Many of us have been working from home for the last two years and have learned to virtually communicate in lieu of in-person interaction. Through tools like Slack, concise messages can quickly be sent to colleagues thus helping to keep email inboxes clearer.
But a new study from Loom may have negative long-term effects on workers’ mental health if not careful.
The report analyzed survey responses from a little over 3,000 adults 18+ in the United States and the United Kingdom that work full-time in an office setting leading virtual teams. The findings were interesting to say the least.
87% of the workers said tech tools have improved their jobs—but 62% say miscommunication and/or misinterpretation of digital messages adversely affect their mental health.
The report delves into how workers communicate everyday and analyzed their responses on what works and what doesn’t. For example, the report said that nearly one-third of workers shared that majority of digital work meetings could be replaced by recorded/asynchronous video. In fact, in the report, 72% of office workers said they are frustrated with their digital communication tools and they are wasting one hour and 42 minutes on average scheduling and rescheduling calls in the workplace — costing businesses in the U.S. $1.85 billion dollars every week.
Workers are also saying that their short-hand used in the Slack platform oftentimes requires additional explanation to colleagues, and can lead to misunderstandings. Loom reported that 97% feel the need to add something extra in digital communication to clarify tone and 93% have felt the need to write multiple sentences to fully explain something. Some even said ineffective Slack messages have led to them getting reprimanded or even fired.
The full report can be accessed here.