In a recent workshop with one of our clients, I learned that they had to increase their storage limits for OneDrive several times already. This got me thinking: since information should be a shared corporate asset, why do employees hoard so much data in their personal workspaces?
This situation reminded me of the TV series from 2009 called Hoarders. If you’ve never heard of it before, based on its name, you might guess what it’s about.
In the show, we saw the cluttered lives of individuals who accumulated so many items that their homes became overwhelmed with clutter, significantly affecting their ability to live normally. Drawing a parallel, I realized that companies might be facing a similar challenge with digital clutter.
My Messy Space
Most of us would agree that living in a cluttered house isn’t pleasant. We usually throw out old things, clean up what’s dirty or messy, and feel satisfied and calm when the spaces around us are organized and neat. So why doesn’t this habit carry over to our digital lives?
It’s difficult to get started—trust me, I know. On several occasions, the main motivation for me to really clean my space was a guest visit. After all, we don’t want visitors to see that we live in a messy place, right?
But in our digital spaces, we don’t have “visitors,” so there’s no obvious incentive to tidy them up.
Or is there?
Digital hoarding – consequences
While the motivations for cleaning up our personal spaces may differ from those in our work lives, it’s important to understand the risks and consequences of hoarding digital information. Here are some of the most significant examples:
1. Difficulty finding what we need – The more we accumulate, the more time-consuming and difficult it becomes to find that one document we need, whether it’s in OneDrive or shared workspaces like Teams or SharePoint.
2. Version control is a hassle – With multiple copies lying around, it’s often hard to know which is the final version. Is it “Final V2,” “Final final V1,” or maybe “V3”.
3. Compliance breaches – That scary topic everyone avoids over-retaining information increases the risk of breaching laws and regulations that govern our data.
4. Storage costs – Storage isn’t free. The more data we keep, the more it costs.
5. AI readiness – Tools like Copilot have become invaluable advisors, but for them to provide the best possible answers, they need high-quality information. That’s tough when we hoard everything.
Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that these consequences are a common reality for many of our clients. The reasons range from insufficient training on information management to a lack of enforcement of document lifecycle requirements, failure to use retention labels and disposition tools, and more.
Cleaning time!
So, how do we start cleaning up to reduce the chances of facing these consequences head-on? There are a few things companies can do for their employees and several actions employees can take themselves:
Corporate strategies to Improve Digital Organization:
- Establish and enforce clear data policies – Detail how information should be handled and the document lifecycle managed.
- Ensure compliance – Set and enforce consequences for failing to adhere to data management requirements.
- Provide training and resources – Help employees understand and implement best practices in data management.
- Implement tools – Use file plans with retention labels to dispose of unnecessary data.
- Leverage metadata tagging – Differentiate valuable information from redundant, outdated, or trivial data.
- Run “decluttering” campaigns – Encourage employees to clean up their digital workspaces.
Employee Responsibilities to Reduce Digital Clutter:
- Follow policies and requirements – Stick to company guidelines for data management.
- Participate in training sessions – Learn best practices for information management and workspace organization.
- Audit personal OneDrive regularly – Delete unnecessary copies or outdated documents.
- Transfer valuable data – If the information you possess could benefit others, move it to collaborative workspaces like Teams or SharePoint.
- Keep personal content separate – Avoid storing personal files in work-related digital spaces.
By implementing these strategies and working together, companies and employees can ensure that digital workspaces remain organized, clean, and functional! This not only boosts productivity but also ensures a more compliant and efficient work environment.
Remember that feeling of satisfaction after tidying up? By taking these steps, you’ll help ensure your company won’t be featured in the next season of Digital Hoarders!
Effective information management is key to unlocking your organization’s full potential. If you need guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at contact@infotechtion.com. We’re here to help you optimize your information workflows and drive your business forward—though we won’t clean your kitchen.
