it
• Providing spaces to relax and engage in physical activity
• Providing suitable work settings • Providing compelling spaces
• Providing services
PROCESS
• Nurturing one’s own wellbeing: healthy nutrition, physical exercise, postural care, mindfulness practice
• Mastering team dynamics
• Filtering stimuli
• Setting boundaries: work-life balance
• Zoning in and out
• Balancing online and in-person activities
• Providing technical tools & infrastucture • Setting a clear workflow
• Fostering a community feeling
• Helping teams to time-manage
• Providing training
• Setting and respecting boundaries • Co-creating wellbeing policies
This page:
Which tools can help to tackle digital fatigue at work?
Source: original by PACO Design Collaborative, 2022. Elaborated from the articles "Five Ways To Help Employees Avoid Digital Fatigue And Stay Engaged In A World Of Virtual Work", Francois Rodriguez, Forbes, 2020 and "7 approaches to mindful technology use", 2017, by Digital Work Research.
are mediated through a screen. At work, the use of online meetings, chat, emails and all forms of digital communication has risen over the past two years7, increasing working hours8, and implying a number of physical, cognitive and behavioural consequences.
Physical manifestations often include headaches, neck pain, eye strain, dry eyes, and low energy levels. Behavioural issues are those linked to the difficulty of relating to others through a screen.
When interacting with other people, the human brain is programmed to search for nonverbal cues9, such as body language, facial expressions, and so on. Digital interactions can reduce or even eliminate such cues, making communication more tiring and less efficient. Sometimes there is also an excessive pressure when “performing” in front of the camera as we worry about whether we look presentable or not to our colleagues. At the same time, taking part in too many online meetings, can create a sense of isolation, and reduce the chance to have informal chats and breaks.
These are the main symptoms of “digital fatigue”, a condition in which people feel overwhelmed and exhausted by too much digital stimulation and one of the many dark sides of hyper-connectedness. People who suffer from digital fatigue often find it hard to step back
WHICH TOOLS CAN HELP
TO TACKLE DIGITAL FATIGUE AT WORK?
FACTS AND FIGURES 9
AWARENESS AND
PROACTIVITY
• Allows remote
connection. • Improves
collaboration.
• Enables devices
management.
PROVIDE/PROMOTE WELLBEING
• Offers health and care services.
COMPANY TOOLS INDIVIDUAL TOOLS