OpenText , a leading company in software solutions of Enterprise Information Management , has with conducted research on smart working, which has now become a custom. Italians have shown that they still have difficulties in managing the information overload to which they are subject. The research was started to verify how professionals face daily working life at the time of the COVID pandemic – 19 .

Almost one third (31%) of employees involved in research, and who in pre-Covid times used to work in the office, believes that they do not have at their disposal the suitable technological and digital tools that allow them to operate profitably remotely. In particular, there are difficulties in managing what has been defined tecnostress . Only the 15% of respondents said they feel at ease with the flow of information with which it is in contact.

Among the factors considered to be the greatest source of stress, the too many passwords to remember (39%), the excessive amount of information and data that must be managed with and through different devices (23% ), and finally the many instruments to monitor during a normal working day (22%). In addition, 16% of participants to the research he declared, due to the constant flow of information to which they are subjected, of never really being able to “disconnect” from work .

A heavy overload of information

The 74% of respondents stated that in the last five years the sources to be checked have increased . There is talk of email, news, social media, corporate servers and more: almost the 22% of research participants use on average more than ten accounts every day (email, apps, sharing platforms, etc.).

It is very likely that all this incoming information will have a significant impact on people’s lives, so much so that only the 36% of professionals who claimed to use, to complete a project, only three or fewer resources. On the other hand, new skills have been generated, with a greater speed in the search for information : four professionals out of ten said it took less than thirty seconds to retrieve the data, files or information they were looking for.

Antonio Matera , Regional Sales Director of OpenText Italy , declared: “ Users are using an increasing number of services digital in every area, from communicating with loved ones to accessing banking services, up to the purchase of food. Likewise, many companies are leveraging new services to ensure employees of being able to work safely from home . However, if on the one hand they have shown themselves willing to adopt different tools, on the other hand new challenges are emerging , posed by the need to manage multiple accounts and sources of information. Companies must therefore be able to recognize this phenomenon, looking for solutions that reduce complexity and simplify processes , to offer work experiences that can also have a positive effect on productivity levels. “

The management of the “ new normal “

The study shows that if smart working continues for a long time, the difficulties for those who work in this situation are of an organizational and relational nature . For almost two out of ten respondents the main concern is of access to systems and company files i, but methods for sharing information with colleagues can also create problems and stress (16%). More than half of the people involved in the research (54%) shared at least once with colleagues corporate files through personal tools . It is a much higher value than those found in other geographical areas: Spanish (22%), British (20 %) and French (17%) . Prolonged remote work also makes collaboration with colleagues critical (20%) and negatively affects the right levels of motivation (19%).

Says again Antonio Matera : “ Poor information management can have important consequences for a company, in terms of both productivity and security. When the data resides on different systems, it takes time and resources to access it , and it may happen that the security is overshadowed by attempts to seek alternative solutions to streamline processes. Furthermore, storage and manual management of information are subject to errors . By choosing automation-based solutions, companies can make the most of their data and offer an optimal user experience to employees, customers and partners, especially in the current historical moment . “

The research data was collected on behalf of OpenText from a survey conducted through Google Surveys between April and November 2020 on a sample of 24. 00 0 users of Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Spain. It involved both freelancers and employees. As regards Italy , the 2.00 0 people .